In an attempt to remove homeless people from underpasses, Houston Mayor proposes legislation to make it a misdemeanor to put up such structures.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is looking to get homeless "off the streets." To that end, the mayor is pursuing an anti-homelessness initiative. "Turner’s initiative features an anti-panhandling awareness campaign and ordinances that would ban tents on public property and make it a Class C misdemeanor to obstruct city streets," Kelsey E. Thomas writes in Next City.
To accommodate the people Mayor Turner would be making into criminals under his initiative, Turner proposed, "professionally staffed ‘low-level shelters,'" where people could sleep on mats in a fenced-in area with a roof. These shelters will will be set up under some overpasses and on private property. The non-profit, Star of Hope, also plans to add 215 beds by August with the help of $800,000 in funding from the city, Thomas writes.
Some fear that this expansion of shelters will not be enough to accommodate the people whose shelters would become illegal. "You're outlawing sleeping when you outlaw tents," Megan Huston told Thomas. Huston went on to argue that shelter is a basic human need.
Read the full story: New Houston Homeless Plan Targets Underpass Shelters
Voters to Decide Future of San Francisco Homeless Tent Encampments
Unable to pass the measure themselves, four San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure for November that would let voters decide on the removal of tent encampments in the city providing that housing is offered.
Once a Leader in Reducing Homelessness, Houston Reports Fewest Shelter Beds in 2 Decades
The number of unsheltered Houstonians grew after a decline in 2024.
Houston to Open ‘Super hub’ for Homeless Residents
The city has agreed to buy and redevelop a property that will provide shelter and services for over 200 unhoused residents.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC plants over 18,000 trees, the most new foliage in a decade
Many of the trees were planted in communities vulnerable to extreme heat.
New bill requires California data center developers to create water scarcity plans
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed 7 bills intended to give California communities more information about the impact of proposed data centers.
San Diego may kill one-third of its bus routes as budget crisis looms
Under the city's proposed plan, 21% of Metropolitan Transit System riders would lose access to transit services.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello