New York City has announced plans to use $24 million in federal financing to repair and resell more than 100 foreclosed homes in the city.
"The city will use the money to take control of foreclosed properties owned by lenders that have failed to be sold at auction. The city has already overseen the purchase of the first four empty homes - two on Staten Island, one in the Bronx and one in Queens - and renovations are scheduled to begin by this spring."
"The efforts by the city illustrate the impact that foreclosures are having on the city's neighborhoods and, in some ways, echo its response to the housing crisis of the late 1970s and early '80s. Back then, in an attempt to revitalize neighborhoods left decimated by abandoned properties, the city under Mayor Edward I. Koch began taking over the ownership and management of buildings whose owners fell behind on their property taxes."
"Under the new program, the city will not take ownership of the properties, but instead will subsidize their rehabilitation through a third party, a nonprofit group called the Restored Homes Housing Development Fund Corporation. The group will purchase a majority of the 115 properties, hold title to the properties during the rehabilitation and then sell them at prices affordable to families making roughly $80,000 to $90,000 a year. Restored Homes is already doing similar work, buying, renovating and reselling foreclosed homes that the federal government had owned."
FULL STORY: To Avert Blight, City Will Repair and Resell Vacant Homes

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