One of the sad contradictions of the revival of core urban areas has been the clash between waves of investment and affluence with large populations of homelessness. Many cities are still coming to terms with the issue, much less solving it.
"As once derelict or sleepy downtown districts in U.S. cities evolve into thriving hot spots, officials are grappling with what to do about homeless populations that have long inhabited them," according to an article by Arian Campo-Flores, Cameron McWhirter and Alejandro Lazo.
The article also notes that thought he number of homeless people around the country is declining overall, several cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Seattle, the number is increasingly. "In New York, the homeless population increased nearly 42% to 75,323 from 53,187," for instance.
As planners know, redevelopment exacerbates the homelessness issue in more ways that one: "While city officials, who often support redevelopment, face added pressure from new residents to address homelessness, advocates for the unsheltered say the response too often is to try to remove them from sight without providing adequate support."
Besides those most famous of U.S. cities listed above, the article also spends some time in Tulsa, where downtown revitalization has meant that the city's homeless population is "no longer out of site out of mind."
Read the full story: Thriving U.S. Cities Grapple With Homelessness Surge
Massive Empire State Complex Gains Key Political Support
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is backing one of the largest real estate development projects in U.S. history—larger even than the nearby Hudson Yards project.
Seasoned Developer Opines on California’s Housing Crisis
Bill Witte, CEO and chairman of Related California, discusses how state and local governments ought to respond to the state’s challenges with housing affordability, growth in homelessness, and 'missing middle' housing supply.
The Dark Side of the Rust Belt Revival
Cities in flyover country are facing new redevelopment challenges as companies relocate from costly coastal cities. In St. Louis, downtown revitalization has also brought plans to tackle blight, and the consequences for residents could be immense.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority