Archinect - News

Brightline West breaks ground on $12 billion Vegas to California high-speed rail project

2024-04-23T17:28:00-04:00

The $12 billion high-speed rail infrastructure project that will connect Las Vegas with various hubs in the Southern California region is off and running. Brightline West’s 218-mile loop is now under construction with a $3 billion push from the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the 2028 finish line in sight to coincide with LA's turn as host of that year's Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Las Vegas Station aerial view. Image courtesy Brightline West

Las Vegas Station interior view. Image courtesy Brightline West

The trains will be operated at a maximal speed of 200 miles per hour, setting the North American record. (Another project between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, will commence soon.) Wes Edens, Brightline's founder, said: “Today is long overdue, but the blueprint we’ve created with Brightline will allow us to repeat this model in other city pairs around the country.”

Rancho Cucamonga Station exterior view. Image courtesy Brightline West...

Your next job could be designing federal government buildings at SOM

2024-04-10T11:07:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for Visiting Faculty Fellowships in Design for Spatial Justice at the University of Oregon, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Technical Architect - US Government Work at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The role, based in Washington, D.C., calls for an individual “responsible for the technical innovation, integration, documentation, and execution of the architectural and engineering design intent.” Among the responsibilities for the role will be contributing technical innovations to aid the design process, reviewing applicable codes, and tracking metrics such as energy, water, and carbon use in projects.

Related on Archinect: SOM shares photos of new John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge. Image: © Dave Burk/SOM

Why the role interests us

The open role at SOM offers us the opportunity to highlight some of the significant recent developments reporte...

EPA bans the last commercially used asbestos product in the United States

2024-03-20T11:49:00-04:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will be banning the use of chrysotile asbestos, the last commercial asbestos derivative available in the United States. The ban will primarily impact the automotive industry and puts an end to the 40-plus years of reforms against its use, which has for a long time been proven to cause multiple forms of cancer.

In a statement on the ban, EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters: "The science is clear — asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health. President Biden understands that this concern that has spanned generations and impacted the lives of countless people. That’s why EPA is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos."

CNN noted that the chrysotile type of asbestos is most commonly used to manufacture car brakes and linings and other automotive p...

White House announces initiatives to boost manufactured housing

2024-03-01T11:03:00-05:00

The White House has announced a series of moves to increase the production of manufactured housing in the United States. The initiatives are intended to both preserve and rehabilitate existing manufactured home communities and ease barriers to the construction of new units.

The moves include a $225 million funding opportunity for existing communities, overseen by HUD. The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) will support the preservation and revitalization of manufactured housing communities, including the replacement of dilapidated homes, assistance for repairs and upgrades, and improvement of infrastructure such as stormwater systems.

In response to the growing trend of corporate investors buying manufactured housing at the expense of longtime residents, the White House has also announced the ongoing creation of a Mortgagee Letter that, once finalized, will...

Biden-Harris administration defines future of zero emissions buildings

2024-02-09T11:41:00-05:00

In a landmark initiative, the Biden-Harris Administration has released the draft National Definition for a Zero Emissions Building, setting a transformative standard for the construction sector. This comprehensive definition targets all new buildings not owned by the federal government, stipulating that they must achieve high energy efficiency (in the 75th percentile or above), eliminate on-site emissions, and be powered by clean energy sources.

This move is part of a broader effort to mitigate climate change impacts by ensuring that the future of construction aligns with environmental sustainability goals. The definition is poised to serve as a critical framework for both new constructions and existing buildings, aiming for a measurable reduction in operating emissions across the board.

Previously on Archinect: AEC firms sign on to Biden Administration’s definition of zero-emissions buildings

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has expressed strong support for this initiative...

The Pentagon will install solar panel array as part of $55 million DOD initiative

2024-02-03T08:00:00-05:00

The Pentagon has announced it will be installing a solar panel array on its roof in a historic first that’s part of a new $55 million Department of Defense clean energy initiative at military installations in the United States and Germany.

