The department's activities, or lack thereof, under the Trump administration have caused housing advocates a lot of consternation. Under Ben Carson, is HUD abandoning its fair housing mission?

Glenn Thrush gives a us rundown of the many ways Ben Carson's HUD has backed off from fair housing enforcement. Things came to a head, he writes, in March, when the secretary moved "to strike the words 'inclusive' and 'free from discrimination' from HUD's mission statement."
Carson has denied a broader shift away from a fair housing agenda. "Mr. Carson dismissed the idea he was abandoning the agency's fair housing mission as 'nonsense' in a memo to the department's staff earlier this year, and reiterated that point during recent congressional hearings."
But examples of more relaxed enforcement, or none at all, continue to accumulate. Thrush discusses several, including HUD's termination of an investigation into potentially discriminatory advertising practices by Facebook, as well as how the agency backed away from its previous stance on a Houston mixed-race housing development that advocates say the city blocked on discriminatory grounds.
"Advocates for the poor and career HUD officials say that Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, and his political appointees have begun weakening the department's fair housing division at a critical moment."
FULL STORY: Under Ben Carson, HUD Scales Back Fair Housing Enforcement

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.

Test News Post 1
This is a summary

Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.

Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service