November 18, 2015

Beyond Bricks and Sticks





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

Two new online tools from NHC’s Center for Housing Policy

(RECAP: The National Housing Conference’s Center for Housing Policy has recently released two online tools to help you analyze local housing affordability challenges and develop local policy solutions. The toolkit outlines various strategies for expanding housing opportunities at the local and regional levels, with examples of actual policies and programs.)
http://www.nhcopenhouse.org/2015/10/two-new-online-tools-from-nhcs-center.html

Three ways loan-modification and weight-loss scams are similar

(RECAP: There are three ways the campaign against loan-modification scams is similar to the fight against weight-loss scams. Understanding these similarities helps us better educate consumers on how to protect themselves.)
http://www.neighborworks.org/Three-ways-loan-modification-and-weight-loss-scams-are-same

Fair Housing and Community Developers Can Work Together

(RECAP: When fair housing and community development groups collaborate and deal honestly with issues of racial and economic segregation, the need for truly comprehensive community revitalization and the challenges of gentrification, we can accomplish far more than we can on our own.)
http://www.shelterforce.org/article/4278/fair_housing_and_community_developers_ican_i_work_together/

High-rise mobile homes could revolutionize apartment living

(RECAP: The idea works like this: Rather than custom-designing every individual building, what if apartment buildings were mere frames, and apartments were mobile boxes that simply slipped into docks, the way cars park in a parking garage? It's a batty idea that may not work, but if it does, it could help to solve America's urban affordability crisis.)
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/28450/high-rise-mobile-homes-could-revolutionize-apartment-living/

Opinions on Housing                                                             

The views and opinions expressed in Opinions on Housing are solely those of the original authors, and do not necessarily represent those of VHDA, our stakeholders or any/all contributors to this blog.

Ask the Economist: Housing Industry Should Look Forward Instead of Focusing on ‘Recovery’

(RECAP: “Recovery” implies backward looking. Rather than trying to keep looking back and asking, “Are we recovered or not?” I think the more interesting challenge today is to focus on looking forward and saying, “Who are we going to be financing? Who are the first-time homebuyers of the future? What are the kinds of mortgage products that we need to create? What are the impediments to those communities for becoming homeowners in the future?”)
http://dsnews.com/news/10-28-2015/ask-the-economist-housing-industry-should-look-forward-instead-of-focusing-on-recovery

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