AltWeeklies Wire
Deutsche Bank Lets Kansas City Rotnew
Deutsche Bank is the largest owner of foreclosed properties in Greater Kansas City. In Jackson County, the bank holds titles to 350 foreclosures. Some of their properties are sickly enough to depress an entire block.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
08-26-2008 |
Housing & Development
Green-Collar Job Programs Address Two Urban Ills at Oncenew
"We were doing debris removal and giving disenfranchised people a segue into the work force. For those part-timers who really got involved, there was a sense of ownership and pride -- they could do this for their own neighborhood."
Philadelphia City Paper |
Dana Henry |
05-27-2008 |
Business & Labor
In Kansas City, Tax Breaks Don't Cure Blight -- They Create Sprawlnew
TIF is a tool that cities can use to spur development in distressed areas. But in Kansas City, TIF is often used to make sprawl.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
05-21-2008 |
Housing & Development
Does the Return of a Neighborhood Mean the Poor Have to Leave?new

In one "revived" Durham neighborhood, the dozen or so new homeowners have formed a strong and unified voice, advocating for much-needed neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation. But longtime renters, many of whom are low-income and have few housing options, occupy most of the crumbling homes.
INDY Week |
Mosi Secret |
05-15-2008 |
Housing & Development
4,000 Illegal Billboards Choke L.A.'s Neighborhoodsnew

The mayor and Los Angeles City Council have let the billboard industry flout the law -- in this case, a flat-out 2002 ban on new billboards -- so openly that activists in other big cities laugh out loud when they hear the latest tales.
L.A. Weekly |
Christine Pelisek |
04-25-2008 |
Media
CBS and Clear Channel Lose Billboard Secrecy Bidnew
The judge says L.A.'s thousands of billboards are hardly a "trade secret."
L.A. Weekly |
Christine Pelisek |
04-04-2008 |
Media