AltWeeklies Wire
Eugene Tsui Says It's Time for Thinking Bignew
How big? The architect proposed a 2,340-foot tower for Oakland and a two-mile high structure that could house all of San Francisco.
East Bay Express |
Eliza Strickland |
05-28-2008 |
Housing & Development
Foreclosure May Hurt Children the Mostnew
"When foreclosures force children from their homes, their education is disrupted, their peer relationships crumble, and the social networks that support them are fractured," according to a recent study by First Focus. "Indeed, their physical health, as well as their emotional health and well-being, is placed at risk." Tiffany Rodriguez, a North Philly 14-year-old, would have to agree.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tasneem Paghdiwala |
05-27-2008 |
Housing & Development
Cohousing Creates Community (and Density)new
Central Virginia's first cohousing development is springing up. As it does so, its proponents battle misconceptions of what it is and the argument that the development, Blue Ridge Cohousing, was just too dense.
C-Ville Weekly |
Scott Weaver |
05-22-2008 |
Housing & Development
In Kansas City, Tax Breaks Don't Cure Blight -- They Create Sprawlnew
TIF is a tool that cities can use to spur development in distressed areas. But in Kansas City, TIF is often used to make sprawl.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
05-21-2008 |
Housing & Development
Oil Costs Reshaping the Suburbsnew
Current property values in the U.S., where the subprime-mortgage crisis has unleashed a sea of foreclosures, demonstrate how surging oil prices can affect the real-estate market. Cities with more suburban sprawl are suffering more in terms of depressed prices than denser areas that are less dependent on cars.
The Georgia Straight |
Carlito Pablo |
05-19-2008 |
Housing & Development
Homeless Protest Stretches on in Portlandnew
On May 13, with the homeless protesters in front of city hall facing enforcement of the city's camping ordinance, five representatives sat down with Mayor Tom Potter. The meeting did not go so well.
The Portland Mercury |
Amy J. Ruiz and Matt Davis |
05-15-2008 |
Housing & Development
Does the Return of a Neighborhood Mean the Poor Have to Leave?new
In one "revived" Durham neighborhood, the dozen or so new homeowners have formed a strong and unified voice, advocating for much-needed neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation. But longtime renters, many of whom are low-income and have few housing options, occupy most of the crumbling homes.
INDY Week |
Mosi Secret |
05-15-2008 |
Housing & Development
In Texas, Grassroots Homesteaders Tighten Ranks to Fight Urban Encroachmentnew
The mobilization of what may best be called the Hill Country Militia is an event with water at its heart -- but there are also prized historic roads and farmhouses and ranches threatened by development-driven eminent-domain seizures and an increasing awareness of the value of the region's ecosystem, cedars and all.
San Antonio Current |
Greg Harman |
05-14-2008 |
Housing & Development
Dallas' New Shelter Hopes to Kill Homelessness with Kindnessnew
From its inception, The Bridge was envisioned as a campus where the homeless, after receiving social services, would be primed for re-entry into a new life.
Dallas Observer |
Naomi Zeveloff |
05-12-2008 |
Housing & Development
Helping People Out of the Subprime Crisis, Without Foreclosurenew
Three years ago, Lisa Peterson and her husband got into trouble with their own home payments after a publishing venture failed. They had to turn to family for help. The experience gave them an idea for a new business: help people protect their credit and avoid foreclosure, either by renegotiating their loans or buying and reselling their houses.
Isthmus |
Mary Ellen Bell |
05-12-2008 |
Housing & Development
Here Comes Hollywood's First-Ever Mega-Skyscrapernew
A community thrown into shadow and vistas of the Hollywood sign could be destroyed.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald |
05-02-2008 |
Housing & Development
Foreclosure Rage is On the Risenew
The evicted residents who destroy their own house before they leave are rarely prosecuted. As attorney David Winterton explains, "The people who trashed the house don't have money anyway, so if someone were to sue them and get a judgment, they wouldn't be able to collect."
Las Vegas Weekly |
Jennifer Grafiada |
05-02-2008 |
Housing & Development
Why Aren't Alarms Preventing FEMA Trailers From Exploding and Burning?new
The trailers have alarms that warn of dangerous propane levels, but the alarms work only if they are properly installed and maintained.
Gambit |
Matt Robinson |
04-30-2008 |
Housing & Development
After Their Lanlord Disappears, Tenants Get Power Cut Offnew
Steve and Mae, high school sweethearts in the 1970s who married others but reunited 15 years ago, have lived in Colorado Springs more than a decade. Their slide into hell began last November, when their landlord boarded a Greyhound bus and vanished. Since she had been paying the utilities, her tenants now live without power.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Rich Tosches |
04-29-2008 |
Housing & Development
Our Presidential Candidates Won't Talk About the Death of Cities -- Will Our Governors?new
Americans tend to believe that sprawl is a natural consequence of "free market" forces when, in fact, it is a consequence of governmental decision-making. Alas, the people who would lead our national government are not addressing sprawl. That means that the long-avoided discussions America ought to have on race, climate change, energy, highway construction, and agriculture will all continue to lack a certain element of reality.
Artvoice |
Bruce Fisher |
04-25-2008 |
Housing & Development
