As cities struggle to deal with the persistent challenges of homelessness, one writer suggest there's a better way to address the problem than by simply clearing out homeless encampments and tent cities.
Lisa Daugaard notes that shutting down homeless encampments might feel like progress, but "it is not an effective choice if the goal is actually reducing the number of people living outdoors." In fact, "[i]n the absence of real alternative accommodations for people currently camping outside, these closures are counter-productive flailing that do far more harm than good."
The ongoing controversy inspiring the article by Daugaard concerns "The Jungle" (also known as the Beacon Hill greenbelt) in Seattle. According to Dauggard, the real question that should be asked when deciding the best policies to address homeless encampment follows: "How can we best and most quickly get to a point where people don’t have to resort to living outdoors?"
Dauggard provides five answers to that question, each with more detail included in the article:
- Rethink the camp closure approach.
- Improve city services in encampments.
- Build relationships.
- Employ harm-reduction techniques that work.
- Develop more inclusive housing options.
FULL STORY: 5 real fixes for homeless encampments
Could Tent Cities Work in California?
Seeking new approaches to a growing homelessness problem, Sacramento officials recently toured the "tent cities" of Seattle.
Will Appeal of Landmark Appeals Court Ruling Allow for Clearing of Tent Cities?
If the Supreme Court hears an appeal of a landmark U.S. Ninth Circuit Court case settled in April, the ruling would have widespread implications for dealing with homeless encampments throughout the West, perhaps nowhere more so than Los Angeles.
Seattle mayor pledges to build 500 shelter units by June
The Seattle Times editorial board expresses cautious optimism about the mayor's ambitious supportive housing plan.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association