The DOD has been active in attempting to mitigate the large carbon footprint caused by the U.S. military with similar conservation strategies for several years. The money for the new solar panels is being sourced from a larger Department of Energy program that will spend $104 million in total on 31 projects affecting ten other federal agencies. The DOD says this is necessary to bolster its energy resilience and defense operational capabilities while also improving the quality of life for service members living and working at bases full-time.

"We have a moral obligation to the people that defend our nation, to their famili...

AEC firms sign on to Biden Administration’s definition of zero-emissions buildings

2024-01-19T12:53:00-05:00

An effort by the Biden Administration to establish a new national definition of zero-emissions buildings is gaining traction after leaders representing a group of 69 different AEC firms working in the U.S. added their support in a letter that was circulated earlier this week.

Prominent architecture firms, including SOM, NBBJ, Payette, Lake|Flato, Curtis + Ginsberg, DIALOG, FXCollaborative, Handel, and EskewDumezRipple, were among the architecture firms whose principals signed on to the pledge. The signature drive was initiated by Maine-based studio OPAL in coordination with the Building Green Sustainability Leader Peer Networks.

Under the proposed new standards, a “net zero emissions building” would obtain “high” (e.g., the 75th percentile) energy efficiency ratings, be free of any on-site emissions, and be powered purely by clean energy sources. Existing buildings will require an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher or a measured whole building energy use intensity (or EUI) of at lea...

U.S. General Services Administration will spend $2 billion on low embodied carbon construction projects nationwide

2023-11-10T16:26:00-05:00

The Biden Administration has announced a new investment of $2 billion into 150 different federal building projects meant to minimize carbon emissions in 39 states.

The funding will be dispersed through the U.S. General Services Administration and used to purchase low embodied carbon materials in furtherance recommendations produced by the previously-established Buy Clean task force agenda. It is sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act and supports the reduction of 41,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions while creating over 6,000 jobs annually, according to a press release.

"The U.S. government has a huge share of the market -particularly of concrete and asphalt- and that I think helps drive the industry towards meeting an ever-increasing level of innovation when it comes to decarbonizing," White House Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta told Reuters.

According to the GSA on November 6, the breakdown of procurements is: $384 million f...

White House announces new guidebook to funding office conversions nationwide

2023-10-28T08:00:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has announced a new initiative aimed at financing office conversions in an effort to combat the growing problem of high vacancy rates and housing affordability in markets large and small across the country.

The announcement comes as vacancy rates have skyrocketed to 30-year highs, according to the White House. Some cities like Washington, D.C. have seen rates as high as 50% in their CBD areas, prompting desperate appeals from politicians to enact wholesale changes to the built environment that’s backed up by funding from the federal level. Now, in unison with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Transportation (DOT), the government has officially published its guidelines for obtaining available funding through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing, and other programs.

The White House press release says: “Converting commercial real estate to housing a...

The looming Federal Government shutdown could impinge on infrastructure projects for years

2023-09-27T12:00:00-04:00

Concerns over the possible Federal Government shutdown next month are causing headaches for contractors of much-needed infrastructure projects across the country who fear a chain reaction in the construction industry could leave lasting setbacks that would take years to overcome.

A stop-work on October 1st would exacerbate the industry's sustained backlog of infrastructure builds and threatens to imperil important areas in the now two-year-old Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that are, in many cases, tethered to a multilayered compendium of different funding sources.

“Most projects these days have lots of different funding sources, they maybe have local and state and federal, maybe a private component, maybe an authority,” the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Maria Lehman, explained to Construction Dive this week. “So a shutdown has a much bigger impact than it might have been in the past as far as the number of projects potentially that could g...

President Biden lays out workplace heat safety plan to protect workers

2023-07-31T17:06:00-04:00

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced plans to increase protections for workers facing extreme heat, as temperatures across the U.S. soar and large swaths of the country face heat advisories.

