The film charts the saga of a Brooklyn site called Industry City.

A new documentary, Emergent City, highlights zoning as it recounts the saga of a 35-acre Brooklyn industrial complex that served as a hotspot of anti-gentrification and environmental justice activism.
As Oscar Perry Abello explains in Next City, the consortium of developers that bought the complex in 2013 requested zoning changes that would make their proposed redevelopment more profitable. Local residents opposed the changes, saying that “Local landlords were already increasing rents beyond what existing residents and small businesses could afford in order to capitalize on the hype that Industry City was bringing to Sunset Park as a destination for high-end retail, leisure and office space. They argued a rezoning would only throw gasoline on that fire.”
Some community members proposed an alternate plan that would keep the site industrial and prepare it for solar and other alternative energy uses. The local city council member sided with the community, and the developers withdrew their rezoning application. “Although the community organizers won this particular zoning battle, the film also shows how the war for the future rages on.”
FULL STORY: The Drama of Zoning Finally Makes It to the Big Screen

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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