Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.

If you enjoy this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them to subscribe.

---

Trump Signs Order to Remove Unhoused People From the Streets and Forcibly Hospitalize Them

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that would make it easier for city and state governments to remove unhoused people from streets and encampments throughout the country, USA Today reports.

The order directs the attorney general to undo judicial precedents and consent decrees that restrict local and state-level governments’ ability to place unhoused individuals into long-term treatment centers. The attorney general is also required to work with the Departments of Health and Human Services; Housing and Urban Development; and Transportation to prioritize federal funds to state and local governments that “enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders,” USA Today reports.

Homeless advocacy groups say the move is unlawful and counterproductive to public safety. “Forced treatment is unethical, ineffective and illegal,” National Homelessness Law Center represents Jesse Rabinowitz says. “Trump’s actions will force more people into homelessness, divert taxpayer money away from people in need, and make it harder for local communities to solve homelessness.”

This order also follows Trump’s March executive orders to remove all homeless encampments on federal lands and to dismantle the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.

EPA Is Drafting a Plan To Stop the Country’s Ability To Fight Climate Change

The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to repeal a critical scientific finding that gives the federal government the authority to regulate harmful greenhouse-gas emissions in the hopes of fighting the climate crisis, the New York Times reports.

This change seeks to undermine the 2009 “endangerment finding” which explained that pollutants from burning fossil fuels can be regulated by the government, NPR reports. It’s one of many devastating environmental rollbacks in the U.S. since the Trump administration took power.

Rents Are Actually Falling in Some Cities, Thanks to Pro-Housing Policy

Cities throughout the U.S. have seen alarming rent increases since 2020, but in several locations throughout the country, rental prices are actually decreasing. Data from real estate investment firm Five Star Cash Offer shows cities that have enacted pro-housing policies have experienced a significant decline in rental prices, Reason reports.

Data compiled from Redfin and Realtor found that Sarasota, Florida, saw a significant decrease in rent prices year-over-year. The city experienced a more than 40% drop in average rents: $3,290 to $1,886 from January 2024 to January 2025. This decrease likely represents policies like relaxing density restrictions and allocating about $40 million for affordable housing projects, the Herald-Tribune reports. Providence, Rhode Island, saw the second-largest decline in rental prices year-over-year, and Cape Coral, Florida, saw the third-largest decline in rental prices.

USDA Ends Federal Support For Black Farmers

One of the Trump administration’s latest victims in its ongoing vendetta against diversity, equity and inclusion programs: a bill supporting Black farmers.

This month, the Department of Agriculture removed the phrase “socially disadvantaged,” which described farmers or ranchers who had been subjected racial and ethnic discrimination, from a 35-year-old policy, Capital B reports.

The designation was created for the 1990 Farm Bill, which sought to direct some resources to communities and farmers that were historically excluded from loans and grants. Lawmakers warn that change will make it harder to level the playing field for ranchers and farmers that have been historically underrepresented.

Investors Own Almost 20% of California Homes

About a fifth of the housing stock across California is owned by investors, per an analysis of BatchData figures by the Orange County Register. The data shows that investors own 19% of homes throughout the state, but that rate of investor ownership is several times higher in some counties.

In Sierra County, 83% of homes were owned by investors. Investors owned more than 50% of homes in several other counties, including Plumas, Alpine and Calaveras. These areas are more likely to be the site of second homeownership due to smaller populations and seasonal recreation-based tourism, SF Gate reports. This represents a trend where companies are outcompeting families and individuals in purchasing homes, which has caused housing prices to increase. Home prices in California have increased by about 60% in the last six years, The Guardian reports.

---

MORE NEWS

• New Jersey is offering millions in grants to communities tackling the heat urban island effect. WHYY

• UCLA has launched 20 air quality monitors in L.A. county to track pollution from the Palisades Fire burn area. Los Angeles Times

• Traffic signals that give pedestrians a head start have lowered intersection injuries in NYC, study finds. Smart Cities Dive

• The new forest growing in Ukraine’s bombed reservoir has reclaimed the land, but it faces an uncertain future. The Guardian

• Homicides and other violent crimes have declined across 42 U.S. cities, study finds. Stateline

• Here’s how the Trump administration has devastated farmers, workers and communities. Grist

The U.S. is building an enormous 5,000-person detention center in Texas. Associated Press

• Mexico’s president asks the U.S. to repatriate the Mexican nationals held at the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center. Reuters

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• Main Street America is accepting applications for its Backing Small Businesses grant program. Apply by July 31.

• The Lululemon Community Wellbeing Grant is open to applications from community-led nonprofits around the globe that are creating equitable access to movement and mindful programming. Apply by Aug. 1.

• Muslims for Just Futures and Sustainable Economies Law Center are launching an institute for movement leaders and lawyers to strengthen movement infrastructure and build collective responses to state repression. Apply by Aug. 25.

• Smart Growth America is accepting applications for its Community Connectors program from locally-led initiatives to reconnect communities and improve street safety. Apply by Aug. 31.

• Norfolk Southern’s Thriving Communities Grant and the Safety First Grant are accepting applications for initiatives that drive community resilience and local economic development; public safety and first responder readiness; and sustainability and workforce development. Apply by Sept. 1.

• Check out Next City’s jobs board for new opportunities.

EVENTS

• July 31 at 11 a.m. Eastern: EIT Urban Mobility and #CitiesFirst are holding a webinar on the future of shared micromobility in cities.

• Aug. 6 at noon Eastern: The Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing is hosting a webinar on social prescribing connectors’ role in addressing social determinants of health.

• Check out events from Next City and our partners here!

This post was originally published on Next City.