The President’s announcement comes as close to 40% of the U.S. population faces heat advisories, according to the National Weather Service. The country currently has no federal standards on workplace heat safety, and there has been no timeline for the finalization of one. As reported by HR Dive, heat has become the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S.

Previously on Archinect: Lack of heat standards for construction workers increases safety risks as temperatures reach record-breaking levels

Biden directed the U.S. Department of Labor to issue hazard alerts notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat. The Department will also increase its inspections of at-risk workplaces such as farms and construction sites and heighten its enforcement of heat safety violations. The Biden administration aims to invest $7 million to develop more accurate weather predictions and $152 million to improve drinking water infrastructure in California, C...

Biden announces $90 million commitment to upgrade building codes nationwide

2023-07-24T14:36:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has recently announced a new $90 million commitment in the form of competitive awards meant to help states and cities in their myriad attempts at mustering updated building codes into the country's patchwork response to climate change.

The funds are being taken from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports 27 projects that are all aimed at increasing the energy efficiency, resiliency, and overall performance of buildings in different parts of the country.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Cutting emissions from buildings across America and ensuring they’re more energy efficient are critical components of President Biden’s plan to tackle the climate crisis and create cleaner and healthier communities. With unprecedented support from the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is providing new funding to help cities and states modernize their building codes — lowering energy costs for American famil...

New bill seeks to re-mandate Trump's classical architecture order for federal buildings

2023-05-30T15:35:00-04:00

A new bill introduced by Republican Indiana representative Jim Banks has once again returned the years-old debate around Classicism and the design of federal government buildings first begun by Donald Trump during the final year of his Presidency.

Banks’ proposed new H.R. 3627 bill — titled the "Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act" — expands on the Trump era executive order to "make federal buildings beautiful again" via the establishment of a new President's Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture and advocacy for styles of "traditional architecture" including Gothic, Romanesque, Pueblo Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Mediterranean that Banks feels are endemic to the United States.

Previously on Archinect: Trump signs executive order promoting 'traditional and classical architecture' for America's federal buildings

The bill also denounces the Brutalist style espoused by Paul Rudolph and others at midcentury in deference to the neo-classical designs used in the Supreme ...

White House seeks public help on AI risks to labor conditions

2023-05-16T11:48:00-04:00

The White House has announced that it is seeking the public’s help in understanding the risks posed by artificial intelligence to labor conditions. The public request for information (RFI), led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, is centered on how AI tools are “used by employers to surveil, monitor, evaluate, and manage workers.”

“Employers are increasingly investing in technologies that monitor and track workers, and making workplace decisions based on that information,” the White House said in a statement announcing the RFI. “While these technologies can benefit both workers and employers in some cases, they can also create serious risks to workers.”

Among labor concerns cited by the White House were nurses being required to wear RFID badges to track their location and proximity to other hospital workers or patients, rideshare and delivery drivers having their speed, location, and acceleration monitored, office workers having software on their computers re...

Acting Architect of the Capitol fires key former Blanton era staffers

2023-04-07T17:56:00-04:00

Several members of the Architect of the Capitol’s leadership team were fired Thursday, according to an internal email obtained by CQ Roll Call and two aides familiar with the matter, in a further shakeup at the agency after the February removal of its head, J. Brett Blanton. The AOC’s general counsel, chief financial officer, chief administrative officer, CEO for visitor services and chief of staff were removed Thursday, one senior congressional aide said Friday.

Each staffer had been overseen by the now-former disgraced Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, who was finally fired in early February after being accused of using his office inappropriately. The new Acting Architect of the Capitol Chere Rexroat was immediately appointed in his absence. She holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Design and Architecture from Texas A&M University and is a licensed Architect in California.

According to Roll Call, the employees cited were named in a follow-up Inspector General's report that outlined their apparent failures to act on tips alerting them to Blanton's abuse of privileges while in office.

Editors Note, April 8, 2023: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of fired staffers. This has been corrected.

