A lawsuit, allowed to proceed by a Wayne County judge, reveals some of the difficulties of blight removal.
Jennifer Dixon reports on a lawsuit in Detroit that illustrates the difficulties of determining boundaries and thresholds to regulate blight removal. Daniel Murray is suing the Detroit Land Bank after he said his home was seized in an "ambush-style" eviction.
There are two sides of the story here. According to Dixon, the Detroit Land Bank says, "the building was blighted, utilities were shut off, Murray wasn't living in the house and he never owned the property."
According to Daniel Murray, the land bank hauled away "his photos, mother's antiques and the family china cabinet" in a dumpster and demolished the home two months later.
The demolition was funded with money from the U.S. Treasury's Hardest Hit Fund. Dixon provides more background on that program as well as Detroit's blight reduction efforts. "Detroit has spent roughly $120 million in hardest-hit money for demolition, and expects to spend an additional $132 million," explains Dixon.
FULL STORY: Detroiter sues, says his lifelong home demolished in ambush-style eviction
Detroit Residents Find it Hard to Access Land Bank Properties
Longtime residents say the city is not fulfilling its goal of keeping vacant parcels in the hands of locals as property values rise steeply.
Mayor Duggan Lays Out Eight Principles for Detroit's Redevelopment
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made a splash this week by pronouncing a vision to create a Detroit that is 'one city for all of us.'
The Dangers of Demolition for Its Own Sake
Jason Hackworth argues that demolition has come to be seen as a good, in and of itself, in rust belt cities like Detroit; giving rise to policies that are wrong-headed and dangerous.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track
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Art in Action: USC Event Calls for an Urgent Green Energy Transition
The El Respiro / Respire event at USC uses a large-scale human geochoreography to demand an urgent and equitable transition to green energy, blending art, activism, and community engagement to amplify the message of climate justice.
Safe Parking Programs Help People Access Housing
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Study: Single-Staircase Buildings Pose No Additional Risks
Zoning codes have long prohibited single-stair residential buildings due to safety concerns, but changing that could lower the cost of construction and allow for more flexible housing designs.
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.
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research