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.

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Baltimore’s Beleaguered Red Line Plan May Pivot to BRT

Facing rising construction costs and difficulties in securing federal funds and land, Baltimore’s long-sought Red Line light rail project is facing an existential crisis. But The Baltimore Banner reports that Maryland Transit Administration officials have developed two backup plans to keep the east-west connectivity plan – currently estimated to cost $8 billion — alive.

One alternative includes developing the 14-mile Red Line as a bus rapid transit (BRT) line, which would cut costs significantly and enable more route flexibility while still providing riders with stations and a lane with dedicated right of way. The other option would be phased light rail construction, using only state funds to build the west half and pushing to receive federal funding for the east half later.

Governor Wes Moore, who resurrected the project and promised construction would begin during his tenure after his predecessor cancelled the Red Line, has not weighed in publicly on whether he is considering either contingency plan.

Even Being Near a World Cup Host City Could Bring Communities Millions in Economic Benefits

The Atlanta Sports Council predicts that hosting eight soccer events for the FIFA World Cup this summer will generate up to $500 million in economic benefits for the city. But even nearby cities stand to benefit, Smart Cities Dive reports.

An economic impact analysis by an Emory University economist found that the World Cup could bring 3,500 to 10,000 visitors a day to the city of Decatur, Georgia, six miles from Atlanta. With each visitor expected to spend about $500 daily, Decatur’s economy could see a boost of $62.6 million to $142.5 million, between purchases, state and local taxes paid by visitors, and jobs created and wages paid to workers. Research on the financial impact of hosting major sporting events suggests, though, that outcomes are frequently more modest than hoped.

Yet with the federal government still withholding congressional funds for security that were promised to host cities, some cities say they may need to cancel World Cup-related programming soon. Local lawmakers and advocates also remain concerned about national security threats; the likelihood of ICE enforcement at stadiums and public events; and whether small businesses and marginalized communities will benefit from any economic boom.

Rural Colorado Wants To Hold Big Cities Accountable For “Buy and Dry” Land Deals

For decades, Western cities have relied on so-called “buy and dry” water transfers, purchasing agricultural water rights and leaving farmland permanently fallow to supply growing urban populations. While some cities have voluntarily committed to better land stewardship in recent years, some have abandoned these efforts, driving resentment among the rural communities left behind.

The Colorado Sun now reports on a draft bill to hold cities and speculators responsible for funding revegetation work after they buy farm water and dry up land to benefit Colorado’s larger cities and their suburbs. The proposal has been supported by water districts in the Arkansas River basin that have lost up to 92% of their irrigated farmland to such deals.

Chicago Mayor’s Use of TIF Funds To Fill Budget Holes Comes Under Fire

For local public officials, tax-increment financing, or TIF, can seem like a magical way for redevelopment to pay for itself. Cities designate an area as “blighted,” then set aside a portion of property taxes from that area to subsidize new investments there. Critics say TIF (which goes by other names in some states) pulls money away from schools, fire departments, parks, libraries and other local public services usually supported by local property taxes.

Chicago has infamously had upwards of 150 TIF districts — as many as the next nine heaviest TIF-using cities combined — according to a study of TIFs by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Recently, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been using TIF dollars under his control to plug budget gaps for the city, which has upset some well-intentioned developers who have been heavy TIF-users in some of the hardest neighborhoods in Chicago to develop real estate. Those developers voiced their opinion this week in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed.

Top Architecture Firm Won’t Design More ICE Detention Centers After Employees Push Back

Last month, employees at DLR Group, one of the world’s biggest architecture firms, learned that the company held a CivicCore contract to turn a former private prison in Oklahoma into a new ICE detention center.

Mother Jones reports that after employee outcry — including a PR specialist at the firm handing in his resignation — DLR Group’s CEO said the company would not take any new projects involving ICE detention or deportation facilities, and that it would donate all profits from the Oklahoma contract.

Workers at major tech and media companies have been increasingly organizing to curb their firms’ complicity in ICE activity (as well as in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza), but collective action in the field of architecture remains rare, Mother Jones notes. “Every time you hear about a kid being removed from his parents, somebody had to make that choice, and somebody had to produce those plans and those blueprints,” one worker said.

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MORE NEWS

• Cuba reconnects electrical grid after 29-hour blackout amid U.S. oil blockade. But millions are still without power. CBC

• Five tools local governments are using to block ICE detention centers. Smart Cities Dive

• Austin’s surge of new housing construction drove down rents, even as its population grew. Pew Charitable Trusts

• A Texas rancher donates his water rights to the state, marking one of the first times the program has been used in 30 years. The Texas Tribune

• Reckoning with state and federal cuts, Los Angeles safety-net clinics push for a new tax. KFF Health News

• Seattle Social Housing Developer wins new tool from state lawmakers. The Urbanist

• Ohio cities are signing secret deals and hiding corporate names from the public. A state bill would prevent local officials from signing NDAs. Cleveland.com

• Housing bills to boost supply and protect tenants head to Virginia governor’s desk. Virginia Mercury

• ‘We cannot replace USAID, but we can do big things’: conservation plots a future without American money. The Guardian

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OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• DEADLINE TODAY: The Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency Program is accepting expressions of interest for its 2027 Lake Como residencies from innovators, practitioners, artists and researchers across disciplines and across the globe. Submit by March 20.

• DEADLINE TODAY: The Greenlining Institute’s Leadership Academy is accepting applications for its 11-month fellowship. Apply by March 20.

• PRIORITY DEADLINE TODAY: The Urban Ocean Lab’s Senior Fellows program is looking for senior practitioners with city, state or federal experience strengthening coastal and urban climate resilience. Apply by March 20 for priority consideration.

• Scotland’s Urban Studies Foundation is providing seed funding for collaborative primary research proposals from around the world related to “urban urgencies.” Apply by March 23.

• Building Common Ground is offering pro-bono design and development support for rural-focused, community-led groups, organizations, Tribes, municipalities, or informal coalitions working on place-based cultural, civic, or humanities-driven design projects. Apply by March 27.

• Smart Cities Dive is accepting nominations for its Public Service Award for outstanding local leaders who drive local impact. Nominate a candidate by March 31.

• The We Are Family Foundation is accepting funding applications from cultural leaders under 30 who are using creative practice (including design) to drive social and community impact. Apply by April 4.

• The Vienna International Summer School on New Social Housing is accepting applications from early-career researchers, practitioners and critical thinkers in related disciplines. Apply by April 10.

• Next City is looking for its next cohort of rising urban leaders to join this year’s Vanguard gathering in Chicago, planned for Sept. 15-18. Our network of 600-plus Vanguards includes planners, community developers, nonprofit leaders, artists, designers, local officials and more. Apply by May 14.

• Wells Fargo and Enterprise are launching a new cycle of their Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, a $2 million grant opportunity for scalable housing innovations in design, construction, finance, service delivery and programs. Register for info sessions on April 7 and 15, and apply by May 15.

• The Sparkplug Foundation is offering grants to support early-stage programs that focus on music programs, community organizing and education. Apply by May 22.

This post was originally published on Next City.