In an attempt to remove homeless people from underpasses, Houston Mayor proposes legislation to make it a misdemeanor to put up such structures.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is looking to get homeless "off the streets." To that end, the mayor is pursuing an anti-homelessness initiative. "Turner’s initiative features an anti-panhandling awareness campaign and ordinances that would ban tents on public property and make it a Class C misdemeanor to obstruct city streets," Kelsey E. Thomas writes in Next City.
To accommodate the people Mayor Turner would be making into criminals under his initiative, Turner proposed, "professionally staffed ‘low-level shelters,'" where people could sleep on mats in a fenced-in area with a roof. These shelters will will be set up under some overpasses and on private property. The non-profit, Star of Hope, also plans to add 215 beds by August with the help of $800,000 in funding from the city, Thomas writes.
Some fear that this expansion of shelters will not be enough to accommodate the people whose shelters would become illegal. "You're outlawing sleeping when you outlaw tents," Megan Huston told Thomas. Huston went on to argue that shelter is a basic human need.
FULL STORY: New Houston Homeless Plan Targets Underpass Shelters
Voters to Decide Future of San Francisco Homeless Tent Encampments
Unable to pass the measure themselves, four San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure for November that would let voters decide on the removal of tent encampments in the city providing that housing is offered.
Trump Wants to Force Homeless People Into ‘Tent Cities.’ Can He?
The president pushed for sweeping crackdowns and the possible internment of people experiencing homelessness. To see what's coming, we should look to what states have already done.
How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.
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.
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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