Inglewood had fallen on hard times, but then plans for a massive sports and entertainment complex came along. While the city’s future is poised to change dramatically, the development is also displacing residents.
Angel Jennings writes about Inglewood, California, the location of a new NFL stadium and entertainment district. The city in southwest Los Angeles County has a long history as a black middle-class enclave, but social and economic changes starting in the 1970s resulted in a city in severe decline struggling with major fiscal challenges.
The situation in Inglewood has changed significantly in recent years with the arrival of the new stadium and related development, plans for a basketball arena that are taking shape, and spillover from the region’s technology sector. "But now that Inglewood is on the come up, longtime residents and city officials face a different challenge: Many who have weathered decades of hardship no longer can afford to live there and are being left out of the economic renaissance," says Jennings.
Housing prices are soaring in a city where three-quarters of residents are renters and the majority of the population is black and Latino. The result has been a flood of major rent increases and evictions that are displacing longtime residents. Uplift Inglewood, a tenants’ rights group, is suing to halt the arena project, and the city council last month approved a 45-day moratorium to cap rent increases and stop evictions.
But activists say the city is not doing enough to help Inglewood’s most vulnerable residents as the city’s economic tides change. "The temporary cap was a win for Uplift Inglewood, which continues to apply pressure to City Hall. It also is taking the fight to Sacramento, pushing for an anti-price-gouging bill," notes Jennings.
FULL STORY: One of California’s last black enclaves threatened by Inglewood’s stadium deal
LA County Leaders Seek to Increase Penalties for Rent Gouging
Landlords who raise rents sharply after disasters could face fines of up to $50,000.
Lack of Eviction Data Obscures Extent of Affordable Housing Crisis
Court records on eviction filings vary widely and don’t include the outcome and miss informal actions. Without this data, officials don't have a clear picture of displacement of low-income renters and its effect on housing stability.
Inglewood Transit Connector Moves Forward
The project entered the engineering phase and received just over $1 billion in federal funding last week.
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