AltWeeklies Wire
Rural King County Residents Fight Environmental Restrictions Imposed by Seattleitesnew
A recent ruling, if it stands, could serve as a new barbed-wire fence keeping the urban politicians, and their green agendas, out of the rural landowners' backyards. But, in the eyes of some King County politicians, that would come at a severe environmental cost.
Seattle Weekly |
Laura Onstot |
09-09-2008 |
Housing & Development
Deutsche Bank Lets Kansas City Rotnew
Deutsche Bank is the largest owner of foreclosed properties in Greater Kansas City. In Jackson County, the bank holds titles to 350 foreclosures. Some of their properties are sickly enough to depress an entire block.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
08-26-2008 |
Housing & Development
New High-Rise Condos Betting on Nashville's Pursuit of Coolnew
Welcome to the new Nashville skyline: It's frighteningly high, undeniably modern and so ... money. It's no Nashville you've ever seen, because it's every bit an image straight out of Miami or Los Angeles -- or at least a show set there.
Nashville Scene |
Tracy Moore |
08-22-2008 |
Housing & Development
The Foreclosure Crisis Meets Homelessness in the Nevada Desertnew
By matching homeowners who have empty houses with homeless folks who need shelter, Calvin Leslie feels he's doing Las Vegas a service while making himself a little money. Some neighbors disagree.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Tovin Lapan |
08-22-2008 |
Housing & Development
Anti-casino Activists Prepare to Go Nuclear With Beach Toysnew
On Saturday, members of Casino-Free Philadelphia walked to the proposed site of Foxwoods Casino on Columbus Boulevard, carrying beach balls, umbrellas, liquid bubbles and floaties.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Andrew Thompson |
08-19-2008 |
Housing & Development
After 36 Years Without, Some Residents of La Presa, Texas, Finally Get Electricitynew
For 36 years, the people in this dusty, sweltering colonia south of Laredo, have lived without electricity, potable water, or an adequate sewage system. Now an innovative experiment is bringing power to a dozen lucky residents. While the wheels of bureaucracy turned slowly or not at all, residents suffered, despite many applications for assistance from state and local government.
The Texas Observer |
Forrest Wilder |
08-13-2008 |
Housing & Development
How Renters Work the System to Live for Free in a Very Expensive Citynew
Depending on the vigilance of the landlord, a seasoned serial evictee like John Getzow can get away with a minimum of 45 days and sometimes up to a year of free rent. The actual number of serial evictees operating in San Francisco is difficult to track, but some attorneys who specialize in representing landlords estimate there are between 20 and 100.
SF Weekly |
John Geluardi |
07-31-2008 |
Housing & Development
Wall St. Demands Earth-Friendly Buildings, but Main St. Doesn'tnew
Demand for sustainable living remains low, and even during the height of the housing boom, homebuilders didn’t really go for the green. So why do executives and taxpayers demand environmentally sensitive buildings, and then go home to their wasteful old houses?
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
07-30-2008 |
Housing & Development
Ken Ortiz Hopes No One in Chicago Will Ever Simply Demolish a Building Againnew
Ortiz is a contractor who takes down buildings and saves almost all the pieces. After doing construction for 25 years and throwing away "tons of good building materials," he delights in being able to save 23-foot-long two-by-sixes for reuse as two-by-sixes. And pretty much everybody else is delighted too -- environmentalists, preservationists, antiques dealers, even the folks who live around the houses he's taking down.
Chicago Reader |
Harold Henderson |
07-28-2008 |
Housing & Development
Logging Companies Look to Flip Forests in British Columbianew
Despite the province's climate-change policy and a social contract with the public to maintain properties as forests, more and more logging corporations are hoping to convert private forestlands into real estate.
The Georgia Straight |
Carlito Pablo |
07-28-2008 |
Environment
L.A.'s Fight for Public Green Spacenew
The most park-impoverished major city in America, Los Angeles devotes only 4 percent of its land to public greenery. By contrast, parkland comprises 17 percent of New York City and 9 percent of Boston (where 97 percent of the city’s children have immediate access to a park--as opposed to one-third of kids in Los Angeles).
L.A. Weekly |
Matthew Fleischer |
07-18-2008 |
Housing & Development
Tags: housing & development
The Yearlong Campaign to Introduce You to Your Homeless Neighborsnew
What good did it do?
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
07-16-2008 |
Housing & Development
Federal Homeless Official Tours Santa Barbara Housingnew
Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, is on a multi-city tour of the US touting permanent housing as the solution to homelessness that will relegate it to the dustbin of history.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Martha Sadler |
07-14-2008 |
Housing & Development
NYC's Parks Commish Squares Off Against His Father Over the Future of Union Squarenew
When the parks department turned its attention to renovating Union Square Park, the clash between the community and city officials hit home for Adrian Benepe when his father spoke out publicly against his own son.
New York Press |
Kimberly Thorpe |
07-10-2008 |
Housing & Development
Mobile Home Park Residents Caught in Catch-22new
Since the Homestead Village case began, some residents and affordable housing advocates have begun to ask whether the old park could be fixed up and restored as a place where people of modest means can continue to live, if not in grand style, then at least in very comfortable surroundings. Depending on the Raleigh City Council's decision, Homestead Village could add to the junk pile, or it could turn out to be a preservation success story.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
07-10-2008 |
Housing & Development
