Wealthy communities are incorporating their own cities, draining tax revenue and resources away from surrounding neighborhoods.

In a piece for Bloomberg CityLab, Luisa Godinez-Puig and Brian D. Smedley outline the results of their research on the secession of often wealthy, white communities from larger municipalities, such as the secession of the new city of St. George from East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana last month. “What we’ve found is that these secessions perpetuate modern-day segregation and limit opportunity for left-behind communities, a form of opportunity hoarding that we call ‘white fortressing.’”
According to the authors, ‘opportunity hoarding’ concentrates public resources in already advantaged areas and limits access to opportunities for other residents. “In Louisiana, it is estimated that St. George’s secession would take away $48.3 million in annual tax revenue from East Baton Rouge Parish — nearly 8% of the parish’s total tax revenue.”
Research also shows that having more governments in a certain geographic area has negative health impacts on Black, but not white, Americans. Meanwhile, “In both Louisiana and Georgia, only citizens inside the boundary of the proposed new city get to vote by referendum, even if the incorporation would decimate the tax revenue for the surrounding community.”
FULL STORY: The New ‘White Fortress’ Cities of the American South

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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