The city of San Jose, California is crafting regulations to give renters and low-income residents more rights and access to fair housing.
"City leaders Tuesday approved exploring a new measure to address income discrimination against renters with federal Section 8 housing vouchers," reports Ramona Giwargis.
The City Council…mulled a new report that outlined barriers to housing in Silicon Valley, including discrimination against renters who use housing vouchers. The report, prepared by city housing director Jacky Morales-Ferrand, pinpoints key obstacles to housing: the location and availability of affordable units of all sizes, the displacement of residents due to rising housing costs and a lack of eviction protections.
Among the findings of the "Analysis of Impediment to Fair Housing Choice" report: that discrimination based on Section 8 and other housing subsidies are rampant in the city, adds Giwargis. In response to the report, the council voted 9-2 to study a possible ordinance that would ban such discrimination.
The San Jose City Council's interest in housing discrimination came just days after it approved "historic new tenant protections, "including a 'just cause' policy requiring landlords to give a reason for ousting tenants, renters celebrated a victory they have sought for decades," as reported by Giwargis in an earlier article.
FULL STORY: San Jose: Council approved exploring measure to curb housing voucher discrimination
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.