residential development
« Previous EntriesBetween rental and ownership: new forms of home tenure coming?
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009America’s crisis of real estate values and negative home equity has many urban theorists wondering whether home ownership is bad for the economy and bad for many individuals and families.
Richard Florida is one of them:
Two American dreams - of homeownership and of unfettered economic mobility - may be in conflict, as homeownership, especially in downturns […]
Urban families after the great reset
Friday, May 29th, 2009As energy becomes expensive and major cities increase their status as economic drivers, families who live in them will inhabit smaller spaces than many do today. Some are already there, and from their lifestyles we can glimpse into the future.
Melanie, her husband and two children live in their 950 square foot condominium in Vancouver’s Yaletown […]
Car-free communities in the 21st century
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 Older neighbourhoods in European and some North American cities often work well as pedestrian and cycling zones because they emerged before the automobile existed. Any new community, by law, typically has to allow for automobiles both in roadway allowances and parking regulations.
But what would happen in the 21st-century if you built a community that deliberately […]
Condo units in the downturn: vertical sprawl
Sunday, March 1st, 2009Well located, condominium units in Vancouver’s uber-chic Yaletown have become as challenging to sell these days as a generic single family home in the suburbs. As the residential real estate market has softened, it has hit some homes harder than others.
The economic principle of “scarcity” has been evident. Where there is “geographic constraint” or a […]
Trailer parks
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009Apparently trailer parks could become an affordable yet highly livable housing options.
They do offer some advantages over apartment block living, but providing similar density levels:
fresh air flow with windows on all walls;
accessibility for those who struggle with stairs;
expandability (you can add up as well as out);
options to own or rent;
with good landscaping the possibility of […]
Think ahead: 3 bedroom condos needed
Friday, October 24th, 2008During the last real estate cycle, condominium living became popular in many cities. Most buyers were singles or either young couples without kids or empty-nesters. With perhaps Manhattan and Vancouver being notable exceptions, families with young children have generally not been among the new inner urban residents.
In part, this is because few new condominiums offer […]
Which cities are more recession proof?
Monday, October 6th, 2008Professionally and personally I’ve been devoting considerable time to understanding the current American economic crisis.
One interesting issue emerging from my readings — but that is being overlooked in the mainstream media and even in some of my favorite economic blogs — is that there is not really _one_ national economy. The US economy is comprised […]
From factories to bedrooms and boardrooms
Monday, September 1st, 2008Some North American cities are experiencing strong demand for office, residential and retail space, particularly in the core areas of the metropolis. Meanwhile manufacturing has declined, leaving some former factory buildings under utilized.
A result is that city governments are allowing these spaces to be converted or redeveloped into other uses.
New YorkCity is one such place. […]
Back to the future
Sunday, August 10th, 2008In the Philadelphia area (link via Planetizen), city officials representing older neighbourhoods and inner ring, older suburbs are now working together to promote these communities as great alternatives to far flung, distant suburbs:
They are places that have been long suffering as homebuyers the past few decades have opted for more spacious homes on large lots […]
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 […]