The new Opportunity Zones program is one to watch as states around the country throw their hats in the ring.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has announced several opportunity zones in the state—the designation makes those parts of the states eligible for a new federal program aimed at increasing investment in low-income and under-served neighborhoods.
The Opportunity Zones program creates Qualified Investment Funds, which generates funding by attracting investors in return for deferred taxes. On the other side of the equation, low-income rural and urban communities are looking at the possibility of a potentially large pot of money to invest into their communities.
One of the big questions when the 2017 GOP tax reform bill created the new program was what kinds of Census tracts would be eligible for program. A few governors, tasked with designating eligible opportunity zones, have now started to reveal their thinking on the program. After Texas announced their opportunity zones in February, Governor Kasich followed with Ohio's list.
Nick Swartsell reports on Governor Kasich's announcement of 320 eligible Census tracts around the state, focusing on the nominated census tracts in the city of Cincinnati. "Kasich's administration's local recommendations for the program encompass Census tracts in Avondale, Bond Hill, Camp Washington, Corryville, South Cumminsville, Evanston, North and South Fairmount, Madisonville, parts of the Price Hill neighborhoods, Northside, Queensgate and the West End," according to Swartsell.
FULL STORY: Ohio names 'Opportunity Zones'

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

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?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.

San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows
The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.

What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities
U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
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