This piece from The New York Times looks at the career and experience of Adolfo Carrion, the new director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs.
"That is, in large part, the record Mr. Carrión, 47, will carry with him to Washington, where he starts Monday as director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, a new office created to focus federal investment in urban areas. Job creation, housing and ensuring that federal money for urban America is effectively spent will be among his primary concerns."
It is a major leap for Mr. Carrión, who will go from the largely ceremonial position of borough president to coordinating national urban policy and who, 12 years ago, was district manager of a local community board.
Assessing Mr. Carrión's readiness to make that jump depends on whether his tenure as borough president is seen as a hard-fought success in an office with limited power or a failed opportunity to turn around a borough that, while no longer a symbol of urban blight, continues to struggle with crime, poverty, homelessness and deaths from AIDS.
FULL STORY: From Bronx to Washington, After Mixed Results

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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