Some real estate agents are winning new clients by showing up for property showings on their bicycles.
"With gas prices up, air quality down and saving the planet on everyone's mind, [real estate] agents across Canada and in the United States are scrapping cars, long considered a business necessity, to bike, walk and use public transit. And some are finding it's paying off as they fill a green niche with environmentally concerned clients.
Many clients gravitate to [cycling agents]...because they are similarly motivated. And cycling, [one agent] found, lends itself to selling houses. 'I can meet people at a house or we can bike together...It really is better to see a neighbourhood on a bike. You can assess the ambient atmosphere. You can smell the freshly cut grass in a park, and see if the residents smile at you.'
At open houses in Vancouver...bikes will often be piled up in front as would-be buyers check out the property....Some agents say this is a case of the real-estate industry catching up to the lifestyles of urban house hunters."
FULL STORY: Riding out the housing market
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
