Moscow is fast becoming the world's latest real estate boomtown. If you're an expatriate looking for housing, expect to pay upwards of $10,000 for a decent apartment.
Moscow is fast becoming the world's latest real estate boomtown, according to a report by Wharton Business School's Knowledge@Wharton newsletter. Properties of all types are appreciating: office prices reportedly have increased 38 percent during the past 12 months, warehouse prices have risen 33 percent and retail assets are selling for a 56 percent premium over 2006.
"The reason is the sort of economic fundamental that was willfully ignored during the Soviet era: Demand is outstripping supply. Moscow simply doesn't have enough safe, modern and spacious apartments that foreigners and rich Russians want. 'You can find deals, but people might be sleeping in the hallways because the front door's not secure,' Mestre notes."
..."So much money, both domestic and foreign, is flowing into Moscow real estate, in particular, that Yakubovich and other Russia watchers have begun to worry about the possibility of a bubble. "It's crazy," he says. 'Apartment prices [are close to] world levels, like London or Tokyo, but the average income of Russians isn't that great. This is what makes the boom really puzzling.' "
Thanks to IREI
FULL STORY: A Sizzling Real Estate Sector Draws Local and International Interest

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont