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How 'smart growth' caused the housing bubble
2008-05-07 08:17:00 These policies, often referred to as "smart growth," create a scarcity of land, artificially raise the price of housing, and, again, have increased the exposure of the market to risky mortgage debt. When more liberal loan policies were implemented, metropolitan areas that had adopted these more restrictive policies lacked the resilient land markets that would have allowed the greater demand to be accommodated without inordinate increases in house prices.A few voices in the wilderness on both sides of the political spectrum have pointed to the role of excessive land use policies in driving up housing costs. For example: Liberal economist Paul Krugman of The New York Times put most of his conservative colleagues to shame in noting that the house price bubble has been limited to metropolitan areas with strong land use regulation. Conservative Thomas Sowell, no stranger to being a voice in the wilderness, has made similar points. More recently, Theo Eicher of ...
By: Circle of 13
Combating suburban sprawl with smart growth
2008-03-10 04:35:00 You've probably heard the term "suburban sprawl," but if not, here's a little primer. Basically, city-dwellers who felt crowded and stifled decided to move just outside the city limits so they could have big yards and homes and their kids could play in nature. Then the suburbs started getting crowded and filled with all of the people that the original suburban pioneers had moved out there to get away from, so they moved even further out: into the "exurbs." So what's the problem? Well, most of the people moving out to the suburbs and exurbs still kept their jobs in the city. Since much of the growth was poorly planned, we're left with insufficient roads, more air pollution, longer commutes, and less green space all around. This is a problem nationwide, but to give you a specific example, here in Knoxville, I-40 and Kingston Pike are the two main roads going west out of the city. West Knoxville is so sprawled and those two roads so clogged with traffic that it takes two or th...
Living in a Smart Growth Green Community
2007-06-02 00:41:00 All people would certainly dream of living in a place where their surroundings have not yet been intruded by the various effects of environmental diseases such as pollution. There are such places that still believe in such a theme and most of them are green environment conscious people. It may not be easy but laying ...
National Perspectives: ?Smart Growth? in South Carolina
2007-04-27 17:04:00 Rather than allowing development to overwhelm Jasper County, S.C., officials have collaborated on a plan to guide building and preserve natural beauty. More: continued here
Response to Smart Growth in Cherokee County
2006-12-29 15:53:01 The recent Board of Commissioners meeting for Cherokee County has created a lot of press and made a lot of people upset and others extremely happy. The buzz around the illegal immigrant issue and the Macauley "A Village in the Forest" project has lead to more comments and feedback for my blog than ever before. Even though I wish most of the comments had been made online via the "comments" feature on this blog, instead of through phone calls and direct emails, I am still overwhelmed at the response.This response goes to prove that blogs are great for creating a local community to exchange thoughts and ideas on local topics.Here are some highlights of the feedback I have received..."We feel the development he is proposing is perfect for this property and this area. I have been relentlessly searching the internet for news articles, information and ammunition to help him in his battle and I came across your blog. Wow. If I was in the blogosphere, this would be exactly what I would ...
Smart Growth in Cherokee County depends on You
2006-12-29 15:53:01 I have posted many times in the past on the values of "Smart Growth". If Cherokee County must grow, and projections have the county gaining 200,000 more people by 2030 (more than double the current population of 141,903), then we better start growing smart.Well, here's your chance to get involved in the Smart Growth movement and make a difference for Cherokee County and it's future! There is a great residential development being proposed in Cherokee County by Macauley, a development company that I know and trust. You may have heard about the proposed community, temporarily being called "A Village in the Forest.? This community will be a model of environmental sustainability, as well as a self-contained community that will improve the quality of life of its residents and neighbors. In addition to shopping and road improvements, Macauley's plan for this special property will incorporate upgrades to some of the current facilities on Lake Allatoona and additional public amenities in... |
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