Both during the campaign and his victory speech, President-elect Trump referenced the troubled conditions of 'inner cities.' A Tufts professor offers advice for the new administration if it really wants to help.
Justin B. Hollander pens a guest column for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, offering advice for Ben Carson, selected by the Trump Administration to serve as secretary of the Department of Housing and urban Development. According to Hollander, "it is worth considering what it might mean for President-elect Trump's election-night promise that 'we are going to fix our inner cities.'"
Hollander's advice is broken down into three suggestions:
- Define the 'inner city' and it's problem well.
- To "fix" the inner cities, focus on quality-of-life issues not economic development.
- Implement plans through community-based processes.
Implied especially in the first recommendation is that both Trump and Carson have homework to do if they really want to understand the issues facing 'inner cities,' not to mention crafting policies that improve on the broken parts of the status quo.

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.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie