With rapidly rising costs of living, one study shows the number of homeless in the nation's capital is double the national average.
Washington is becoming an increasingly expensive city to live in, causing a bump in homelessness in the city. "In December, a devastating survey of 32 big cities prepared by the United States Conference of Mayors showed Washington with the highest rate of homelessness. There are 124 homeless people for every 10,000 residents here, more than twice the national average. Nationally, homelessness has shrunk 12.9 percent over the last seven years," Noah Weiland writes for the New York Times.
The working poor have trouble finding housing. "In such a desirable real estate market, landlords are circumspect, taking government subsidies for affordable housing before screening out potential tenants for qualities associated with homelessness," Weiland writes. Those who do find housing have trouble affording it, "… with rising rent, the poorest Washington residents faced spending more than half their income on housing."
FULL STORY: D.C. Homelessness Doubles National Average as Living Costs Soar
D.C. Council Chooses Commercial Property Tax Breaks Over Homeless Funding
Carolyn Gallaher, an associate professor at American University, makes the case for local political leadership to better support Washington, D.C.'s homeless population. The D.C. Council has been focusing its resources elsewhere.
Behind-Schedule Shelters and Behind-the-Scenes Problems at D.C. Department of General Services
The Department of General Services, Washington D.C.'s department in charge of constructing homeless shelters, has seen rapid turnover and is reportedly struggling with low morale.
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Camping Bans, but Challenges of Addressing Homelessness Remain
In Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court upheld an Oregon city’s ban on camping in public places, paving the way for similar bans in cities across the country but doing nothing to solve the cause of homelessness.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.
Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.
When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions