Tag Archives: real estate

Is there a student housing bubble and is it about to burst?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by

For many collegiate cities and towns across the United States, the steady influx of international students (and often with their families), from primarily China/Asia, have lifted the local real estate markets out of the post-2008 doldrums. The concern now becomes … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, China, cities, colleges, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, education, geography, globalization, Housing, humanity, immigration, land use, marketing, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, Statistics, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Your community is a retirement haven when…

Posted on September 10, 2013 by

A little more satirical fun.  Your community is a retirement haven when… Gray hair is considered way cool. Golf courses exceed parks. Prune juice is the best-selling soft drink. It’s retail economy depends on the sale of Depends. Everyone has … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, ageism, cities, commerce, Cuisine, culture, economic development, entertainment, fitness, Food, fun, geography, health, Health care, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, satire, spatial design, technology, transportation, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Take your zoning verification request and…

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

Literally the bane of almost every planner I know, zoning verification requests (or letters) are a lender’s way to cover their ass by expecting planners and planning departments to drop everything they are doing at a moment’s notice and grind … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, environment, government, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, planning, product design, revitalization, Statistics, urban planning, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Have lending institutions usurped good planning?

Posted on January 26, 2013 by

How many of my fellow planners have seen/heard of the following scenario in recent years? A rezoning is sought because a potential homeowner cannot obtain or refinance a home loan because the residence is zoned something other than residential. My educated guess is that many of you … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, civics, commerce, consumerism, economics, Economy, education, land use, marketing, planning, politics, spatial design, Trade, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Highest and best use is an archaic concept

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

While writing my prior blog post regarding John Steinbeck’s thoughts on urban America, I began pondering the concept of “highest and best use.” It is a term that is so often thrown around by realtors, assessors, appraisers, and even planners. I imagine … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Cities, civics, civility, consumerism, culture, density, deregulation, diversity, economic development, economics, Economy, entrepreneurship, government, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

This Could Be the Start of Something Good

Posted on December 22, 2010 by

Recently released data from the Census Bureau indicates after 35 years of increasing average new single-family house size, there has been slight, yet noticeable drop in the average new house size in each of the past four years. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, economics, Housing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment