Some cities are fighting back against the mortgage crisis, using eminent domain to seize and write down troubled mortgages, keeping homeowners in their homes and keeping local economies afloat, writes Peter S. Goodman.
Mayors like Sacramento's Angelique Ashby see the mortgage crisis as much more than just a mortgage crisis. In addition to forcing homeowners to abandon ship, bank foreclosures and underwater mortgages are wreaking havoc on many aspects of local communities in a chain of economic reactions, from shrinking tax bases to reduced spending to weak job markets to failing local businesses. All of this has consequences even further down the line, like cutbacks in city departments, shrinking fire and police departments, and on and on.
Ashby - who works in a district where 70% of homeowners are underwater- is asking the City to consider a proposal to use to eminent domain to seize and write down troubled mortgages, helping to keep homeowners in their homes and hopefully stem many of these other issues as well.
FULL STORY: Eminent Domain As Underwater Mortgages Fix: Why Some Cities Are Considering Unorthodox Measure
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?
Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.
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.
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