Frustration and anger are rampant in Port-au-Prince, where recovery from the earthquake that thrashed the city in January has been slow and, by some local accounts, corrupt.
"While few have given up entirely on the dream that a more efficient, more just Haiti might rise from the rubble, increasingly, hope is giving way to stalemate and bitterness. 'Is this really it?' Haitians ask. They complain that the politically connected are benefiting most from reconstruction work that has barely begun. They shake their heads at crime's coming back, unproductive politicians and aid groups that are struggling with tarpaulin metropolises that look more permanent every day.
'We're going to be in this position forever,' said Patrick Moussignac, the owner of Radio Caraïbes, a popular station broadcasting from a tent downtown. 'We could be living on the streets for 10 or 20 years.'"
Locals are calling on the government to take stronger action, and many hope that plans for a presidential election by year's end will help spur it. But without a clear opponent to current President René Préval, there is some fear that the status quo will remain indefinitely.
FULL STORY: Rubble of a Broken City Strains Haitians’ Patience
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.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie