A Los Angeles development for homeless vets could be great news for a city in desperate need of housing, but some worry that the apartments put vets in harm’s way.
The Sun Valley Senior Veterans Apartments is a low-cost housing development in the works in LA a city desperate for housing, unfortunately those apartments are a mere 200 feet from the 5, a fact that has serious health implications. "State officials have for years warned against building homes within 500 feet of freeways, where people suffer higher rates of asthma, heart disease, cancer and other health problems linked to car and truck pollution," Tony Barboza and David Zahniser report for the Los Angeles Times. Despite these concerns the state of California will subsidize the development with money from the state's Cap and Trade fund.
Some worry that the fund is putting the city's most vulnerable in harm’s way. "Even in places with poor air quality, residents’ health will improve from walking and biking more. And they say the dangers from living near freeways can be reduced with anti-pollution design features recommended this year by state air regulators, including sound walls, vegetation barriers and high-efficiency air filters that remove some of the harmful particles from vehicle exhaust," Barboza and Zahniser report.
FULL STORY: California officials say housing next to freeways is a health risk — but they fund it anyway
The 'Vanlord' Providing Shelter to L.A.'s Homeless
A creative rental industry has emerged in Los Angeles as the affordable housing crisis grows.
More on those Freeway-Adjacent Affordable Housing Developments
The Los Angeles Times follows-up an earlier article on the dangers of building too close to freeways. It's a trade-off that the California Air Resources Board acknowledged last April with new guidelines that recognize the dire need for housing.
The Promises and Limitations of Modular Housing
Converted shipping containers offer the promise of fast construction and low costs, but face regulatory and accessibility challenges.
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