Archive for June, 2008
Highest housing prices 1980 - 2006
Monday, June 30th, 2008The Calculated Risk blog offered a couple interesting posts last week on changes to the ratio of median house price to median income since 1980. The source data, from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, covers 106 metro areas.
Available for download is the data from 1980 to 2006, so before the collapse of […]
End of the Megalopolis?
Friday, June 27th, 2008What if the costs of operating an automobile permanently reach or exceed $10 per gallon and alternative fuels cannot offer any savings just an alternative?
Then, we may see the end of the Megalopolis — although not the end of the mega-region.
On CBC’s The National Wednesday night a person interviewed (James Kunstler, I believe) in Kelly […]
The end of the car-tropolis?
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008Will the car-tropolis come to an end? Or will America’s suburban style of living survive peak oil. A few weeks ago I suggested that current gasoline prices will not bring down American suburbia. I still believe this. At current prices in the US, people could buy more fuel efficient vehicles and continue the lifestyle […]
Roads: not just for cars anymore
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 Using roads only for motor vehicles is wasteful. As gasoline prices reach record highs and increasing numbers of North Americans embrace higher density living, allowing roads to be more than conduits for cars needs greater consideration.
Special events would be a place to start.
Today (Sunday) in North Portland an entire region of the city is going […]
Gasoline prices: keeping shoppers closer to home?
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles in March 2008 than in March 2007.
This suggests that either people are carpooling to work, not going to work, or making fewer and shorter pleasure trips — or all of the above. This should affect shopping behavior and by implication metropolitan retail patterns.
Combined with the slowing economy, presumably […]
Don’t look for manufacturing jobs “to come back”
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008CEOs for Cities cites a WSJ article suggesting higher fuel prices and therefore shipping costs will “bring production back.”
There are a couple problems with this thinking.
First, large manufacturers or importers have millions and billions invested in their overseas production and supply chains. Oil will have to be much more expensive for them to […]
How I picked Vancouver
Friday, June 13th, 2008Richard Florida has asked his blog readers to chime in for his Who’s Your City Canada book. As promised, here’s how I chose Vancouver.
I’m one of the few people you meet in Vancouver who was born here. Growing up, spending time in the forests, mountains and on the beaches near Vancouver became integral […]
Chicago: Creative Capital of the Universe?
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008Fast Company has released the 2008 Fast Cities report. Chicago and London are its cities of the year.
What intrigued me was the statement that Chicago is the creative capital of the universe (at least for 2008, presumably).
The article then offers discussion as to why this is from “creative” residents, including Grant Achatz (business person) […]
Book Review: The Concrete Dragon
Thursday, June 5th, 2008The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution and What it Means for the World by Thomas J. Campanella
Reviewed by guest blogger, Dave Atkins.
Thomas Campanella’s book is a timely, eye-opening analysis of the wrenching urban revolution transforming China. Written in a clear, conversational tone, but packed with data and anecdotal stories that demonstrate the author’s insight into […]
Should absentee owners be discouraged?
Sunday, June 1st, 2008In his recent Planetizen Interchange post Vancouver director of planning Brent Toderian discussed the problem of maintaining housing afford ability in a “world class city.” He asks:
is the corresponding increase in demand (and thus prices) from a global market a great thing to the teachers, the police officers, the nurses, the service sector […]