Analysis
The Tightrope and the Needle
Dateline:
03/21/2008The Clinton campaign can do all the distancing it wants from Geraldine Ferraro’s chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome, but this is not the first time Obama has been cast as the beneficiary of affirmative action.
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Tax Credits for Developers, Bulldozers for the Poor
Despite Katrina causing the worst affordable housing crisis since the Civil War, the federal Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) is spending $762 million in taxpayer funds to tear down over 4600 public housing apartments and replace them with 744 similarly subsidized units—an 82 percent reduction. HUD took over the local housing authority years ago and all decisions are made in Washington D.C. HUD plans to build an additional 1000 market rate and tax credit units, which will still result in a net loss of 2700 apartments to New Orleans. The new apartments will cost an average of over $400,000 each.
Affordable housing is at a critical point along the Gulf Coast. Over 50,000 families still living in tiny FEMA trailers are being systematically forced out. Over 90,000 homeowners in Louisiana are still waiting to receive federal recovery funds from the so-called “Road Home” reconstruction fund. In New Orleans, hundreds of the estimated 12,000 homeless have taken up residence in small tents across the street from City Hall and under the I-10.Related stories:
Graduate Intern Helps Nonprofit Advocacy Group Enter Debate About Green Economic Development
Dateline:
01/30/2008
If you live or work in Richmond, California, you quickly learn that it
is not a good idea to ignore the sirens that periodically send a
piercing alarm throughout the city. These sirens are not mounted on
ambulances or fire trucks. Instead, they are part of a network of 17
devices, mounted on high towers throughout Richmond, that sound an
ominous and unmistakable warning whenever the city of 100,000
experiences a chemical accident, a toxic cloud, an oil fire, or some
other hazardous materials incident.
Richmond’s community warning system is a necessity because the city,
located 16 miles north of San Francisco, is home to more than its fair
share of potentially dangerous industries, including chemical
manufacturing plants and oil refineries, and a roadway and rail network
that carries a significant amount of high-speed, commercial traffic.
When the city’s sirens blare, it is time for residents to shelter in
place—that is, to get inside, close and lock all doors and windows,
turn off all ventilation systems, and stay put until they receive the
all-clear signal.
In addition to protecting residents from imminent environmental harm,
the sirens have become an uncomfortable symbol that identifies Richmond
as an industrial and environmentally vulnerable community. In light of
its reputation, it may have come as a pleasant surprise to some
observers when the city passed a resolution in February 2006 in support
of green economic development. In that resolution, the city, whose main
employer is Chevron USA, went on record with its intention to attract
environmentally friendly industries as a way to improve its environment
and add clean jobs to the local economy.
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REDI Document Archive
The Richmond Equitable Development Initiative (REDI) has produced documents which support its projects and campaigns in core focus areas which include, equitable land use and planning, quality jobs and workforce training, affordable, safe and reliable public transit, greater community ownership and creating a healthy environment.
The documents are listed in reverse chronological order.
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Policy Implementation for Richmond General Plan
REDI developed a series of policy recommendations and implementation measures in the areas of land use, housing, transportation, economic development and health. The goal of these policies is to discourage displacement, segregation and gentrification practices that have occurred in cities that are undergoing similar change. When implemented, these policies can provide community benefits for all residents, specifically low-income communities and communities of color.
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Training for Choice in the Workplace
Manos Home Care’s Democratic Scheduling Process
