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POPSNew Urbanism and Grayfield Development A nice article from American City & County. Most of this article talks about Duany Plater-Zyberk and some specific New Urbanism projects, but I'm interested in the comments about grayfields. I think New Urbanism works best when it can be an infill project. However, I disagree with the anti-Smart Growth professors from USC that greenfield New Urbanism does not have merit: even if you are building a bit of sprawl, if you use a compact form like New Urbanism, you will reduce vehicle trips and reduce the carbon footprint.
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POPSBrit/Maya crop circle ...or else, it could also have been a couple of dudes with rakes. NO HUMAN could possibly have devised such an intricate design as a CIRCLE!
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POPSBuilder THP suspends operations "Hey, can we get our deposit back?" "Sure, but come back tomorrow... and don't talk to the press... and just ignore those men carrying all our furniture out the back door."
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POPSDetroit: It's Time For The Post Automotive Era Part of NPR's new series on Detroit. Florida's new book is titled "Who's Your City?" I'm thrilled to hear someone supporting regionalism on national radio. The only way to fix our urban cores is with a regional approach, so that they can share in the benefits of the efficient society that they create. Also, the print article consistently misspells "Pittsburgh" by dropping the "h." Grrr!
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POPSSt. Luke's a key to South Side "Bethlehem section's vitality returning after loss of Steel jobs" But what interests me is that last paragraph: St. Luke's' employer assisted housing program. I'd really like to see other major employers in the region offer this as a benefit. It'd be nice to see housing become an expected benefit of working, like health care. Well, first the hospitals (Lehigh Valley Hospital also has EAH) and then maybe work on the governments to offer it (Bethlehem City, Allentown City, Lehigh & Northampton Counties, then the suburban townships!)
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POPSCommunity Land Trusts This is my newest obsession. Please note that this clip is from a press release, not a news article, and so should be take "grain of salt"-style.
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POPSAffordable housing? Here? I'll sue! Bradenton snobs are afraid that affordable cottages will lower the value of their McMansions. How about this... maybe it's the fact that they overpayed for gigantic houses that will lower their values! The story quotes a school teacher who bought a cottage, which justifies the residents' concerns about who the buyers will be, right?
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POPSBelltown: a daylight visit to Seattle's Haven of Hip Okay, nothing to do with affordable housing, but Belltown is the coolest neighborhood in any city I've ever been in. If you're ever in the Emerald City, swing uptown and dine at either Mama's Mexican Kitchen or the Noodle Ranch.
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POPSAnchorage can demand higher quality in affordable housing An editorial from the Anchorage Daily News. The houses look great, if a bit large. You might not know it, but garages are actually a new idea in Alaska, so that's nice that these include them! Right now, the Anchorage housing market is still insanely tight, as it was in the 1980s. As long as oil prices stay high, developers will only want to build low-quality, high-priced homes. Tons of speculation going on up North! But then, check out Cook Inlet Housing Authority's other projects. Everything is high quality.
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POPSHousing crisis hits rentals The credit crunch from the mortgage meltdown is slamming developers of low-income rental housing. Our country's only real rental housing strategy is actually administered by the IRS: the low income housing tax credit program LIHTC. The scary part is that it's not so different from the "bundled" mortgages that led to the current problems. The tax credits are sold for cash by a developer to a Wall St. broker, who then bundles them and sells them on an open market. If that market dries up, then the system falls apart and there is no way to build new subsidized rental housing.
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POPSMake McMansions Pay! Big-Hair Houses! Ha! This is a pretty cool idea, using transferable development rights for house size.
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POPSSmart Growth & Racial Justice An article from 1999, reprinted by Cleveland's community land trust. Mr. Powell raises some great points. I think he simplifies the issue by concentrating only on race, but I also think he has to do that... from where I watch, the issues of race and concentration of poverty almost never surface as elements of a regional planning agenda. For more, read Myron Orfield's "American Metropolitics" and learn how White Fight really happens.
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POPSCottages come to Juneau "The density is a little too much for that area," according to one commissioner. As I see it, the density reaches the SHOCKING total of 6.2 units per acre! Still, the concessions from the developer, and Juneau's very-strict cottage ordinance, have given the project enough momentum to get approval. I'll be watching this one closely.
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POPSTiny Houses in Texas Talk about "cottage living!" These are really small! Interesting that the use of recycled lumber drives up the cost so much. I think the best use for these would be urban in-fill on micro-sized lots, or else as accessory dwelling units--mother-in-law apartments--in the backyard. Amazingly, they're quite livable!
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POPSMass Selectmen Oppose Cottages The impact on schools? Just how many kids do they think are going to be squeezed into 680 sq ft!!! I also love the exception to being against affordable housing if it's just for old people, not poor people. As soon as someone says "it'd be okay if it was age restricted to seniors," then you know it's all about who is going to be living there.
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POPSKirkland, WA, Cottages This town on the east shore of Lake Washington borders Microsoft and seems to be home to some highly-paid employees. It's funny how residents are complaining that giant mansions are ruining their town, but little cottages would ruin it too!
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