Monthly Archives: December 2022

What is happening? Meet Where Is My Land, an organization that helps Black families across the country regain land taken through eminent domain and other means. A study shows that 2/3 of property taken as blighted was owned by Black people even though Black people were 12% of the population. Why is this important? Local […]

What’s happening? We first met Austin’s own Icon which uses 3D printing to build cement composite homes and buildings. Now, we have 3D wood printed homes, assembled in half a day from the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. These 3D wood homes are made with fully recyclable wood-fiber and can help address […]

What is happening? Laketown, Wisconsin, home to 1000 humans and 18 lakes passed a local ordinance to prevent pollution from confined animal feeding operations. Then the state Business Association sued. Other towns in Wisconsin towns have ordinances that address zoning of large farms. Why is this important? Land Use in growing populations and growing agricultural […]

What is happening? We’ve seen cities and states address historical impact of state land use laws on Black communities. The conversation is growing to include the impact to Asian communities. In the mid 1800s state legislatures enacted alien land laws. In 2021 Florida removed its alien land laws. Why is this important? Reconciling equal protection […]

What is happening? This November voters in San Francisco and Berkeley approved a tax on vacant properties. The goal was to tame property speculators and to make more properties available to rent. The tax is aimed directly at “investors who profit from housing without adding to supply. ” San Francisco’s vacancy tax is modeled after Vancouvers […]

What is happening? Boston will use $60 million in federal pandemic relief money to make 150 municipal properties available for affordable housing. In 2023, 70 RFPs will be available for developers. The properties that will be flipped into affordable housing were acquired by tax foreclosures, “urban renewal” initiatives and highway projects. Why is this important? […]