Transgender apartment hunters regularly encounter "discrimination with a smile," according to a new study.
Kay Lazar reports on the findings of a study from Suffolk University Law School that finds "[t]ransgender people frequently encounter disparate treatment while apartment hunting in Greater Boston." That discrimination, however, is prohibited by Massachusetts state law.
"The Suffolk team found evidence of discrimination in more than 60 percent of the apartment shopping encounters studied," according to Lazar. The study described many of these encounters as "discrimination with a smile. " According to Lazar's explanation of the phenomenon, "[a]pplicants who made clear they were transgender generally received pleasant treatment, not realizing they were not offered the same discounts, amenities, and customer service typically given to applicants who are not transgender."
The article includes a lot more detail about the efforts of advocacy groups and the public sector to counter such discrimination.
FULL STORY: Most transgender renters see discrimination
Study Reveals Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples, Transgender Individuals
A study of three of the country's population and cultural centers reveals the kinds of discrimination same-sex couples and transgender individuals are likely to encounter on the rental market.
Rent Costs Rising Faster in Suburbs Than Urban Cores
In a majority of U.S. metro areas, suburban rent hikes are outpacing urban rent increases.
How ‘Rental Deserts’ Perpetuate Inequity
Close to one-third of American neighborhoods have very few housing options for renter households, who tend to be disproportionately people of color and low-income families.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association