Dear friend,

Welcome to Frontier, the monthly newsletter from the Future of Property Rights Program at New America. This month, we've continued to speak with technologists and land specialists about Project Visible. We're also continuing our research on displacement in the U.S. Sunbelt, and are excited to share our findings with you next month. Keep a lookout for news surrounding release of the report, Displaced in the Sunbelt, and related events!

Here's what else we've been up to:

What We're Doing

FPR and The Rockefeller Foundation Hold Workshop Series on Improving U.S. Eviction Data

How many Americans were evicted this year? We don't really know,  because the data's so bad.

The limits that poor data create for decision-making around evictions can't be overstated, especially as COVID-19 eviction moratoria are about to expire.

FPR and The Rockefeller Foundation brought together 30 housing experts, data scientists, municipal innovators, funders, and policymakers in a workshop series, to develop concrete solutions to America's eviction data problem.

We're excited to share some of our ideas with you in the coming weeks!

How the Biden Administration Can Fix This Part of the Disaster Housing Crisis

Natural disasters destroy hundreds of thousands of American houses each year. Thankfully, the Federal Emergency Management Agency helps many families rebuild. But thousands of disaster victims are shut out from FEMA aid, usually because they can't provide a title document proving home ownership. Nevermind that these critical papers are often destroyed by the same hurricane, wildfire, or tornado that wrecked the house, and that technically they aren’t required anyway. Yuliya Panfil wrote for Slate on how FEMA can expand the types of evidence that disaster victims can use to prove they own their home.

Read about Yuliya's proposed policy change for the incoming Biden administration, and how smartphones can help, here.

What We're Reading

"Should Biden Go Big on Public Housing?" - Bloomberg CityLab

Kriston Capps explores the renewed push for public housing in the U.S., amid growing housing instability due to COVID-19 and a lingering affordable housing crisis. Advocates argue that the incoming Biden administration could tackle a range of other issues through investment in public housing, as well, including climate change, an ailing economy, and racial inequity. Green buildings would benefit the environment; their construction would create hundreds of thousands of jobs; and connecting this housing to public transit could increase access to work, services, and education. Progressives in Congress are calling for a new program, and federal policymakers can learn from successful European models, as well as past American mistakes. But we wonder: what's necessary to build a broader coalition around new public housing projects in the U.S.?

"Future or fantasy? Senegal questions 'Akon City'" - Thomson Reuters Foundation News

Nellie Peyton explores an ambitious project in Senegal: a futuristic city built on the rural coast by the popstar Akon. Mock-ups show a scene reminiscent of Blade Runner or Star Wars, and the $6 billion plan includes resorts, hotels, a hospital, and a tech center. Local Senegalese are promised 90% of all jobs. Yet questions remain around the financing and feasibility of 'Akon City,' and nearby villagers express both suspicion and bemusement. Some former landowners were never compensated after they sold out to the project, raising concerns over property rights. Progress remains slow, and we're already wondering if 'Akon City' and other twenty-first century megaprojects can be implemented equitably, with respect for locals' land, resources, and livelihoods?

"Disney World layoffs leave its workers fighting to hold onto vanishing middle-class lives" - The Washington Post

The Orlando economy has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving thousands of former waiters, hotel staffers, and theme park workers without jobs. Greg Jaffe follows former Disney World employees struggling to pay for housing, along with other essentials such as food, power, and transportation. With emergency government assistance ending, and the CDC's moratorium on evictions expiring on January 1, many are becoming desperate. Some drained savings accounts to pay their mortgage; others sold their most cherished possessions to make rent. Unfortunately, we think that housing insecurity could only increase in tourism-dependent communities as the COVID-19 crisis continues into the new year.

Thoughts on our work or where we're headed? Feel free to reach out to us at FPR@NewAmerica.org.

Until next month, the FPR Team.

About New America

New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America, bringing us closer to our nation’s highest ideals. We’re a different kind of think tank: one dedicated to public problem solving. Our team of visionary researchers, changemakers, technologists, and storytellers study and seize the opportunities presented by dramatic social and technological change. We search for powerful ideas, wherever they are, and collaborate with civic innovators around the world to develop evidence-based solutions.

The Future of Property Rights Program at New America aims to help solve today’s property rights challenges, both at home and abroad. Through our research, writing, and convening, we strive to connect new constituencies and shed light on underreported issues in the property rights space.

You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive newsletters from New America. Click to update your subscription preferences or unsubscribe from all New America newsletters.