Gullah-Geechee residents of Mcintosh County, Georgia, are seeking a referendum to reverse zoning changes they say threaten their community, one of the last in the South. County commissioners say they don’t have that power.

Residents in Mcintosh County, Georgia, are pushing back against zoning changes they say threaten one of the South’s last Gullah-Geechee communities. According to an Associated Press article published by Fox 5 Atlanta the Black residents of Hogg Hummock, located on Sapelo Island, filed a petition seeking a referendum on the county commissioners’ decision last fall to double the size of houses allowed in the community, which residents say “will lead to property tax increases that they won’t be able to afford, possibly forcing them to sell land their families have held for generations.”
Hog Hammock is home to a community of 30 to 50 Gullah-Geechee people, descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and brought to the coastal lands and barrier islands of the southeastern coast of the United States, where they lived in relative isolation, allowing them to retain their African culture, heritage, and traditions.
“Hogg Hummock residents and their supporters submitted a petition on July 9 with more than 2,300 signatures at the McIntosh County courthouse,” writes Russ Bynum for the Associated Press,” which is more than required to put the zoning issue before county voters. But an attorney representing the McIntosh County commissioners submitted a letter to the probate judge, arguing that, “Though Georgia’s state constitution allows citizens to force special elections on some decisions by county governments, it doesn’t give them the power to overturn county zoning decisions.”
“Georgia gives 60 days for a probate judge to review a petition and decide if it meets the requirements for a special election,” Russ reports. If the probate judge sides with the petitioners, the issue could go before voters in September or October.
FULL STORY: County says Georgia slave descendants can't use referendum to challenge zoning changes

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

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.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

San Diego Swaps Parking Lane for Kid-Friendly Mini Park
The block-long greenway will feature interactive play equipment and landscaping.

Tracking the Invisible: Methane Leaks From LA’s Neighborhood Oil Sites
Environmental advocates are using infrared technology to monitor and document methane leaks from neighborhood oil sites, filling regulatory gaps and pushing for stronger protections to safeguard community health and the climate.

Montana Bill Promotes Parking Reform
A bill before the Montana state senate would bar cities from requiring more than one parking spot per new housing unit.
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
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland