From time to time, we hear of the demolition of an historic or architecturally significant home in the news. Inevitably, there’s an outcry. Community leaders agree: “Something must be done!”
But what can be done? read more »
Urban IssuesFive Steps to Save Historically and Architecturally Significant Homes — Proactively
by Douglas Newby 02/27/2022
From time to time, we hear of the demolition of an historic or architecturally significant home in the news. Inevitably, there’s an outcry. Community leaders agree: “Something must be done!” But what can be done? read more » »
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Does California Know What Time it Is?
by Jerry Sullivan 02/25/2022
Has the California proposition changed fundamentally? And does it matter for real estate? The answer to the first question is yes—the state had a net population decline in 2021, the first drop since it began annual counts more than a century ago. read more » »
You Can't Fix the Housing Crisis with New Houses. We Need New Cities
by Joel Kotkin 02/24/2022
Housing is rapidly becoming the key economic issue facing America's beleaguered middle class. Even as interest rates rise, rents are on a wild binge, up near 20 percent in the past year or more in some cities. Meanwhile, home prices have hit a high and appear to be climbing further still. Higher prices are emerging even in what have long been relative bargain communities in the southeast, as refugees from the high-priced Northeast pour in with their greater resources. read more » »
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Exurbia Rising
by Joel Kotkin 02/22/2022
Perhaps nowhere is the gap between America’s cognitive elite and its populace larger than in their preferred urban forms. For nearly a century—interrupted only by the Depression and the Second World War—Americans have been heading further from the urban core, seeking affordable and safe communities with good schools, parks, and a generally more tranquil lifestyle. read more » »
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Domestic Migration 2010-2020: Flocking to Affordability
by Wendell Cox 02/21/2022
Some metropolitan areas continue to have higher costs of living relative to the national average. The most important component is the extent to which higher housing costs contribute to these differences. Our Urban Reform Institute Standard of Living Index showed that more than 85% of the difference between costs in the more expensive metropolitan areas and the nation was attributable to housing (Figure 1). read more » »
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Canada: Suburbs Dominate Growth - 2021 Census
by Wendell Cox 02/15/2022
Canada has released early results of the 2021 Census, with a detailed analysis of growth in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). Among the 41 metropolitan areas, 77% of the population growth between the 2016 and 2021 censuses was in the suburbs, with 23% in the urban core (Figure 1). The suburbs have 78.5% of the total CMA population, with 21.5% in the urban core (Figure 2) read more » »
Monopoly Hotels
by John Sanphillippo 02/11/2022
I recently enjoyed a podcast where the two hosts engaged in a bit of banter about real estate. One had gradually purchased a few homes in a row along the same street and compared them to the little houses in the game of Monopoly. read more » »
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$85 Billion for Empty Buses and Railcars
by Randal OToole 02/09/2022
The future of public transit is nearly empty buses and railcars. Yet President Biden’s American Jobs Plan calls for spending $85 billion on transit. Although transit carries less than 1 percent of passenger travel in the United States, and no freight, this represents 28 percent of the funds Biden proposes to spend on transportation. read more » »
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What Can Jersey City Teach Us About YIMBYism?
by Pete Saunders 02/07/2022
I’m back. I haven’t written much lately but I am always reading and gathering topics for future posts. Here’s one. Over the last 2-3 months, I’ve come across Twitter discussions among many self-professed YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) advocates. If you’re familiar with YIMBYs you know that they believe the lack of housing affordability in American cities largely stems from regulatory restraints that limits housing production. read more »
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The Last Utopia: The 15-Minute City
by Alain Bertaud 02/04/2022
Mayors and urban planners have crucial roles in the management of cities. They must help cities adapt rapidly when confronted with external shocks—the pandemic is only the latest one of these. To be a prudent and efficient janitor is the main task of mayors. read more » »
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