Mortgage Crisis

The Role of the Government in Home Loans

The Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae crisis is resurrecting the debate over the role the federal government should play in the housing market.

July 18, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Indianapolis Fights Blight With Site

Indianapolis has a growing problem with abandoned houses. To fight the blight, they're now selling the homes online.

July 14, 2008 - The Indianapolis Star

'Independence Day' for Housing

Congress is promising to pass before Independence Day a sweeping set of housing legislation that would offer refinancing packages, a trust fund for affordable rental housing and offer tax credits for purchasing unoccupied houses.

June 27, 2008 - The New York Times

Ending the Ideology of Homeownership

Paul Krugman writes that we need to stop conflating owing a home with citizenship.

June 26, 2008 - The New York Times

The Housing Bubble as a Social Phenomenon

In this excerpt from his forthcoming book, Subprime Solution, economist Robert J. Shiller writes of our tendency to succumb to "bubble thinking," and the role this has played in the current mortgage crisis.

June 24, 2008 - Atlantic Monthly

Pawnshops 'Inundated', But Facing Hard Times

With gas and food prices climbing to unprecedented levels, many families are turning to pawnshops to cover their bills. Unfortunately, pickups are down and people aren't buying, putting smaller operations at risk of closure.

June 23, 2008 - The News & Observer

The Incredible Shrinking Home

A new AIA report shows that new homes under construction are getting smaller in response to market forces.

June 19, 2008 - AIArchitect

Emptying Suburbs Sign of Things to Come

CNN reports on the growing chaos in suburbs emptied by the mortgage crisis, and what they tell us about the future of the American dream.

June 17, 2008 - CNN

Housing Relief Languishes in Washington

As the U.S. Congress and Senate wrangle with each other over how to address the housing crisis, housing advocates worry that federal assistance- if and when it comes- will be inadequate.

June 17, 2008 - Washington Independent

Did Houston's Lack Of Zoning Shield It From The Housing Meltdown?

A recent report by a Federal Reserve Bank senior economist argues that Houston's resiliency during the ongoing housing crisis is due in part to its lack of zoning regulations.

May 29, 2008 - The Houston Chronicle

Despite Downturn, Landscape Architects Keep Busy

A national survey shows that despite the depression in the housing market, landscape architects across the U.S. continue to get work.

May 23, 2008 - Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR

Prices Plummeting in Far-Flung Suburbs

The areas hardest-hit by the subprime mortgage crisis are not just low-income and minority communities, but also outer-ring suburbs.

May 22, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Did Smart Growth Policies Save Oregon's Housing Market?

Oregon's housing market has faired far better than other areas of the country, with some experts agreeing that the state's more restrictive land-use policies helped to prevent an oversupply of homes during the free-wheeling mortgage years.

May 19, 2008 - The Chicago Tribune

Will Planners Save the Country's Overlooked Masses?

From unemployment to rising rents to widespread foreclosures, many major problems face Americans. In his latest column, Neal Peirce argues that planners are the ones who can formulate a broad solution.

May 6, 2008 - The Denver Post

Smart Growth's Role In The Housing Crisis

The housing markets most affected by the subprime mortgage fallout are those with the toughest land use regulations, argues Wendell Cox.

May 1, 2008 - The Heritage Foundation

The Decline Of The Suburbs?

The sub prime crisis is affecting both the growth of planned suburbs and prompting the decline of new suburbs. Is the US heading for Slumburbia?

April 28, 2008 - The Guardian

More Californians Losing Their Homes

The latest figures show that more than 500 California households have gone into foreclosure each day in the first quarter of 2008.

April 24, 2008 - LA Times Blog: LA Land

Housing Bubble Goes Global

Housing markets around the world are beginning to feel the effects of the American mortgage crisis.

April 15, 2008 - International Herald Tribune

Congress Eyes Federal Assistance for Homeowners

Congressional leaders are preparing to propose dramatic new federal initiatives to help homeowners squeezed by the mortgage crisis. Most Republicans -- and the White House -- remain unconvinced that a federal role is appropriate.

April 1, 2008 - Yahoo! News

Irvine, Former Subprime Capital, Struggles in Wake of Meltdown

While housing markets in the rest of the country reel from the mortgage crisis, Irvine, the city that was once home to 18 subprime lenders, is seeing its local economy suffer as the effects of high profile bankruptcies ripples to other businesses.

March 29, 2008 - CNN Money

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