Mortgage Crisis
A Greener Fannie and Freddie?
Friends of the Earth president Brent Blackwelder and journalist James S. Henry believe that the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac needs to come with some very green strings attached.
The Nation
Exurbs Hit Hard by Housing Crisis
Exurban developments are struggling to control their rampant foreclosure rates and plummeting housing values.
The Christian Science Monitor
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.
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.
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.
The New York Times
Ending the Ideology of Homeownership
Paul Krugman writes that we need to stop conflating owing a home with citizenship.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
International Herald Tribune



