Energy department commits $6 billion to decarbonizing industrial manufacturing

2023-03-13T19:14:00-04:00

The Biden Administration announced a plan to help decarbonize the industrial manufacturing sector through a new $6 billion investment it says will eventually help lower emissions while signaling a newfound demand in the “marketplace for clean products.”

As part of the government’s largest-ever investment into industrial decarbonization, manufacturers of things like concrete, cement, and steel that are known to be heavy polluters will be bolstered by support through the new Industrial Demonstrations Program, which in turn advances grants to early-stage projects in line with the administration’s broader 2050 carbon economy goals.

The White House says grants will cover up to half of the costs for qualifying projects. The funding was made possible as part of the new Inflation Reduction Act and previous Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Roughly one-third of all domestic carbon emissions come from the industries included in the decarbonization package, according to the Department of Energy (...

Biden administration imposes 200% tariff on Russian aluminum imports

2023-03-01T11:55:00-05:00

The Biden administration issued another round of tariffs Friday on key industrial goods from Russia — including a 200% tariff on aluminum — as the country’s invasion of Ukraine crosses the one-year mark. Aluminum tariffs were announced in addition to $2.7 billion in new duties on many metals and raw materials from the country. The tariff rates on most metals and metal products will double from 35% to 70% beginning April, and target “a crucial revenue generating sector of the Russian economy”

Russia is behind China and India the world’s third-largest producer of aluminum and ranks fifth overall in terms of imports of the metal into the United States.

Architects and builders have only recently come out from under 25% steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on certain countries by the Trump administration for reasons of “national security” (e.g. economic protectionism).

The tariffs will go into effect on March 10th. White House officials also cited an increase in Russian aluminum imports through much of last year.

President Biden fires Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton

2023-02-13T17:32:00-05:00

President Biden on Monday fired J. Brett Blanton, the federal official responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Capitol complex, amid bipartisan calls for his resignation, after an investigative report accusing him of misusing his position and revelations that he avoided the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

Blanton, who had faced calls for removal over accusations about abuse of government property while in office, was only recently revealed to have been in absentia on the afternoon of January 6th. Speculation had remained over the President’s willingness to remove the AOC from the 10-year appointment posting, the revised ability to do so by joint resolution being one of the would-be powers the past congress attempted unsuccessfully to elbow in at the last second. With his removal, no members of the Capitol Police Board who were working on January 6th are serving in the roles they occupied on the day of the insurrection.

Mayors across U.S. voice their struggles in tackling housing crisis and homelessness

2023-01-20T12:29:00-05:00

Mayors across a variety of American towns and cities have used the U.S. Conference of Mayors to voice concerns about their ability to address the dual crises of housing affordability and homelessness. As reported by Politico, specific struggles shared by mayors include attracting investors, housing density, and racial disparities.

“At the end of the day, as mayors, people aren’t looking to their senators to solve homelessness,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed told the conference in Washington, D.C. “They’re not looking to their state legislators to solve homelessness. They’re looking to their mayor.”

Meanwhile, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney warned that “parasitic” investors, who either undervalue or abandon properties, exclusively operate short-term rentals, flip homes, or price individual families out of the housing market, are having a detrimental impact across the city, including in low-income an...

White House announces All In initiative on homelessness nationwide

2022-12-23T15:15:00-05:00

In an effort to combat the crisis of homelessness nationwide, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced its new All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and Homelessness aimed at the "bold but achievable goal" of reducing the country’s unhoused population by 25% by the year 2025.

The plan expands on a slate of "proven" evidence-based strategies (including, most especially, the so-called "Housing First" model) and will allow states to set their own goals within the timeframe and use the White House’s blueprint as a guideline.

"My plan offers a roadmap for not only getting people into housing but also ensuring that they have access to the support, services, and income that allow them to thrive," President Biden said at the announcement. "It is a plan that is grounded in the best evidence and aims to improve equity and strengthen collaboration at all levels."

According to the White House and the D...

New program created to protect African American burial grounds endangered by construction projects

2022-12-23T11:21:00-05:00

New federal legislation is set to be introduced which will help protect African American burial grounds impacted by new construction. The African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act is part of a series of measures expected to be signed into law by President Biden before the end of 2022 and is the result of five years of bipartisan efforts.

The act will create the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program, which aims to identify burial grounds ahead of infrastructure projects and commercial development. It is hoped that the program will minimize construction delays on projects, as well as avoid “unnecessary community heartache.” The program will also assist descendants and communities in expressing their histories through grant money to identify, interpret, and preserve historic cemeteries.

“The African American Burial Grounds Preservation...

AIA welcomes introduction of first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard

2022-12-12T10:59:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects has welcomed a move by the Biden Administration to introduce the first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard. Under the plans, buildings owned by the Federal government will cut energy use and electrify equipment across 30% of their building space by 2030. The plan is part of a broader mission to achieve net-zero emissions in all Federal buildings by 2045.

To implement the standards announced by the White House last week, Federal agencies will invest in heat pumps, electric water heaters, and other building system technology with an emphasis on American-made products.

“Upgrading the Federal building portfolio to meet the new standard will reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels from volatile parts of the world and cut millions of tons of GHG emissions,” the White House said in a statement. “To further reduce costs and maximize efficiencies, agencies will apply electrification strategies in conjunction with deep energy retrofits, energy use ...

New York City to implement infrastructure program that would convert public surfaces into floodwater sponges

2022-10-13T13:44:00-04:00

Most of New York City — more than 70% — can’t absorb rain due to all its concrete and pavement. This often leaves water falling from the sky with no place to go, leading to catastrophic and deadly flash floods. These calamities are especially common during cloudbursts, defined as a sudden but brief concentrations of heavy precipitation that typically accompany unusually hot weather, such as summer thunderstorms. Scientists expect the problem to worsen with climate change.

In response, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection has recently proposed an array of stormwater resilience strategies. One such plan is the Cloudburst Management plan, which will utilize a combination of grey infrastructure, such as sewer pipers and underground storage tanks, and green infrastructure, like trees and rain gardens, to absorb, store, and divert stormwater. Public locations, such as playgrounds and basketball courts, would double as temporary holding tanks.

This graphic shows a basketball court that would absorb water through a porous pavement during storms. Image: NYC DEP

This strategy aims to assist the city’s 150-year-old sewer system, which can only handle 1.75 inches of rain per hour. As reported by Gothamist, the technologies used for cloudburst management could handle up to 2.3 inches of hourly rainfall. New York City is funding the initiative with municipal and federal money from the likes of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Commun...

All EV charging state plans approved by the Federal Highway Administration

2022-09-28T17:19:00-04:00

The Federal Highway Administration just approved all 50 state plans, in addition to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, to build EV charging stations along America’s approximately 53,000-mile interstate highway network as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program, which will release a total of $1.5 billion of funding over the next two fiscal years.

NEVI is a portion of the larger $5 billion EV provision in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and will establish much-needed charging stations per every 50-mile stretch of the system, making them (almost) as easy to find as gas stations for the first time since debuting on the American market, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Thanks to the commitment of state leaders who worked hard to develop EV charging networks that work for their residents, we were able to approve these state charging plans quickly and ahead of schedule,” Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack...

Federal Buy Clean task force issues first recommendations for low-carbon construction materials

2022-09-21T12:29:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has unveiled the first set of recommendations under its Federal Buy Clean Initiative, an undertaking that aims to drive the development of American-made, low-carbon construction materials, while also supporting job growth.

During a visit to the Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction steel plant in Toledo, Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan, and Deputy National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi announced that the federal government will prioritize the purchase of green construction materials, which will encompass 98% of materials purchased by the government.

The Federal Buy Clean Initiative is a part of President Biden’s economic plan, which includes the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Law, the $485 billion Inflation Reduction Act, and the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act. As detailed by the White House, the federal government is the largest direct purchaser of construction materials in the world...

Mass timber, clean energy, biotech, and Indigenous communities are among the biggest winners of the $1 Billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge

2022-09-02T17:17:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has announced 21 winners of its $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge funded through last year’s American Rescue Plan and administered by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Five-year capital grants ranging between $25 million and $65 million were awarded to transformative projects in 24 different states with demonstrated potential to rebuild regional economies, promote inclusive and equitable recovery, and create jobs.

The Brookings Institution today commented that the funding “represents a critical test for key assumptions of the broader Biden administration economic framework” and said it will critically deliver infrastructure investments with a mind for integrating marginalized groups and communities into the post-pandemic economic recovery nationwide. A survey of the projects seems to signal an interest in things like clean energy, advanced and next-gen manufacturing, biotechnologies, and a host of others...

A look at the Inflation Reduction Act’s potential impacts on the Landscape Architecture community

2022-08-16T12:45:00-04:00

A new report from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has outlined the potential impacts and trade benefits of the provisions included in the Biden Administration’s recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, that is set to be signed into law in the coming days.

The $369 billion bill includes many grants and other types of funding for a host of green GSA-owned properties, Federal Highway Administration projects, and affordable housing developments. Over on the ASLA’s The Dirt blog, Roxanne Blackwell and Caleb Raspler broke down what it might entail for the landscape architecture community in separate practice and client areas.

Among the relevant provisions included in the overall package are:

More than $4.5 billion to be directed toward water infrastructure (dams, water treatment facilities, etc.). This includes the $4 billion in drought relief funds, another $15 million to "provide technical assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and r...

Inflation Reduction Act is ready to make climate impact on building sector

2022-08-15T12:37:00-04:00

Industry groups are applauding lawmakers after the passage of the Biden Administration’s recently proposed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, pointing to its more than $5 billion in provisions they say are “critical” to enacting climate change-related policies and modernizing transportation infrastructure across the United States.

Once implemented, the bill, officially titled H.R. 5376, will help incentivize the use and development of low-carbon building materials in government buildings as well as provide grants and other forms of funding that will aid in the country’s effort to match CO2 emissions mandates outlined in the Paris Agreement from 2015.

In a statement, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president Peter Templeton commented that “the Inflation Reduction Act would put in place the most critical and consequential climate policies we have ever seen, and it would do so while reducing energy costs for American families and businesses and shoring up our energy security with a ...

FAA releases $1 billion in grant funding for much-needed U.S. airport upgrades

2022-07-25T13:43:00-04:00

A first of five rounds of airport infrastructure funding has been released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the form of grants totaling $1 billion and intended to support the modernization and maintenance of facilities across the country.

Grants for terminal expansion and sustainability upgrades were awarded to a group of 85 airports as part of the Biden Administration’s bipartisan infrastructure spending package that will invest a total of $2 trillion into similar upgrades nationwide before the decade’s end.

“Americans deserve modern airports that meet the needs of their families and growing passenger demand,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. Indeed, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s most recent 20-year Passenger Forecast indicated that overall air travel numbers are expected to increase to within 111% of the pre-pandemic levels in the next...

HUD is committing $365 million to help prevent homeless encampments. Will it be enough?

2022-06-22T18:27:00-04:00

In an effort to halt the actions of different major cities to sweep away homeless encampments in recent years, the federal government is now taking direct action in the form of two expanded grant programs it says have become necessary in the face of rising inflation and untenable rental markets.

Bloomberg is reporting that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has earmarked some $365 million worth of funding aimed directly at the country’s unhoused population it says currently numbers more than 550,000.

The funding is going to be provided through an expansion of HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) grant program and a new round of housing choice vouchers which add up to $43 million. It represents the first time that the agency has dedicated monies to directly aid those who are without shelter, and will address the related issue of rural homelessness with a special earmark of $54.5 million.

Previously on Archinect: A homeless encampment is growing on Apple's future N...