#housing policy

[peachmuffinsquish]

Here's the thing: imagine if we fixed the housing market, so that the price of housing only increased to match inflation. That would be great, right? Except, homeowners typically spend $2000-$10000 per year on maintenance. So homeownership would go from an investment to an endless money pit, just like renting. The idea of a house as an investment, a house as a way to build wealth, requires that housing prices increase faster than inflation forever, which means that the burden of housing costs on working people must keep increasing forever, and the number of homeless people must keep increasing forever.

The housing crisis isn't just a result of greedy landlords and investors. It's an inevitable result of social policies that encourage people to treat their houses as in investment. Because once a homeowner internalizes the idea that their financial future depends on housing prices going up, they start favoring policies (such as NIMBYism) that make housing prices go up.

Conversely, if we want to end homelessness for good, we need to accept that housing is someone we'll all have to continuously pour resources into, because buildings are complex physical objects that break a lot.

#housing policy #housing #peach's posts #leftposting

[racefortheironthrone]

You mentioned gentrification in the MAWS post and I've always been confused about the negative perception of gentrification vs more positive development. I get that as the neighborhood gets nicer rent goes up and the people that live there can't afford to anymore. But what's the alternative? Short of something like rent control how do you invest in a community and prevent rent from going up?

So this is something I talk about in my Urban Studies classes where I have entire lectures on gentrification, but one of the complexities of gentrification is that you can have gentrification with and without development - compare the "urban pioneers" buying up brownstones in Park Slope or apartments in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and 1970s versus your contemporary luxury hi-rise construction boom, for ex.

And yeah, one of the major debates we're having now between the more urban, left-wing, poc NIMBYs and YIMBYs is whether any form of "urbanist" development is bad because better amenities lead to gentrification full stop or whether there is a way to improve access to high-quality amenities and high-quality housing without displacing lower-income residents. I think total opposition to market development is both impossible as a practical matter and counter-productive when it comes to improving standards of living for poor and working class people, but at the same time, relying entirely on the free market doesn't really work that well either.

As I'll argue in a forthcoming post on rent control, urban development is quite similar to price controls in that it depends on the broader policy environment - in this case, how it affects both the supply of low-income/affordable housing and the incomes of poor/working class/middle class people. Urban development that has both private and social/public housing has very different impacts than urban development that is just private; ditto development with or without rental subsidies/credits or development with or without transfer programs slash jobs programs slash minimum wage increases.

So the TLDR is that you either need to keep rents down (whether that's through rent controls or Red Viennas) or bring incomes up (whether that's through subsidies, transfers, or wages).

#maws #gentrification #urban studies #housing policy #housing #urban planning #urban development #NIMBYs #nimbyism #YIMBYs #yimbyism

[corporationsarepeople]

To explain the interplay between structural and individual causes of homelessness, some who study this issue use the analogy of children playing musical chairs. As the game begins, the first kid to become chairless has a sprained ankle. The next few kids are too anxious to play the game effectively. The next few are smaller than the big kids. At the end, a fast, large, confident child sits grinning in the last available seat.

You can say that disability or lack of physical strength caused the individual kids to end up chairless. But in this scenario, chairlessness itself is an inevitability: The only reason anyone is without a chair is because there aren’t enough of them.

In their book, Homelessness Is a Housing Problem, the University of Washington professor Gregg Colburn and the data scientist Clayton Page Aldern demonstrate that “the homelessness crisis in coastal cities cannot be explained by disproportionate levels of drug use, mental illness, or poverty.” Rather, the most relevant factors in the homelessness crisis are rent prices and vacancy rates.

…these “superstar cities,” as economists call them, draw an abundance of knowledge workers. These highly paid workers require various services, which in turn create demand for an array of additional workers, including taxi drivers, lawyers and paralegals, doctors and nurses, and day-care staffers. These workers fuel an economic-growth machine—and they all need homes to live in. In a well-functioning market, rising demand for something just means that suppliers will make more of it. But housing markets have been broken by a policy agenda that seeks to reap the gains of a thriving regional economy while failing to build the infrastructure—housing—necessary to support the people who make that economy go. The results of these policies are rising housing prices and rents, and skyrocketing homelessness.

