September 24, 2014

Beyond Bricks and Sticks






A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Frontier Communications, DISH Team Up to Support Revitalization of Small Cities With America's Best Communities Contest

(RECAP: The $10 million contest will help address the need for growth by identifying and investing in innovative ideas that small cities and towns can use to build and sustain their local economies. Winning ideas then become available as a roadmap for growth for rural communities across the U.S. Communities must apply by Jan. 12, 2015, to qualify.)

How to fix wealth inequality

(RECAP: A recent report from the Census Bureau found the median wealth of the poorest 20% of American households was negative $6,029 in 2011, compared with negative $905 a decade ago. If we want to reverse this trend and narrow the wealth gap, we need a better path to homeownership for low-income families.)

Could rooftop apartments transform suburban retail?

(RECAP: Suburban retail areas are redeveloping into mixed-use neighborhoods all over the DC region. Usually redevelopment means mid-rises replace single-story retail, but could another model work? What if retail strips added rooftop apartments?)

Even grandmothers get the (NIMBY) blues

(RECAP: When even senior housing meets with vociferous objection, is there any hope for the housing community? There sure is. Research by NHC and the experience of housing practitioners provide us with techniques communities can use to help counter opposition in the future.)

How Land Trusts Can Counter New Urbanism's Gentrifying Tendencies

(RECAP: Aaron Bartley, co-founder of People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) in Buffalo, N.Y., argues that community land trusts and land banks are great ways to create permanently affordable housing and “emphasize the stewardship of land and property in ways that preserve space and generate wealth for low-income people.”)

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