New Orleans is among the first cities to respond to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Affirmatively Furthering Affordable Housing rule.

Jessica Williams reports: "Long divided by race and class, New Orleans has become even more segregated in recent years, and residents in majority-black neighborhoods often have the least access to jobs, affordable housing and other opportunities, according to a recently released plan that city officials say could help solve those issues."
"The plan, mandated under a new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule, seeks to ameliorate the woes of minority communities by investing in neighborhoods that have long been less well off than others," adds Williams. "Separately, it seeks to make it easier for residents of those areas to move to whiter, more affluent areas that have prospered."
The federal rule Williams refers to: the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, released in its final form in July 2015. New Orleans is one of about 12 cities experimenting with the federal mandate, so the current plan could end up as a model for other cities around the country.
"In New Orleans, advocates hope the new federal requirements will focus attention on the city’s affordable housing shortage, which officials and housing advocates say is partly due to post-Hurricane Katrina gentrification as well as to zoning policies that keep multiple-family developments out of certain neighborhoods," explains Williams.
The article includes a lot more fine-grained analysis, digging into the recommendations of the report for specific neighborhoods in New Orleans.
FULL STORY: How it happened, how to fix it: Plan set to combat New Orleans segregation, gentrification

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford to Oversee Amtrak’s High-Speed Rail Efforts
Byford, who formerly ran NYC Transit and Transport for London, could bring renewed vigor to the agency’s plans to expand regional rail in the United States.

Seattle Bus Lane Cameras Capture Over 100,000 Violations
An automated traffic enforcement pilot program caught drivers illegally using transit lanes more than 110,000 times in less than a year.

Immigration Grows, Population Drops in Many U.S. Counties
International immigration to the country’s most populous areas tripled even as major metropolitan areas continued to lose population.

$616 Million in Development Incentives Approved for District Detroit
The “Transformational Brownfield” incentives approved by the Detroit City Council for the $1.5 billion District Detroit still require approval by the state.

Affordable Housing Development Rejected for Lack of Third Staircase in Connecticut
The New Canaan Planning Commission rejected a development proposal, including 31 below-market-rate apartments, for lack of a third staircase, among other reasons, at a time when advocates are pushing to relax two-staircase requirements.
Houston-Galveston Area Council
City of Malibu
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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