Eminent Domain

Interstate 605 in Los Angeles with green freeway signs and light traffic

L.A. Freeway Expansion to Move Ahead, Sans Displacement

The 605 freeway expansion project was expected to demolish hundreds of homes and multifamily buildings.

July 23, 2023 - Streetsblog LA

A sign reads “State Fishery Area Public Easement Open to Fishing.” In the background is a stream surrounded by snow on the ground in a natural setting.

What Is an Easement?

There are limits to the rights and powers associated with land ownership. Easements are a critical example of how property rights can be balanced with the needs of neighbors, the public, and other interests external to the control of property owners.

April 17, 2023 - James Brasuell

Brooklyn, New York City

What Is Redevelopment?

Redevelopment includes all development projects that build new structures and land uses on a previously developed site. Understanding the nuances of redevelopment is critical for understanding the ways cities and communities change.

July 29, 2022 - James Brasuell

Rendering of proposed Brazos Valley station

Texas Supreme Court Approves Eminent Domain for Bullet Train

In a decision that could change the calculus on a beleaguered high-speed rail project, the state’s highest court rules that the railroad has the right to acquire land along the project route.

June 27, 2022 - High Speed Rail Alliance

Texas Bullet Train

Texas Bullet Train Company Owes Hundreds of Thousands in Property Taxes

The company planning to build a Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail line is delinquent on at least $623,000 in property taxes on lots purchased for the project.

April 14, 2022 - Houston Chronicle

Texas Bullet Train

Eminent Domain Questions Still Dog Texas Central High Speed Rail Plans

The Texas Attorney General took a break from its crusade against unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud to weigh in on a controversial question of property rights.

December 28, 2021 - Texas Tribune

Downtown Houston overlooking Interstate 45.

Contentious Houston Freeway Widening Project Inches Forward

Federal officials have given TxDOT the go-ahead to resume work on a small portion of a controversial interstate widening project in downtown Houston.

December 5, 2021 - The Houston Chronicle

Cranes rise into the sky on a construction site for an office and housing building for the Bouygues Group in the southern suburbs of Paris.

Could France's Approach to Combating NIMBYism Work in the United States?

France passed a law that required cities to have a certain percentage of social housing. Since then the country's most exclusionary cities and suburbs have seen a fivefold increase in the availability of social housing.

November 19, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Texas Highways

Freeway Expansions Continue to Threaten Black and Brown Communities

Despite calls to center equity in infrastructure projects, highway construction and expansion still disproportionately impacts communities of color, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation.

November 16, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

A map of the planned West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor project in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Planned Highway Expansion Would Cut Into Black Community in Charleston

The Biden administration's efforts to curb the tendency of highway expansions to cut into Black communities will be tested by the West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor plan in North Charleston, South Carolina.

September 9, 2021 - The Washington Post

Interstate Highway

L.A. Metro Denounces—but Doesn't Scrap—710 Freeway Expansion Plan

The agency's board members spoke out forcefully against air pollution and displacement, but stopped short of completely rejecting the project, looking instead to cleaner vehicles and regulations that mitigate community concerns.

June 7, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

5/605 Interchange

Not So Fast: Metro Board Hits the Brakes on Southern California Highway Expansion Plans

Political opposition to the controversial I-605 Corridor Improvement Project is gaining traction on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

October 27, 2020 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

5/605 Interchange

Planned Highway Widening Requires Eminent Domain in Southern California

Advocates are calling out regional and state transportation planning agencies for a failure of racial justice as plans to widen a freeway in Southern California move forward.

October 11, 2020 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Texas Central

Eminent Domain Challenges Remain for Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail Project

While Texas Central's plan to build a high-speed rail link between Houston and Dallas has already dealt with years of opposition from rural communities, big fights over the use of eminent domain have yet to begin.

March 10, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

Private Property

What Is Eminent Domain?

One of the most controversial powers defined by the Bill of Rights, eminent domain is the term used to describe the government's power to seize private property for public use.

February 19, 2020 - James Brasuell

Los Angeles, California

The Newest Tool in the Affordable Housing Toolbox: Eminent Domain

Los Angeles has taken a rare step in anti-eviction action, considering the use of eminent domain to protect tenants of an apartment building in a gentrifying part of the city.

February 4, 2020 - Los Angeles Magazine

Eminent Domain Sparks Protest in Atlanta

Atlanta's worsening housing affordability set the stage for a controversy over the city's use of eminent domain to build a new park and stormwater retention facility.

December 17, 2019 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Boston West End

Watch: The Dark Side of Eminent Domain

In cities like Boston, the government’s right to take private property displaced residents and destroyed vulnerable neighborhoods and communities.

October 3, 2019 - The Urbanist

Helmick Family Farm, LLC v. Commissioner of Highways

Court Ruling: Eminent Domain Valuation Must Consider Potential Rezoning

Details provided regarding the Virginia Supreme Court ruling in Helmick Family Farm, LLC v. Commissioner of Highways.

September 11, 2019 - Inversecondemnation.com

Dakota Access Pipeline

Dakota Access Pipeline Owners Win Eminent Domain Appeal in Iowa Supreme Court

The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that found that the Iowa Utilities Board was justified in giving the private owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline the use of eminent domain. Climate change was considered in the ruling.

June 6, 2019 - Des Moines Register

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