Urbanexus Update - Issue #31

Oct 22, 2018

Please scroll down for the weekly compilation of analysis, reporting and opinion about real estate and community development. Note that some links may lead to material that is behind a paywall.

Retail real estate

No single force brought down Sears, but the lessons are haunting — www.seattletimes.com The original "everything store" is a reminder that colossal success is always at risk.

Empty commercial storefronts in new mixed-use developments — www.strongtowns.org

Some perspective on why so many new storefronts are sitting vacant.

Residential real estate

Existing home sales fall in the USA — eyeonhousing.org Existing-home sales in September declined 3.4% to the lowest level since November 2015, and are now down 4.1% from a year ago.

Co-living on the rise — www.wsj.com Developers are preparing to build some of the largest new co-living properties in North America, a sign that the appeal of this type of housing could be broadening.

Who should control rent control? This November, Californians will vote on Proposition 10, a ballot initiative that seeks to repeal the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. If passed, it promises to have far-reaching impacts on California’s real estate markets and economy.

Planning and design

SFMOMA to present a deep-dive of planning behind Sea Ranch — archpaper.com

This winter, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) will exhibit The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism, a deep dive into the conceptual planning behind the iconic Sea Ranch development in Northern California.

Transportation

Could parcel lockers in transit stations reduce traffic congestion?

Delivery trucks take up space on already crowded roads and idle in parking spots and loading bays. And if no one is available to sign for a package, the process has to start all over again. Parcel lockers that aren’t owned by a specific company, such as Amazon, could alleviate the strain, providing truck drivers with one location to drop off their packages the first time.

Gentrification

A garden for the poor became a playground for the rich — www.nytimes.com For 30 years, the backyard of the Thelma Burdick building on the Lower East Side was an oasis for the low-income tenants who lived there. But the space was replaced by a chic hotel.

Underfunded pensions and public expenditures

The ticking public sector pension bomb Steven Malanga and Dan DiSalvo join John Stossel to talk about America’s underfunded government-pension systems—the costs of which are consuming larger portions of state and city tax revenues, squeezing budgets, and limiting vital public services. Steve Kreisberg of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the nation’s largest government-employees union, also joins the conversation.

Environment and resiliency

Fresh evidence for Portland’s green dividend — cityobservatory.org

A study prepared for Up for Growth (a housing advocacy group) by ECONorthwest looks at various scenarios for future development in the Portland metropolitan area showing that denser urban neighborhoods generate far fewer vehicle miles of travel per resident than do more remote, lower density suburban neighborhoods. Hat tip to Shannon Gaffney of SkB Architects for finding this.

The cheapest water is in the driest cities of the USA By charging more for nonessential gallons, cities could keep water affordable for everyone.

Can a California town move back from the sea? — www.hcn.org Imperial Beach considers the unthinkable: a retreat from nature.

Among the ruins of Mexico Beach stands one house — www.nytimes.com Hurricane Michael wrecked every other beachfront house on the block, but one came through the storm nearly pristine, as if protected by grace. How did it survive?