Jessica Garrison and Angel Jennings report on a new lawsuit filed this week by the City of Los Angeles that is part of "an aggressive attempt to deal with the urban decay caused by the housing crash."
Marking the second time the City of Los Angeles has gone after a major bank for being a slumlord, officials announced civil allegations this week that, "found problems in the way US Bank handled 1,500
home foreclosures and cited more than 150 homes that had fallen into
disrepair. The city is demanding that the bank clean up vacant
properties and improve conditions for families living in others."
According to Garrison and Jennings, "City officials say they want to hold banks that helped fuel the housing
boom responsible for the blight that rippled through the city after
those loans went bad."
"[S]eeking an injunction and potentially millions of dollars in
penalties and restitution from the Minneapolis-based financial
institution," the approach being pursued by Los Angeles is novel, but may set a precedent for cities seeking creative ways to deal with problems resulting from foreclosures.
"Deutsche Bank and US Bank have argued that the blame for neglected,
foreclosed homes lies not with them but with loan servicers, who are
contracted to manage the properties."
FULL STORY: L.A. sues US Bank over blighted, abandoned homes

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

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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