A few years ago, someone asked me the following question (loosely paraphrased) on a listserv: “Since the most tradition-minded* religious Jews are required by Jewish law to walk to synagogue on Sabbaths and holy days (and thus presumably prize walkability) why aren’t they a major market for new urbanist developments?” At the time, I didn’t have a coherent answer. But now that I know more about both traditional Jews and new urbanism, I do.
Housing
Renting the American Dream
Home ownership remains a major part of the American dream. But more and more people are beginning to question the wisdom of investing in a home and are leaning towards renting.
The Wall Street Journal
Homeless Shelters Go Unregulated
In Louisville, Kentucky, urban planning professor John Gilderbloom decries the lack of regulations on homeless shelters in the area.
Courier-Journal
To Cite or To Site: Competing Ideologies for Addressing Homelessness
To fight homelessness, some cities provide services, some build housing, and some arrest people. Often it's a combination of the three, but now many critics are calling on officials to de-emphasize the law enforcement element. Los Angeles is Ground Zero.
The Top 30 Housing Markets in America
According to some real estate data, there are more than 30 housing markets in the U.S. that are seeing increases in housing prices. Topping the list is Boulder, Colorado.
Business Week
Home on the Runway
More than 100 trailers and RVs sit in a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport, creating an odd community of airline pilots and mechanics.
Los Angeles Times
Banks Holding On To Toxic Real Estate Assets
The Congressional Oversight Committee tasked with looking into the economic crisis says in a new report that there is a continuing risk of banks holding onto troubled assets, including real estate. Minnesota Public Radio talks to noted experts.
Minnesota Public Radio
Denver to Replace Public Housing Project with Mixed Use TOD
The Denver Housing Authority is planning on demolishing one of the city's oldest low-income public housing projects to make way for a new mixed-use, transit-oriented housing development.
The Denver Post
Affluent Suburb Agrees to Affordable Housing Overhaul
Westchester County, NY will be required to invest in the provision of affordable housing units in communities that lack minorities. Furthermore, they will have to actively market these units towards minority populations.
The New York Times
The 2010 Winter Olympics Athletes Village: Vancouver's Next City-Building Model, Part 1
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 04:30
I'm sure much will be written on the observations and learning's from the 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Winter Olympics and Paralympics process - at least once all those working tirelessly on it have had some time to catch our breath after next year's monumental event. As you can imagine, we're already inundated with visitors, questions and critiques, and we still have months to go and much hard work to do.
Cities Adjust to Presence of "Tent Cities"
Nashville is just one of many cities that have stopped dispersing and penalizing tent city settlements, but instead are relaxing some regulations and providing basic services.
Wall Street Journal
The ABCs of Homeownership
While the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance is helping people buy homes, their aim is to build an army of trained homeowners to engage their own neighbors in organizing and advocacy.
Shelterforce Magazine
Housing Market: Not Dead Yet
The housing crisis may be coming to an end, according to some nationwide indexes. And though prices are likely to continue to fall for about a year, some homebuilders are un-pausing their projects and moving forward.
Time
Walking Up Housing Values, and Making Smarter Cities
Walkability improves home values, according to a new report. Smart City talks with economist Joe Cortright about the study, and with IBM about its new "Smarter Cities" technology report.
Smart City
High Foreclosure Rates Could Lead to More Defaults in Las Vegas
Willingness to default on home loans has been found to increase in ZIP codes with high foreclosure rates, leaving foreclosure-heavy Las Vegas in danger.
The Las Vegas Sun
Metros Still Struggling With Vacancies
Housing vacancies are still rising in many American metropolitan areas.
Forbes
Fort Meyers' 32-Story Single-Family Home
With a 32-story tower occupied only part-time by a single family, America's real estate bust may be most apparent in Fort Meyers.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
