In downtown Boise, recently announced plans to construct a homeless shelter have many local business owners upset and making arrangements to move out of the area. The city, however, is defending its decision to approve the shelter.
"Interfaith Sanctuary Housing has purchased a 10,200-square-foot building at 1620 River St. for its permanent home, using $800,000 in loans from the Idaho Housing Finance Association and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise."
"The shelter will open Nov. 1 and operate 365 days a year, offering shelter and rehabilitation services for about 100 homeless people at a time."
"The owner of a nearby auto shop says the shelter will create too many problems, and he's selling his building. A medical office manager says that office intends to move."
"City officials say the new shelter is in an area zoned for such purposes and there is no evidence that services for homeless people create neighborhood disinvestment."
"'We hear those concerns, but don't know if we see evidence of that,' said Jerry Todd, spokesman for Boise's planning and development department. "Homeless shelters have to go somewhere and need to be Downtown," he said. 'This area is specifically zoned for homeless shelters. In fact, it could accommodate more as the need arises. It's an approved area for that type of activity.'"
FULL STORY: New Boise homeless shelter irks business owners who are considering moving

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie