December 31: What we’re reading this week
Some articles we found interesting this week:
Massachusetts has a statewide matching grant program that local governments can opt-into called the Community Preservation Act. It can be used for a variety of projects, including affordable housing and community infrastructure. The Boston Globe recently published an editorial advocating more funding for the program, particularly for encouraging more affordable housing.
This article points to the rising rate of homelessness among seniors: “The Invisible Factors Driving US Homelessness to Record Highs.”
This article features Wilson, NC’s struggles to implement efficient on-demand microtransit: “On-Demand Microtransit Can’t Escape this Big Problem”
Montgomery County, Maryland is at the epicenter of the housing affordability crisis given its proximity to Washington, DC. It has developed a unique way to build affordable housing. Here is a Bloomberg podcast discussing this new approach.
The City of Raleigh announced the availability of $24 million to support the financing of new affordable rental housing.
“Why isn’t the Government doing more to Address the Housing Crisis” in The Atlantic.
“Why do we Build Housing in the Same Way that we did 125 Years Ago?” in The New York Times.
“Cleveland is America’s Best Example of Reviving Downtown” in The Washington Post.
“City Life is Too Lonely. Urban Planning Can Help” in Bloomberg.
We have written about why Raleigh should rethink civic engagement in a prior newsletter, but we think it’s worth taking a second look in light of the City’s current engagement efforts for the New Bern TOD Rezoning and the proposal to change City Council terms from 2-year to 4-year staggered. The National Civic League’s recent newsletter contained 3 interesting articles exploring new approaches to civic engagement.
Long Reads:
If you have some time, take a look at Wake County’s 2023 Annual Housing Report. This report does an excellent job demonstrating the housing affordability challenges facing people living in Wake County. It also details the County’s efforts to address these challenges.
All local governments struggle to build effective civic infrastructure and engagement programs. The National Civic League explores ways to improve how local communities engage residents and build a more resilient civic infrastructure: “Local Civic Leaders: Facing Threats to Democracy in Communities.”