#us politics #homeless #homelessness #housing policy

[robpegoraro]

Arlington should stop discriminating against duplexes, and so should other counties and cities in America

While the Arlington County Board started hearing out hundreds of citizens at its Saturday meeting about its “Expanded Housing Option” proposal to liberalize zoning regulations and enable the construction of multiple-family residences in more of the county, I went on a bike ride that took me through several of those single-family-zoned neighborhoods on my way to the Donaldson Run trail. Many of…

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#affordable housing #Arlington #Arlington County Board #Arlington Site Plan Review #duplex #Expanded Housing Option #housing policy #McMansion #mini-mansion #missing middle #quadplex #single-family housing #teardown #triplex #YIMBY #zoning

[esbozosmarie]

17.05.2022

I've been in Belgrade for the past week. I went there for a congress on housing policies as you may have read in previous posts and had a bit of time the day before and after the congress to visit the city. Such an interesting place!

I would say is a city of big contrast and if it's your first time in easter European countries is going to surprise you, for sure. Asides from that, congress was interesting, the history of New Belgrade and how it was planned and constructed, together with the field visit we did thanks to the University of Belgrade was also very complete and the person in charge of explaining all the case was unbelievable, I felt lucky to be there!

With that said, it has been quite a crazy week, I was offered to collaborate with the department of the faculty I am enrolled in, in the PhD and find myself in the middle of not-having-Internet-connection and needing to do plenty of stuff that needs it. Plus, I am also required to read papers for the thesis and finish the summary for next month's congress at my home university...and...I mean, I made it, tho still not proud about it.

But, we'll keep on swimming.

MC.

#student life #phd diary #phd student #sociology #urbanplanning #phd studyblr #posting #academic papers #belgrade #housing policy #studyblr

[andrasthehun]

Policy Born Out of Panic

April 26, 2024 It is astonishning how the federal and Ontario governments announced a fifteen billion dollar incentive to Honda to set up a car battery plant in Ontario yesterday while they encouraged the municipalities last week to eliminate the requirement for parking for multiple unit developments. So, the message is to make more cars but provide no parking! Let me describe what…

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#canada #highrise buildings #honda #housing policy #immigration #no parking #ottawa #residential lots #stellantis #volkswagen

[nonsenseofyesteryear]

#pets #housing #housing policy

[california-slow-take]

#heck yeah! #housing #housing policy #affordable housing #beverly hills #southern california #sfgate

[injuredcyclist]

Another “government bad!” issue that St. Ronnie deserves a lot of blame for.

#the atlantic #housing and urban development #housing policy #Annie Lowrey

[cancelempires]

Dark Money's Shadow Over Housing Policy: Unraveling the Invisible Puppet Strings

The very concept of a ‘home’ resonates deeply with many of us. It symbolizes safety, stability, and a place where we can truly be ourselves. Yet, as with many sectors of our modern society, the noble notion of housing is not immune to the influences of dark money. For those unfamiliar with the term, ‘dark money’ refers to political spending by non-profit organizations that are not required to…

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#anticapitalism #capitalism is a death cult #fight landlordism #housing policy #leftist analysis #rental policy #social inequality #socialism #wealth inequality

[peachmuffinsquish]

How US Can Lower Rents, Home Prices, Build More Houses: Copy New Zealand

#peach's posts #housing policy #housing crisis #upzoning

[russianreader]

Em Uyaya'am (Things I Saw, Read and Watched This Week)

Asilomar State Beach, 21 July 2023. Photo by the Russian Reader Who is Girkin? Igor Girkin (Strelkov) is an ethno-fascist FSB officer and the warlord who prepared the ground and then launched the war in Donbas in 2014. He stated that without him, “there wouldn’t be any war”. He is also responsible for ordering the execution of numerous civilians, for which he still face justice. He was…

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#Alexandra Prokopenko #Arkhangelsk #Asilomar State Beach #asset seizure #climate change #Crimean Tatars #housing policy #Igor Girkin #Marina Varchenko #Monique Camarra #nationalization #Oleg Orlov #permafrost melting #Russian invasion of Ukraine #Russian police state #Russian political prisoners #Sergey Abashin

[politijohn]

Source

Source

#end homelessness #homelessness #housing #housing crisis #news #current events #politics #us politics #government #public policy #progressive #the left #capitalism

[businessnews-greece]

In an interview with the 1st Program of the ERA.

Minister of State Akis Skertsos, in an interview with the 1st Program of the NRA, mentioned housing policy issues and the project to create a government park on the site of the former PYRKAL, which will save at least 40 million per year.

He began by saying that the government, in a systematic way, and without much publicity, for 1-1.5 years, has proceeded with the "systematic recording of public real estate, for the first time in post-political history". It is an issue linked to cheaper housing, explained the Minister of State. The increase in the supply of real estate will bring about a reduction in prices, he added and announced "important announcements by the prime minister at the Thessaloniki International Fair. We have worked on a series of proposals, interventions and policies aimed at improving accessibility, especially of young people to cheaper properties", he predicted.

We must draw the good examples from foreign cities with significant tourist traffic, he said, after all, "the center of every big city cannot become an immense tourist zone, we must protect the many and different uses, this means a lively, dynamic and democratic center of a big city", he stressed, insisting that "Athens cannot be a one-thematic Disneyland of tourism. And here the discussion must be opened about the conditions under which someone rents Airbnb".

In two words one could talk about "a strategic plan with short-term, medium-term and long-term actions". To the question, what can be in the short term, he answered: "we can and will run many interventions with state aid actions, which will immediately reach the hands of the beneficiaries".

Relocation program of nine ministries Analyzing then the "ambitious", as he described it, plan to create a government park, he first pointed out that "it shows the work that is done away from the spotlight".

However, taking the matter from the beginning, "what we have found in the last three years is that the Greek State has very important real estate, but for which it has not done the slightest work for decades in terms of recording, classifying and exploiting it. We found for example that we have 19 ministries housed in the basin in 191 buildings and of those, 141 are leased. While he has his own real estate, he rents to house his services at a cost of 60 million per year."

Consequently, he concluded, the amount is "huge" and calculating that if at least 40 million can be saved, these "can finance important social policies, we can expand the protection net for the vulnerable social strata. Here, housekeeping work must be done, which of course takes time."

More detailed then about the future government park, he said that it is "an excellent property of 157 acres in the Municipality of Dafni-Ymittos, 3 kilometers from the center of Athens", but on the other hand, "a foreign body within the municipality". There, according to the government plan, "nine of the 19 ministries that are divided throughout Attica" will be transferred there, as he said giving two examples: "The Ministry of Development is currently divided into 37 buildings throughout Athens, the Ministry of Finance in 19 buildings. This is an image of a third-world country", observed A. Schertz.

Assuring that many public services will continue to operate in the center, he explained, however, that the presence of such services alone is not a solution. The center "dies" from some time onwards, in the afternoon, he said and underlined that "in the plan we are working on, there will be a great emphasis on attracting multiple uses. The center of Athens must first of all be repopulated", was the goal he set. This implies incentives for cheaper housing for young people, who will come to live "in economically and socially withered areas. We have seen in the last 10-15 years a significant deterioration of the center of Athens".

Through, moreover, the government park project, "about 350,000 square meters will be freed up in the City Center". At the same time, however, "we should also discuss the release of some of the buildings and plots of land so that they can become green spaces, that is, to expand the share of green space in the overall public space", is another, parallel, goal.

These issues will be raised in the revision of the Regulatory Plan of Athens that is about to be released in the fall, as well as in the special urban planning plan that will emerge as a whole for the relocation of these ministries. It is an overall project in which the Municipalities of Athens, Dafni-Ymitto, scientific bodies and so on participate, he added. The strategic Environmental Impact Assessment is also in public consultation and the government is awaiting comments from the scientific community and civil society. With a next step, at the beginning of 2023, the tender for the PPP, aimed at the creation of the government park.

Given the opportunity, he also spoke about other "ambitious violations", such as the one on the southern front, in Hellinikon or the planned interventions in OAKA, which will become, as he promised, "a modern sports center utilizing the great Olympic heritage".

The future of the country And, in an overall "through these", all of these are "part of the Greece 2.0 plan, the Recovery Fund. The future of the country lies in this plan, through integrated actions with secured funding. How will we change the functioning of the state and the economy, how will we create a modern, digital, green state, and an economy that will keep pace with the rest of the European economies".

At another point in the interview, he even spoke of "a silent revolution that unfortunately does not attract the attention of the public", and which concerns the structures of the economy. "Is it known that currently the Greek economy is much more outward-looking and export-oriented than it was 10 - 15 years ago?", he asked, and went on to point out that from the 20% share in the country's GDP that exports had in 2010, this at the moment the corresponding percentage is at 40%. Another encouraging fact is that “we are the only country in Europe that has recorded a 7% increase in flights this year compared to 2019, which was also a record year for Greek tourism. This did not happen by accident," he emphasized.

Public investments 80 billion. Opening the next day's framework for the country, approximately 30-31 billion will be allocated through the Recovery Fund, an additional 22-23 billion through the new NSRF, while there is also the Rural Development Program. In total, "for the next 5 years, public investments amount to 80 billion euros, while at the same time large private investments, as well as smaller ones, have increased". In conclusion, "Greece is gradually, but with steady steps, changing for the better".

