This week, Paul Newman discusses why New York City’s zoning changes in the 1980’s will create more shadows and ruin neighborhoods, our new tool that puts Atlanta’s weather into a historical context, and the US Supreme Court strikes a major blow to employees and consumers.
While evidence showing the benefits of trees continues to mount, urban and suburban areas are losing tree cover at an alarming rate. In debating the removal of trees in urban areas, let’s not forget why we like living in Atlanta.
This week, amid a nationwide housing crisis, HUD proposes cuts to housing subsidies for the poor, elderly, and disabled. Also, Roanoke incorporates beer into their official marketing and economic strategy, MARTA released its list of proposed transit projects, and California will require solar panels on all new homes.
The Georgia Court of Appeals recently ruled that landlords can severely limit legal actions against them by tenants. Even if you’re not a tenant, the decision is important because it’s another example of how consumers are routinely forced to forgo their access to the judicial system in order to participate in everyday transactions. Tenants did, though, score a major victory in the Georgia Legislature.
The 2017 hurricane season was one of the most intense and unpredictable on record. The 2018 season officially begins on June 1, only a couple months after the release of a proposal to cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget by nearly 25 percent.
This week, another poll shows President Trump’s environmental policies are widely unpopular, though people don’t seem too concerned about drastically cutting the National Weather Service’s budget. Also, Sweden introduces the first road capable of charging electric vehicles while they drive. And a study by AAA shows hit-and-runs are increasing as more people are walking and cycling, though the report mentions nothing about creating less car-friendly and more people-friendly cities as a solution.
This week, a new Florida law prohibits local governments from passing laws designed to protect the public’s access to beaches, the line dividing the arid part of the country from the moister part is moving eastward, and metro Atlanta residents spend over $10,000 a year on driving-related expenses.
Throwing eggs and leaving angry notes are just a couple ways people have shown their dissatisfaction with someone parking in front of their house on a public street. These actions come despite the angry note leaver or egg thrower having no legal right to the parking spot. While parking restrictions may be necessary in some situations, burdensome auto abandonment laws and inappropriate restrictions could raise rents and create more trouble.
