After a scandal exposed widespread lead contamination in Chicago schools, new legislation requires regular lead testing.

After long negotiations about standards and testing practices, Illinois has finally reached a deal and will pass a bill mandating lead testing in Illinois schools and licensed day-care facilities. Among other provisions, the Bill SB550 would require, "…schools built before the year 2000 that serve students fifth grade and younger, would be required to test for lead in all its drinking water sources, as well as sources of water used for cooking at the schools," according to reporting from Natasha Korecki in Politico.
One sticking point was where funds would come from for lead abatement. This bill requires schools to fund their own testing rather than require their water suppliers to pay for it. Jen Walling of the Illinois Environmental Council spoke on the possible costs. "Walling estimated the cost of testing for each school at $500 to $5,000. Much larger costs come in if lead is present and mitigation is required," Koreki writes.
FULL STORY: Illinois poised to require lead testing in public schools, day care centers

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.
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