Housing

Nation's First Mid-Rise Container Condos Planned for Salt Lake City

Local Salt Lake City developer enlists Adam Kalkin, container architecture expert, to design the nation's first mid-rise shipping container condo project.

April 4, 2008 - The Salt Lake 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

HUD Secretary Resigns

Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, announced his resignation Monday, effective April 18.

March 31, 2008 - The Washington Post

Los Angeles' Brawl With Sprawl

Officials in Los Angeles were successful in implementing high-density growth policies to curb sprawl. However, a disconnect between culture, transportation policy, and the real estate market may have disastrous consequences.

March 31, 2008 - The Economist

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

'Tent City' for Residents Only

A "tent city" established in the Southern California city of Ontario for occupation by homeless people has been temporarily shut down as city officials and police attempt to evict people without clear ties to the city.

March 27, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

U.S. Cities Face Housing Abandonment Crisis

Cities are trying different strategies -- including lawsuits and selling off housing units for $1.00 -- to deal with mass housing abandonment.

March 27, 2008 - Yahoo! News

Affordable Housing Bill May Hurt Affordable Housing In Vermont

A bill intended to expand the stock of affordable housing in Middlebury, Vermont, is coming under criticism for actually making it harder for developers to build affordable housing.

March 26, 2008 - Addison County Independent

Review Halted for Major L.A. Housing Project

Review of a project that would have added more than 5,500 homes to the fringes of Los Angeles has been halted after a recent City Council vote. Many expect this to be the death knell for the project.

March 25, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Influx of Luxury Towers Transforms New York

Luxury residential towers are popping up all over New York City, bringing about what one critic calls the "greatest transformation in the city’s physical identity since the 1960s".

March 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Ballot Measure to Weigh Eminent Domain in California

Two ballot measures on the June ballot in California will challenge the state's eminent domain and rent control rules.

March 23, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'Slumburbia': Exurban Decay Spurred By Mortgage Crisis

The mortgage crisis is devastating many communities far from urban centers, while 'inner cities', regionally speaking, are weathering the financial storm far better thanks to their urban form that makes them attractive to those that can afford them.

March 21, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Domestic Migration Slows Even In Sunbelt Due To Housing Crisis

The nation's housing downturn has spread to the fastest growing counties in the sunbelt, where most saw reduced domestic migration in the year ending July 1, 2007, while more rural counties experienced population losses.

March 21, 2008 - USA Today

Will the Housing Bubble Swallow the Fed?

J.P. Morgan's federally-back purchase of Bear Stearns holds billions in dubious "mortgage backed securities," and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are pumping hundreds of billions into the market. Time may be running out for the Federal Reserve.

March 20, 2008 - The Huffington Post

The Movie Star and the Power of Architecture

Actor Brad Pitt's efforts to rebuild housing in New Orleans are not just flashy PR, but rather a reminder that architecture can make a difference, according to this article from Metropolis.

March 20, 2008 - Metropolis Magazine

Subprime Tent Cities

This video from the BBC looks at the ten cities that have sprung up outside of L.A. as a result of the subprime mortgage meltdown.

March 19, 2008 - BBC via YouTube

Miami in a Vice

In Miami, speculators inflated the housing market by buying and flipping condos. Now with the market deflating and a host of condo towers still under construction, Miami may be the worst major real estate market in the world.

March 16, 2008 - The Globe & Mail

Downsize Now!

Stan Cox argues that the massive square footage of so many modern houses -- no matter how "energy efficient" the construction -- is a luxury the planet can no longer afford.

March 16, 2008 - Common Dreams

D.C. Plans Crackdown on Abusive Landlords and Condo Conversions

City councilors in Washington D.C. have proposed a plan to throw out exemptions that allowed hundreds of landlords to evict residents with little or no notice so they could convert buildings to high priced condos.

March 14, 2008 - The Washington Post

Is Chicago's 'Transformed' Cabrini-Green 'Too Good for Poor People'?

As a part of Chicago's $1.4 billion "Plan for Transformation," the once massive Cabrini-Green project has been redeveloped into a mix of affordable, public and market housing. But 80% of the former tenants have moved away.

March 13, 2008 - GOOD Magazine

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