The interview in the 1st Program closed with the question whether the public sector will be paralyzed in a pre-election year. This will not happen, replied the Minister of State, the government has undertaken, he argued, specific commitments within the context of the Recovery Fund, for the projects to be delivered, but also many reforms, which must be done.

SOURCE: APE

#ROOF #HOUSING POLICY #SCHERTZOS #MITSOTAKIS

[kaninchenzero]

it is far superior, socially, for us to build housing (though not detached single family houses thank ye kindly) out of brick, stone, and mass timber more than 2x4s, steel-reinforced concrete, and petrochemicals

(that god damned tyvek house wrap shit is infuriating it's like it was designed specifically to encourage mold growth BECAUSE WE CAN'T BUILD STRUCTURES THAT DON'T FUCKING LEAK which would be okay? if those structures weren't wrapped in fucking plastic, jesus wept)

we'd have more durable housing better able to deal with the effects of global heating

sadly for us that requires lots of skilled tradesfolk and the neoliberal project is violently opposed to the existence of skilled trades as they have a delightful tendency to organize

if housing can't be built with day labor capital doesn't want it built at all

#eat the rich #housing policy #the united states does have housing policy it's just antidemocratic and does not serve public needs #BECAUSE OF THE FUCKING PROFIT MOTIVE #in case that wasn't clear

[darkblueboxs]

Glass Onion Spoilers - Foreshadowing and Among Us

I’ve seen a few posts dunking on glass onion for being “cringe” because of the Among Us scene and a few praising it for accurately reflecting the fact that this is all everyone was playing in 2020, but I haven’t seen anyone really talk about how brilliantly Among Us works as a foreshadowing/storytelling device.

On the surface - as the film itself points out! - the game is a neat little parallel of the island: one murderer hidden among us, with the objective being to find them out. But this comparison goes far deeper than the basic premise of the film.

Firstly, Benoit appears as the game’s imposter, and then, it is later revealed, is literally an imposter, arriving on the island uninvited under false pretences - one of the first major twists of the film spelled out to the audience in the opening act. And he isn’t alone - just as two imposters generally work together to deceive the other players, so Benoit and Helen work together to infiltrate the group. BUT, and this is the bit that really drives me wild, the endgame format of Among Us perfectly reflects the endgame of the film. The way to win Among Us isn’t necessarily a case of killing everyone or surviving every round - the way to win is by convincing your fellow players to believe you, and to vote accordingly.

During the trial Andi loses because the imposter - the billionaire impersonating a genius - convinces the other players that she should be voted out; she is as effectively thrown out of the airlock as she is the business, and then literally killed to protect the [fortune of] the “crew.”

But, Andi was not the imposter, and so the game continues.

The imposter kills again, and when Miles confesses to causing the lights to go out, this is another excellent hint - only the imposter can sabotage the lights!

Then, with all the characters assembled much like an “Emergency Meeting,” we reach the climax of the film: Miles burns the napkin evidence, and immediately the ensemble is back to the voting booth as Helen, like her sister, fights for the players’ support in voting out the imposter. Any Among Us player will recognise the infuriating feeling when you literally just saw them vent for the love of god you were all there vote them OFF- and that frustration - of speaking the truth and not being believed - is evident in this scene.

But these players don’t care about the truth; they care about surviving (ie staying rich), and so they will vote off an innocent person to placate the shark. Which is absolutely not how you win the game.

Then, then, the game’s final round: the imposter has lost his tools, is revealed for the useless fraud he is, and it’s when he has nothing left to offer the other players that one more vote is held - the characters literally raise their hands as they pledge their support to Helen, in part to give the appearance of swearing in upon the witness stand, but also in part to give the visual of a literal vote... such as that of an Among Us emergency meeting vote.

And it’s when Miles is finally, rightfully ejected that at last, the game is won.

Among Us is a game of social engineering, of lying and convincing others of your lies to prolong your survival, deception, and the malleability of truth. Presenting this game in the opening of the film is more than a gimmick or scene-setter: it illustrates the social structures at the heart of the story.

TLDR: Among Us foreshadows the film’s premise, but also plot twists, character choices, and significantly the film’s resolution by way of group vote.

#glass onion #Knives Out #glass onion spoilers #rian johnson #netflix #benoit blanc #among us #i didnt stop to check specific details beyond character names so if i fudged a detail we are simply going to have to live with it #in this house we delight in and enjoy indie game references that also work as storytelling devices #too busy having fun to be cringe rn #i havent written this much analysis for anything since leaving uni #also fuck netflix's no screenshot policy