August 2008
Journey to Work: What About Bikes?
In a fascinating post over at Next American City, Dave Steele observes a big divide among bike commuters: the affluent, geared-up, environmentalist, health-conscious cyclists by choice, and those who are commuting by bike because they can’t afford other means: “For a lot of people, biking is a neccessity. Rather than a source of pride, riding is often a source of shame, a visible symbol of poverty. “I encounter many of these Unseen Bicyclists in my daily travels. Usually riding without a helmet or other safety gear, these cyclists keep their heads down and go about their business, riding to work and other places where the bus routes don’t go. I often see them engaging in dangerous practices, such as riding on the sidewalk or against traffic. Their bikes are often in poor condition, with squeaky wheels and gears. With major cutbacks in transit service in recent years, and a huge increase in bus fares (and the price of gasoline), I’ve been seeing more and more of my fellow citizens biking out of neccessity. more
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Obama’s Nomination: Just in Time For Labor Day
Bill Clinton stepped up the other night and did what he needed to do if the Dems want to win this election: he threw down for Barack Obama and said unequivocally that Obama belongs in the White House. He also…
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Fannie and Freddie Violate New York’s Public Trust
Under ordinary circumstances, Sept. 1 — Labor Day — would be a day of celebration and pride. Not only does it commemorate the sacrifice of working families, but, quite fittingly, it’s the date on which a new landmark responsible lending…
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NYT in a Time Warp?
The following is a letter to the editor I submitted to The New York Times: The Times’ Aug. 8 article, “Housing Program Moves Poor to the Suburbs, and Tensions Follow,” about which David Varady has written on Rooflines, is irresponsible…
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Reintroducing America to Itself
Tonight, the first evening of the Democratic convention, America was reintroduced to its grass roots. Some memorable moments: Jimmy Carter addressed the hall via video from New Orleans. As he walked through the still-devastated neighborhoods, he talked with residents about…
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Investing in Communities Key to Obamanomics
With the Dems convening in Denver, the New York Times Magazine offered us David Leonhardt’s review of ‘Advanced Obamanomics’ on Sunday, August 24. In light of the Obama campaign re-launching his urban agenda today, it is timely to consider economics…
Native Alaskans See Walrus Harvest Disappear with Sea Ice
Hunting walrus is an age-old tradition, part of the rhythm of life, for the native people of King Island, a tiny rugged island in the Bering Sea off Alaska. The walrus provides meat for the long, dark, frigid winters, and…
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Obama-Biden: What Does It Mean?
The text message hadn’t yet arrived: the media, once again, by way of stakeout, pestered its way to this scoop. After 1 a.m. Saturday morning, and after leaks throughout Friday evening indicated that Barack Obama’s vice presidential finalists were being…
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Wait: How Many Houses DO I Have?
John McCain could have dismissed his inability to recall how many houses he has as a senior moment, but that would have pointed to his age. So there wasn’t any way for John McMansion to dig out of this one,…
One Less Truth-Teller
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Democrat of Ohio, died yesterday after suffering a burst brain aneurysm. Tubbs Jones, 58, was the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress. She was first elected in 1998 to represent Ohio’s 11th District, which…
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Baltimore: What The NYT Didn’t See Fit to Print
Editor’s Note: The sixteenth and seventeenth paragraphs of this post have been revised to clarify the controversy over the two research studies mentioned. Johns Hopkins has a complex and mixed relationship with the mostly black residents of the east Baltimore…
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What Responsibilities Do Institutions Have In Their Communities?
I read with interest a recent story in The New York Times about Johns Hopkins University’s foray into redevelopment in East Baltimore. The school has teamed with private and public interests to level a large part of the neighborhood and…
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As Housing Program Moves Poor to the Suburbs, Do Tensions Follow?
Friday’s New York Times article on Section 8 households in Antioch, Calif., has attracted a great deal of attention. I couldn’t wait to read it because I recently published a book, Neighborhood Choices, on Section 8 vouchers that includes a…
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You Don’t Have to Go Home—You Just Can’t Stay Here
The wags at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — a.k.a the U.S. immigration agency — launched a pilot program last week that would allow people with outstanding deportation orders to deport themselves. ICE calls the pilot program “Scheduled Departure.” Other…
Administration Claims Homelessness has Dropped Dramatically. Really?
On July 29, 2008, the White House issued a statement that “chronic homelessness decreased an average of 15 percent per year between 2005 – 2007 and demonstrates that targeted, focused resources can achieve measurable results.” This amounts to a decrease…
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Keeping Houses Occupied
Most of the problems foreclosed properties cause come because they tend to become vacant and stay vacant for a while. Often a homeowner flees at the first notice of a foreclosure filing. If not, they, or their tenants, are almost always evicted at foreclosure. We all know the litany of what happens then: legal limbo, deferred maintenance, vandalism, increased crime, often demolition. An ugly tale. In my column for Metroland this week, I argue that it’s habit, and a kneejerk desire to punish those who default on mortgages, that keeps lien-holders from exercising their own best interests in maintaining these assets — by doing whatever they can to keep them occupied. The idea of letting people stay rankles. It doesn’t punish anyone. At least not enough. The destroyed credit rating, lost equity, and shame of failing at the American Dream are not enough. A defaulting owner must pay the largest possible price for . . . for what? For being pressured, misled, or lied to by a mortgage broker in most cases. For betting wrong on a rising housing market in others. For being fiscally irresponsible in some, sure. Or for losing a job or getting sick at the wrong time. Without a ton research into each case, we don’t know. There are options — from foreclosure deferrals to allowing owners to stay on as renters to buying distressed loans before foreclosure. More and more, I’m hearing that these are going to be crucial strategies to implement as soon as possible. Relatedly, one researcher from Detroit recently told me that she thinks nonprofits in these hard-hit weak-market areas need help transitioning to a focus on managing rental property instead of developing for-sale property, and quickly, if they are going to play a role in truly stemming the negative effects of vacant property on these high-foreclosure areas. After all, we’re basically ending up with a glut of for-sale homes, but a continued shortage of affordable rentals. Thoughts? more
Dirty Coal Takes Communities’ Breath Away
The brick smokestack towers above Chicago’s mostly Latino Pilsen neighborhood burns coal to provide electricity for much of the city while puffing out plumes that sometimes mix beautifully with the sunset. But the effects of coal, which provides about half…
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Where Do Houses Go When They Die? (Apparently, Pennsylvania)
The late George Carlin once quipped that “Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.” When homeowners die, or are foreclosed on, or just abandon their properties, their houses —…
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With Rising Property Taxes, Should Non-Profits Now Pay Their “Fair Share”?
It’s tight here in New Jersey. And it’s because it’s crowded. With 8.7 million people, we are 11th in the country in population, but first in population density in the Union with over 1,100 people per square mile. We’re also…
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The FHA Refinancing Option for Troubled Loans—Doing it Right
Now that the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act has been signed by the president, let us examine one of its key provisions. Under this act, the Federal Housing Administration is allowed to insure up to $300 billion in…
National Housing Institute
