City Planners Who Listen To People: Do They Exist?
It's all the rage to consult with the community to determine its wants and needs. Cynics might say that community administrations save money by always consulting, seldom acting.
However, there...
The Many Colors Of NIMBY: The Neighbourhood Character
NIMBY: Not in My Back Yard. Part of an ongoing collection of articles exploring some of the many ways that a worldwide affordable housing crisis is opposed.
Portland Economy Wolves Huff And Puff At Mayor’s Affordable House Of Sticks
A 'pricy' affordable housing project has Portland, Oregon's mayor Ted Wheeler on the defensive after blessing an unusual construction technique. The unusual? The building will be the tallest in America...
NIMBY And The Modern, Mean-Spirited, Often Enormous, Back Yard
This Affordable Housing Action blog has adopted the notion of neighbourhoods that span continents and oceans in a global megacity, where we may be able to benefit by peering over...
Connecticut Sinks The Affordable Housing Hook Into Slippery Communities
In the midst of a global affordable housing crisis affecting many nations, NIMBY is a rallying cry for entire communities. A major defensive weapon is zoning — manipulating the...
Ghetto-busters: Project Towers… Nope. Section 8 Subsidies… Nope. So Federal Judge Orders ‘Plan C’
Opportunity: an elusive, unattainable dream for those trapped in poverty-stricken inner city neighbourhoods which are predominantly black. Opportunity? Opportunity to live in good neighbourhoods, send children to good schools,...
The Many Colors Of Nimby: Traffic Jams
NIMBY: Not in My Back Yard. Part of an ongoing collection of articles exploring some of the many ways that a worldwide affordable housing crisis is opposed.
Struggling Against The Public Seed Money Cop Out
A story from a local Massachusetts paper illustrates the uphill battle against a long held government mindset: the best projects to fund are seed-money projects: those that grow wings...
Social Housing Paternalism Disguised As Efficiency = Discrimination
The Australian federal government has a new scheme to streamline the management of social housing occupants. Using the convenience of electronic funds transfer, social housing occupants can automatically have...
Singapore’s Million Dollar Affordable Housing: A Public/Private Partnership Future?
A recent development by Singapore's public Housing and Development Board suggests an alarming future for public/private partnerships in countries who may be helping the needy to find affordable housing...
The State Seizes Your House. Public good? Or Middle-class Land Grab Conspiracy
Is American eminent domain a sinister weakness of public-private partnerships?
Imagine that you own a small, old family dwelling in a downtown neighbourhood that has seen better days. A young...
It’s All About Us: City Politicians/Experts Navel-Gaze The Future of Government Housing Support
An international movement to broaden the social and economic classes eligible for affordable housing support is gaining steam. Make housing affordable for everyone, not just those most in need!
Hardly...
Aboriginal And Homeless? 12 Reasons Why Affordable Housing Alone Is Not Enough.
A Canadian definition of homelessness neither mirrored nor explained the aboriginal experiences of Jesse Thistle. He decided that a definition that reflected the aboriginal experience was an essential foundation...
When “Affordable” Replaces “Social,” The Housing Result Grows Grim For The Poorest
In Britain, government funding focus has shifted away from housing for those most in need and towards affordable housing support for a broader range of income brackets. There is...
The Elephant In The US Election Room: Affordable Housing
Growing larger and more frightening day by day, the Affordable Housing Crisis in America should be a major topic of debate in the run-up to last year's elections. But...
An American Godfather Of Affordable Home Ownership On Public Land
Thousands of homeowners have purchased affordable homes in Burlington, Vermont, beginning in the 1980's when senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders — then mayor of Burlington — introduced a land...