Neighborhood groups around Detroit are taking the city's rat problem into their owns hands.
The Ferndale Rat Patrol is a Facebook group of 600 members, "working to rid their metro Detroit communities of rats without the use of poisons," according to Dargay. But it's far from the only group in the Detroit metropolitan area dedicated to the cause. There's also the Royal Oak Rats and the Rat Problem in Garden City.
The Royal Oak Rats will be hosting a free workshop in February on the subjects of "trapping, using raptors to control rats, owl houses, tools to help fight rat infestation, feeding birds without attracting rats, rat facts and the downside of using poisons." The Ferndale Rat Patrol hands out trophies—golden rat traps—to the most successful rat hunters in their group.
Dargay provides more reporting on the methods employed by each of these groups, and some of the bureaucratic context from which these collective actions have emerged. It's worth noting that Detroit is far from the "rattiest" city in the country. A 2017 list of the rattiest cities in the country placed Detroit at number seven.
FULL STORY: Killing rats a labor of love for neighborhood groups
New York City to Invest $32 Million in its Rat Problem
Clean and safe from rats.
Ranking the Cities with the Largest Rat Problem
Some cities have a reputation for rats, but all cities have them. Where does your major metropolitan center rank among the rattiest cities?
Detroit Reveals the Possibilities and Pitfalls of a New Era of Governance
America's fundamental levels of governance are changing, writes Anna Clark in Next American City, who uses examples from Detroit and Cleveland to ascertain what the stakes are when cities cede public sector work to third parties.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service