HUD has awarded $98 million to 45 regions throughout the country in an effort to spur more sustainability planning efforts.
Next American City's Yonah Freemark looks at the awards and what they do and don't do.
"These funds, distributed by the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program, will allow cities to better consider how they want to develop over short and long-term periods. Some grants are designed to help regions develop sustainability plans from the start, whereas others will aid in implementation.
None of the money, unfortunately, goes towards actual implementation."
Read the full story: HUD Unveils Winners of Sustainable Communities Awards
Analysis: ROAD to Housing Act could take years to implement
HUD is tasked with implementing nine new rules as part of the ROAD to Housing Act — while operating with a significantly reduced staff.
How HUD is dismantling fair housing enforcement
Fair housing law has never been easy to enforce. But HUD's proposal to eliminate the use of disparate impact analysis will remove another crucial tool for doing so.
New HUD rule would remove gender from housing protections
The proposal in the federal registry would replace “gender” and “gender identity” with “sex” as defined by Trump’s January, 2025 executive order.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
After decades of planning, Sacramento gains new light rail station
Trains will arrive every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours.
Massive tunnel-boring machine breaks ground on Gateway Project
The Trump administration revoked funding for the project in October 2025, and then restored it earlier this year.
Airo trainsets begin service on Amtrak Cascades route
The trains feature panoramic windows, complementary wifi and over 300 seats per train set.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello