Urban Law Center Blog

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. Technology #technology Cities Ban Government Use of Facial Recognition Oakland became the third city in the U.S. to ban facial recognition technology since MIT and Stanford University researchers found both “skin-type and gender biases” in facial recognition programs. Concerns over surveillance continue to amass after discovery that federal inves

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. Technology #technology #preemption The FCC’s Confusing Attempt to Change a San Francisco Law This month, the FCC struck down part of a San Francisco ordinance that gives tenants the freedom to select their internet service provider, preempting the ordinance “to the extent it requires the sharing of in-use wiring…” The FCC reasoned “[r]equiring s

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. Transportation and Infrastructure #transportation A Lawyer Explains Why Electric Scooter Laws Don’t Work As e-scooters continue to expand into new markets, cities are struggling to keep up with regulation. A Consumer Reports survey found that over 25% of e-scooter users were uncertain of the traffic laws they should follow. In 2019, cities resp

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. Public Health #health Groundwork is Laid for Opioids Settlement That Would Touch Every Corner of U.S. Recent federal litigation against opioid manufacturers in Cleveland, Ohio has introduced a proposal that could prompt a comprehensive national opioid settlement with the pharmaceutical industry. The proposal would create a “‘negotiation class’ co

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. Housing and Development #housing New Rule Proposed by HUD to Vacate Mixed-Families From Public Housing Faces Pushback The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published a rule proposing the disqualification of families from living in public housing and receiving housing vouchers if an undocumented individual lives with the family. Hou

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law . Environment and Sustainability #sustainability The Town That Extended "Smart Growth" to Its Water As much of the western United States is grappling with drought, Westminster, Colorado is setting an example for other cities with its new approach to water conservation. The city relies on its comprehensive plan for zoning, water data, and a Geogra

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. Transportation and Infrastructure #transportation Law Professor Says Suing MTA For Bad Service Unlikely To Improve Commutes Searching for answers to fix their subway system during delayed commutes, many New Yorkers have apparently asked “can I sue the MTA?” According to the Professor Nestor Davidson, the Albert A. Walsh Chair in Real Estate, La

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law Housing and Development #housing Why California Is Suing Its Own Cities Recently elected California governor, Gavin Newsom set a goal of building 3.5 million new housing units over the next seven years. While such a goal might be more of an aspiration than a reality, Newsome has begun his work toward it. He has sued the city of Huntington Beach

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights legal updates on issues including justice, housing, and sustainability. Law and Justice #justice As More Cities Ban Cashless Businesses, New York Wants to Follow During a February 2019 New York City Council session, Council-member Ritchie Torres introduced legislation prohibiting retail establishments from refusing to accept cash payment. The bill would protect low-income individuals and undocumented immigrants who are disproportion

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights legal updates on issues including justice, mobility, and preemption. Urban Mobility #mobility Mapping the Growing Gap Between Job Seekers and Employment In some cities, such as San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago, ample jobs exist, but there is a dearth of workers within a reasonable distance to those jobs. In other cities, such as Atlanta, Miami, and Detroit, there are plenty of job-seekers, but a lack of jobs within a reasonable dis

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights legal updates on issues including justice, housing, and sustainability. Law and Justice #justice #housing Where Luxury Meets Accessibility Despite decades old civil rights laws, developing accessible spaces for people with disabilities continues to be an uphill battle. Disability advocates are now calling on City officials to do more. In 2014, the United States Attorney’s office filed federal lawsuits against prominent New York City

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights legal updates on issues including climate change, privacy, mobility and equality. City Administration and Urban Governance #administration L.A. Street Sellers Outlawed No More In November 2018, the Los Angeles City Council voted to legalize street vending . Prior to legalization, street vendors faced the risk not only of fines, but also of deportation as “selling on the city’s sidewalks is often the first profession for newly arrived

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights legal updates on issues including housing, employment, equality, and justice. Housing and Development #housing New York Lawmakers Making More Moves Against Tenant Harassment For the third consecutive year, the New York City Council is considering a package of tenant protection bills. These bills take aim at “bad actor” landlords and major loopholes in the City’s rent-control regulatory scheme. One such loophole, vacancy decontrol, al

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights news from last Tuesday's election, as well as legal updates on issues including sustainability, housing, and employment discrimination. Transportation and Infrastructure #transportation Nationwide, Transportation Measures Rolled to Victory More than three hundred transportation-related measures were on the ballot across the country last Tuesday, together representing more than $50 billion dollars of investments in infrastructure, publ

This week's Urban Law Bulletin highlights issues including mobility, planning and sustainability. Urban Planning and Space #planning NYC  Pilot Program Hopes to Beautify Miles of Scaffolding Scaffolding may be a necessary safety precaution, but it is typically devoid of any curb appeal. That is about to change in New York City. The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Department of Buildings, and Office of the Mayor are amending city codes to allow art on the city’s 280 miles

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. __________________________________________________________________________ Transportation and Infrastructure #transportation Cincinnati Joins the List of Cities Saying “No” to Parking Minimums The Cincinnati City Council has removed the requirement that developers build parking facilities or spaces when they develop in certain downtown neighbor

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. __________________________________________________________________________ City-State Relations and Preemption #preemption Albany to City: Drop Dead “[B]anning plastic bags, regulating speeding cars near schools, or how to fix the subways, most New York City residents are probably asking the same question: Why are those decisions being made in A

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. _______________________________________________________________ Technology #technology Is Your Refrigerator Running? It’s Okay if the City Knows. On August 16, 2018, the Seventh Circuit ruled that the data collected by smart meters constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This constitutional question arose afte

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. _______________________________________________________________ Law and Justice #Justice Is Spying on Protesters a Legitimate Exercise of a City’s Police Powers? The city of Memphis seems to think so. For a couple of months, the city of Memphis has argued that its police department’s surveillance of protesters, specifically Blacks Lives Matter

The Urban Law Bulletin is a bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting significant news and legal developments in the field of urban law. __________________________________________________________ City-State Relations and Preemption #preemption A Legal Victory for Cities Working to Advance Equity : Urban Law Center’s Faculty Director, Nestor Davidson, comments on the 11th circuit’s “welcome decision reversing the dismissal of Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection claims arising