Analysis

The Tightrope and the Needle

admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:34:25 -0500

By Linda Burnham

The 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.

There Goes the Neighborhood: A Regional Analysis of Gentrification & Community Stability in the SF Bay Area

admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:16:13 -0500

Tax Credits for Developers, Bulldozers for the Poor

Editor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:30:10 -0500

Bill Quigley

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.

Segregated Housing: Martin Luther King to Cabrini Green

Editor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:27:08 -0500

Katherine Gonsalves

Graduate Intern Helps Nonprofit Advocacy Group Enter Debate About Green Economic Development

Editor2 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:58:00 -0600

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.

AC Transit History: From Streetcars to BRT

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:27:02 -0600

by V Smoothe

REDI Document Archive

Editor2 — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:39:03 -0600

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.

Policy Implementation for Richmond General Plan

admin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:24:25 -0600

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.

Training for Choice in the Workplace

admin — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:22:11 -0600

Manos Home Care’s Democratic Scheduling Process

by Kevin Rath

The Corporate University

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:32:36 -0500

By Project South