Criminalization of Homelessness

Close-up of white sign with red text 'No RV parking' against green foliage.

San Francisco Could Ban Overnight RV Parking

Advocates say the proposal would further destabilize the lives of people forced to live in their vehicles.

September 18, 2024 - ABC 7 News

Two people holding sign that says "house keys not handcuffs" during an anti-homelessness event in Los Angeles, California

California Cities Intensify Criminalization of Unhoused Residents

Following a key Supreme Court ruling, some cities are imposing more restrictive laws on outdoor sleeping and encampments.

September 12, 2024 - CALmatters

Aerial view of Grants Pass, Oregon on cloudy day.

Grants Pass Bans Outdoor Sleeping, Creates Designated Camping Areas

The Oregon city was at the heart of a controversial Supreme Court case that paves the way for the criminalization of homelessness.

August 12, 2024 - AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Tent occupied by unhoused resident with bike against fence under underpass in Miami, Florida.

Grants Pass Homelessness Ruling Brings Issues Into Sharp Focus

Advocates for unhoused people are rallying to protect homeless populations as new legislation criminalizing homelessness rolls out around the country.

August 9, 2024 - Next City

Aerial view of downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico at sunset.

Albuquerque Moves to Close Alleyways to Deter Unhoused People

Cities around the country are enacting more restrictive regulations after the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of local governments in Grants Pass v. Johnson.

July 18, 2024 - Newsweek

Blue tent with small charcoal grill and plastic bin set up by unhoused person in snow in Portland, Oregon.

Portland Replaces Camping Ban With New Policy

Unhoused residents can sleep on public property when no shelter space is available, but still face penalties for violating new regulations or not moving into shelter if offered.

May 13, 2024 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Close-up of "No Loitering or Panhandling - Restrooms for Customer Use Only" sign in shop window.

Opinion: Criminalizing Homelessness Is ‘Expensive and Shortsighted’

Policies that punish and fine unhoused people for sheltering outdoors, even when other shelter is not available, are the most visible but least efficient ways to reduce homelessness.

April 17, 2024 - Bloomberg Law

Downtown Kansas City Missouri

Missouri Criminalizes Sleeping Outside

The state legislature passed a bill that bans sleeping on state land and threatens to pull state funding from cities with high rates of homelessness.

July 19, 2022 - The Kansas City Star

Metro Bikeshare

L.A. Councilmember Proposes Criminalizing On-Street Bike Repairs

Councilmember Krekorian's proposal to criminalize bike repairs and sales on public right-of-way has been sharply criticized as a cynical move that will unfairly target the unhoused.

February 13, 2022 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Tent City

Will Appeal of Landmark Appeals Court Ruling Allow for Clearing of Tent Cities?

If the Supreme Court hears an appeal of a landmark U.S. Ninth Circuit Court case settled in April, the ruling would have widespread implications for dealing with homeless encampments throughout the West, perhaps nowhere more so than Los Angeles.

July 10, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Homeless

The Battle for Public Space: Business Owners vs. Homeless Residents

The role of business improvement districts in criminalizing homelessness reflects a tension between private interests and public space, Rob Waters writes.

March 18, 2019 - Next City

Homeless

Protests Push O.C. to Kill Its First Real Plan to Help the Homeless

The affluent county finally authorized a concrete plan to address a housing crisis, but forceful opposition from residents put them 'back to Square One.'

March 29, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Homeless

L.A. Metro’s Homeless Outreach Teams Report Back

The transit agency's year-long experiment with homeless services has placed 19 people in permanent housing and spurred hopes of expanding the program.

March 28, 2018 - KPCC

banksy

Anti-Homeless Robot Raises Eyebrows in San Francisco

File under 'high-tech urban dystopia.”

December 18, 2017 - Business Insider

Downtown Reno

Homeless People Could Pay the Price of Reno's 'Revitalization'

Reno is considering a law that critics say is a textbook example of the criminalization of homelessness and everyday life.

September 13, 2017 - Next City

Homeless Bans

California Cities Continue to Criminalize Homelessness with RV Bans

Coastal cities are taking a no-tolerance approach to RVs on their streets, even as they otherwise strive to mitigate and prevent homelessness.

August 7, 2017 - Pacific Standard

U.S. Cities Cracking Down on Homelessness

Three major American cities this week—San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles—responded to the growing number of homeless living on the streets with sweeps, arrests, and seizures, respectively.

March 3, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Top Books

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100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.