James Howard Kunstler has been saying for some time now that when our "ponzi scheme" economy finally crumbles around us, people are going to be very angry, and looking for someone to blame.
Housing
California's Biggest Land Use Story Is Not The Housing Market
The deepening of the housing market crisis is certainly a big deal in California. But the land use story of the year was the Legislature's passage of a measure mandating regional planning.
California Planning & Development Report
Candidates Take Stance on Urban Issues
City Limits breaks down the differences between the two presidential candidates with a focus on urban issues.
City Limits
Some Lessons from the Credit Crisis
Tue, 09/23/2008 - 17:24
The on-going foreclosure and subsequent credit crisis should offer important lessons for housing policy and public policy more broadly. Chief among these lessons might be the falsity of the notion that government regulation is always bad. But some conservative commentators cling to the dogma that government intervention is the root of all evil. An explanation being offered by some is that government intervention in the form of Community Reinvestment Act encouraged irresponsible lending and led to the subsequent housing bust.
High Gas Prices Breathe New Life into DC's TOD
The cost of commuting is beginning to trump federal policies favoring exurban development, and transit ridership is at a fifty year high.
The Washington Post
A Move Back into Cities Indicates Changing Middle-Class Mores
Author Alan Ehrenhalt says that conditions are ripe for the permanent return of downtown residential neighborhoods, and that a "demographic inversion" has already begun in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, DC, among other cities.
The New Republic
Moscow Tops List of World's Most Expensive Cities
Moscow tops an annual ranking of the world's most expensive cities. The survey examines housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment for corporations and government agencies determining living costs for expats.
Forbes
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
A Public Housing Experiment Faces Problems
The Chicago Tribune examines what became of an ambitious city project, led by Mayor Daley, to revolutionize public housing. Private developers received public funding to tear down old projects and replace them with mixed-use neighborhoods.
The Chicago Tribune
False Creek North - The Residents' Views
Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:59
What do the residents of Vancouver's False Creek North think of living in one of the largest centrally located, high-density, pedestrian- and family-oriented mixed-use neighbourhoods in the world?
Suburbia Running Out of Gas
The economics of long commutes are forcing many to the conclusion that suburban living is no longer viable, and suburban housing prices are falling accordingly.
The New York Times
Hate Your Long-Distance Commute? Then Move
A recent L.A. Times series suggests that we should build more Southern California freeways for long-distance commuters, and prevent additional job development in employment-heavy areas. Bill Fulton suggests a different approach.
California Planning & Development Report
The Incredible Shrinking Home
A new AIA report shows that new homes under construction are getting smaller in response to market forces.
AIArchitect
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
Mega-Mansions Sprouting In L.A.
Despite the housing downturn, houses in excess of 20,000 square feet are still being built by the very wealthy — with no sign of a slowdown.
The Los Angeles Times
The Thorny Problem of Affordable Housing
New Jersey struggles to develop fair rules on affordable housing. "The whole thing is madness at this point," says a Sussex County administrator.
New Jersey Herald
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
The Explosive Growth of Homestead, Florida
Perhaps named as a self-fulfilling prophecy, the last seven years have brought unprecedented residential growth to Homestead, Florida. Commercial development is just trying to keep up.
The Miami Herald
Waiting for the urban clothesline
Tue, 09/04/2007 - 10:00
This Labor Day weekend, Southern California is facing an extreme heat wave, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees. Air conditioners have to work overtime to keep indoor temperatures near 80, and California power resources are operating at near capacity. As condominiums bake in the sun (as they do most of the year around here), there is not a solar panel in sight.
While we are still waiting for renewable energy, a few simple measures could lead to big residential power savings. Enter the laundry line, one of the oldest and most practical ways to use solar energy. Electric clothes dryers not only require vast amounts of fossil fuel-derived power, they also pour heat into living spaces and strain cooling systems.
Where were the planners?
Fri, 04/20/2007 - 13:10
This post is a few weeks after the fact but the recent APA conference only solidified my resolution to say something. In early April Teddy Cruz gave a lecture here in Philly at the School of Design. For those of you not familiar with his work, he has a unique and thoughtful perspective on the relationships between culture, planning and design.
