Urbanexus Update - Issue #28
I strive to understand what creates opportunities—and challenges—for real estate investment and sustainable community development. You may learn about my background at http://www.urbanexus.com/about-h-pike-oliver/.
Please note that some links may take you to material that is behind a paywall.
The economy and investment
The most important and least-noticed economic event of the decade
A recent and little-noticed localized recession in manufacturing-heavy areas of the USA can explain a lot of things. Hat tip to long-time friend David Calloway who called attention to this article.
Top 100 infrastructure investors
The assets of the 100 largest institutional infrastructure investors have increased by more than 20% over the past year.
Ownership housing in the USA
A look at single-family housing momentum in top USA markets Find out which markets made the top of RCLCO's Single-Family Housing Momentum Index.
Top ten publicly-traded builder share lower in 2017 — eyeonhousing.org Based on 2017 10K filings, the 2017 top ten publicly-traded builders captured a 25.5% share of new single-family home closings, down from 27.4% in 2016.
Case-Shiller National House Price Index increased 6.0% year-over-year in July 2018 — www.calculatedriskblog.com
This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly national index.
Housing policy
How San Francisco planned Its own housing crisis
Hat tip to Ehud Mouchly for finding this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated history of housing exclusion (dating back to 1870) in the City-by-the-Bay.
One answer to the lack of affordable apartments For Megan Klepp, the small two-bedroom unit she and her husband built in their backyard behind their 2,000-square-foot cottage-style house in Portland, Oregon, represents a much-needed source of income now - and financial security well into the future.
Transportation
Loop 202 expansion sparks development.
Saying ‘no’ to parking minimums "Parking minimums are well-intended, but they are an unnecessary regulation that violate their own stated goals...."
Most In the USA drive to work but telecommuting now exceeds transit Driving remains the predominant form of commuting. But for the first time, the next most common is working from home.
Environment
Real assets – why a combined approach makes sense — www.brighttalk.com
The interest in growing Real Asset exposures in portfolios has boomed in recent years. But with an asset class that encompasses a range of Real Estate and Infrastructure sectors, and different shades of debt and equity, investors are faced with many options.
Potential for climate migration
By the end of this century, sea level rises could displace 13m people.
Lakes are emitting methane as the Arctic thaws
Maybe it’s just an anomaly – or maybe it’s something worse.
Social cost of carbon The US is second only to India when it comes to the economic cost of global warming.