A motion in City Council would open the door to new protections for gentrifying areas.
A motion from Atlanta City Councilmember Keisha Lance Bottoms would have the city study the feasibility of implementing Displacement-Free Zones in neighborhoods impacted negatively by ongoing "revitalization" efforts.
Displacement-Free Zones—sometimes called Eviction-Free Zones—are packages of neighborhood-level laws and initiatives designed to mitigate the impacts of gentrification on longtime or low-income residents and business owners. A 2015 report from Governing placed Atlanta fifth on the list of gentrifying cities in the nation.
DFZs often cap increases on rent and property taxes for housing and small businesses. The designation is also used by activists to concentrate eviction-defense work in a strategic area. Cities including Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angles, San Francisco, Miami, Portland, and Cincinatti have considered or adopted DFZs in some neighborhoods.
If the motion passes, the Department of Planning and Community Development would have 120 days to provide its findings to the Atlanta City Council.
FULL STORY: Atlanta City Councilmember Keisha Lance Bottoms introduces legislation for Displacement Free Zones
Beltline Surpasses Annual Affordable Housing Goal
The Atlanta Beltline agency is actively working to prevent the displacement of longtime residents along the trail system, where property values are rising rapidly.
Austin Employs Team to Help Residents Avoid Displacement
The city’s new Displacement Prevention Navigators will conduct outreach and assist with finding resources to help cost-burdened residents at risk of losing their housing stay in their homes.
How To Prevent ‘Green Gentrification’: Lessons from the BeltLine
For one author, the key is focusing on affordable housing from the start.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
NRDC Releases State Transportation Scorecard
The Getting Transportation Right report highlights which states are making the most progress on reducing transportation emissions and improving access to clean transportation options.
Study: How Urban Parks Can Support Biodiversity
Conservation and recreation can go hand in hand in urban green spaces designed to serve both humans and local wildlife.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service