The Weekly Wrap: Seattle Voters Approve Funding Prop for Social Housing

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Seattle Voters Approve Funding Proposition for Social Housing

Early voting returns show that more Seattlittes are voting in favor of Prop 1a than a competing Prop 1b, KUOW reports. (It had a 20-point lead as of Thursday night, according to The Urbanist.) If approved at final count, the proposition will provide a large pot of money for Seattle’s Social Housing Developer through a new tax on wealthy companies that is estimated to bring in $50 million dollars in its first year. This follows a 2023 special election vote that created the Social Housing Developer.

Advocates have pitched the mixed-income affordable housing model as a climate solution, according to Grist. They note that this housing could save a significant amount of energy on cooling and heating, be adapted to better adapted to climate disasters and double urban density.

Rebuilding Underway After LA County Wildfires

In Altadena, one of the California cities ravaged by wildfires, residents are banding together to clean up and stay vigilant against a variety of challenges — smoke and ashes in addition to predatory developers and legal professionals. Truthout reports on the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), an alliance of 12 community-based organizations that is committed to improving the lives of day laborers across the U.S. and its efforts to assist with cleanup. Many day laborers are undocumented but are continuing to clean up debris and gearing up to rebuild homes, as ICE raids remain a threat.

Celebrating the Life and Work of Donald Shoup

Members of the urban planning community are mourning the loss of Donald Shoup, who passed away last Friday at the age of 86. Known as the father of parking reform or “Shoup Dogg,” the UCLA professor had thousands of fans who called themselves Shoupistas. His 2005 book “The High Cost of Free Parking” has been described as transformative, changing the way many planners see parking rules and their impact on the city. Shoup was credited with reshaping urban policy through his research. He made a lasting impact on the field, in cities across the county, and the careers of today’s urban planners.

Congestion Pricing Is Under Threat, Again

President Donald Trump plans to stop New York’s congestion pricing program, Smart Cities Dive reports. He has had at least two phone calls with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul about the tolling plan. Hochul plans to make a trip to Washington D.C. next week to continue the discussion, according to ABC 7 New York.

Trump said he also wants to get rid of bike lanes and pedestrian medians across the city. The thought is reminiscent of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s controversial Bill 212, which in part greenlighted the removal of bike lanes on the bustling avenues of downtown Toronto.

Climate Projects in Limbo, As Federal Freeze on Funding Continues

Groups promised money for climate projects through the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law are still waiting on cash to implement them, Grist reports. The contractually obligated money has been halted by the Trump administration. While federal judges have intervened, prohibiting the administration from carrying out the funding freeze, grant recipients have not received their contractually obligated cash.

Advocates say the federal government has a crucial role in funding environmental projects, NPR reports. Now that role is in question. “It’s strange that the payment of an invoice could make you wonder about the future of a democracy, but that’s exactly what it feels like,” Aaron Hirsh, organization lead at Collaborative Earth, told the outlet.

In Illinois, the state’s largest utility is moving forward with a massive investment to promote wider EV adoption, Canary reports.

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MORE NEWS

• New York got $80 million for migrants. The White House took it back – straight from their bank account. New York Times

• California city votes to criminalize helping people in homeless camps. Washington Post

• This Black family won’t back down after court allows railroad to take their land. Capital B

• BlocPower promised to help electrify Ithaca. Now it has ended its support. Grist

• Some tenants could get only one day’s eviction notice, under federal bill. New York Times

• Judge orders restoration of federal health websites. NPR

• Indigenous first responders are a master class in marine rescue. The Tyee

• Federal workers losing their jobs will have an outsize impact on some cities. NPR

• 2024 ‘a pivotal year’ for virtual power plant policy: report. Utility Dive

• Musk’s ‘Doge’ guts nearly $1 billion in U.S. education department’s research office. The Guardian

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• The Latin American Dictionary of Urban Mobility is calling for contributions from academics, planners, practitioners, activists, and experts to document and analyze urban mobility challenges in the region. The project aims to foster collaboration and share knowledge on sustainability, accessibility, and social inclusion in Latin American cities. Submissions are open until Mar. 10.

• The Alliance for Housing Justice and Poverty & Race Research Action Council created a toolkit to to help advocates and state officials shape how Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) dollars are spent to secure deeper affordability, better tenant protections and more community control. Access the guide here.

• The Livable Communities Initiative, Arnold Ventures and partners have launched a National Single-Stair Competition, which challenges architects, planners and designers to “innovate multifamily building designs using single-stair configurations that fit on typical parcels across the U.S.” Submissions are due by June 30.

EVENTS

• Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern: PolicyLink is hosting a three-part webinar series to explore how to design a fair and just United States and the legal, political and structural transformation required to bring it to life. The first session will focus on “the historic promise of equal protection enshrined in the 14th amendment: the idea that a governmental body may not deny people equal protection of its governing laws.”

• May 12-16: The Cycling Embassy of Denmark is seeking participants for its upcoming Bikeable City Masterclass. This program is designed for urban planners, decision makers, and advocates who are passionate about promoting cycling and improving conditions for cyclists in their communities.