Housing

The Right Interventions to Restore Confidence in Weak Markets

Housing affordability is too often seen as the way to stabilize and revitalize weak markets. Neighborhood planning consultants Charles Buki and Elizabeth Humphrey Schilling argue that interventions in weak markets must encourage investment by improving market confidence.

4 February 2010 - 5:00am

Notes on Structural Change: Redefining the Problem of Weak Markets

The foreclosure crisis spreading across America has burdened cities and neighborhoods with value-draining vacancies and abandoned properties. To counteract the economic havoc they've caused, planners and policymakers must focus on restoring confidence in the market, according to neighborhood planning consultants Charles Buki and Elizabeth Humphrey Schilling.

28 January 2010 - 5:00am

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4 comments

Canada Housing Prices Return to Pre-Recession Peak

What housing slump? Canada's real estate recovery has been so fast, some analysts worry it signals a return to speculation.

9 February 2010 - 12:00pm

Wall Street Journal

The Mormon Church Backs Mixed-Use Project

City Creek Center is a $1 billion mixed-use development project that some say is a godsend for downtown Salt Lake City, creating jobs during a tough economy. Others wonder how the church's influence will play out in the culture of the project.

8 February 2010 - 12:00pm

The New York Times

HUD Hearts Portland

Obama's brand new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities admits to being inspired by Portland's groundbreaking urban planning policies.

7 February 2010 - 9:00am

The Oregonian

Brooklyn Public Housing Planned for Renovation Instead Faces Demolition

Prospect Plaza, three public housing towers in Brooklyn, were vacated in 2003 for refurbishment. NYC has long renovated their public housing towers instead of tearing them down, so the announcement marks a major change for the city.

6 February 2010 - 1:00pm

The New York Times

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1 comment

Fewer Bedrooms, Bathrooms in Shrinking Homes

Custom Home Magazine reports that not only are home sizes down for the first time in 30 years, but the number of bedrooms and bathrooms is down in new homes as well.

6 February 2010 - 7:00am

CustomHomeOnline

Brent Toderian

In Olympic year, Vancouver chooses LEED™ Gold for private buildings!

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 16:46

Followers of Vancouver city planning will remember that in 2008, as part of the approval of the EcoDensity Initiative, our Council approved what remains (we think) the highest green standard for private sector building design in North America. The 2008 policy requires that buildings that go through rezonings (representing most buildings built in Vancouver) must establish that their design, at approval, is capable of achieving LEED™ Silver. We actually nick-named it "Silver Plus", because we mandated that there be a minimum of 3 energy points, 1 water point, and 1 storm water point, emphasizing the things that matter most to us.

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older posts

Grants Signal Shift in Federal Urban Planning Policy

HUD announced this week the formation of a new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, along with $100 million in grants for regional integrated planning initiatives.

5 February 2010 - 2:00pm

The Seattle Times

Changing Preferences for Aging Boomers

A survey of Baby Boomers finds an increasing willingness to move after retirement, and the new tipping point for "old age".

5 February 2010 - 8:00am

Builder

Air Force Quashes Unborn NIMBYism in Arizona

As a preventive measure to avoid future NIMBYism, an Air Force base in Arizona has effectively blocked the spread of residential development close to its borders.

4 February 2010 - 8:00am

The Arizona Republic

Habitat for Humanity Embraces Density

Instead of building its signature single family homes in dense New York neighborhoods, Habitat is expanding its model to include LEED-certified apartment buildings.

4 February 2010 - 5:00am

New York Times

Bailing Out the Mortgage Market

The housing market -- and especially the exurban housing market -- played a major role in bringing about the current economic recession, according to this piece from Christopher Leinberger. He says sprawl is unlikely to regain its lost value.

28 January 2010 - 7:00am

The New Republic

Americans Moving Less, Getting Rooted

In the 1950s, nearly 1/5 of Americans moved each year. That trend is quickly reversing. Americans are now staying put in greater numbers than at any time since World War II, and experts have plenty of opinions on why that is.

28 January 2010 - 5:00am

New York Times

Tent Handouts Hope to Provide Shelter and Spotlight in Vancouver

A human rights group in Vancouver is hoping to distribute free tents to the city's homeless in an attempt to temporarily shelter the homeless and bring attention to the city's homelessness when it plays host to the Winter Olympics.

27 January 2010 - 9:00am

The Tyee

An Oasis of Safety in One of L.A.'s Toughest Neighborhoods

In the midst of a dangerous and crime-prone area, one small section of L.A.'s South central neighborhood has retained a lower-than-average homicide rate and higher-than-average property values.

27 January 2010 - 5:00am

Los Angeles Times