Urbanexus Update - Issue #74
Urbanexus Update - Issue #74
H. Pike Oliver, Acting Chair of the Runstad Department of Real Estate in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington offers this weekly compilation of analysis, reporting, and opinion about real estate and community development. Please note that some links may lead to items that are behind a paywall.
Time away
A break for Urbanexus Update — www.instagram.com
Your curator is taking time off to travel in the UK and Spain. The plan is for Urbanexus Update to return with Issue #75 on September 30, 2019. Meanwhile, images and comments will be posted via Instagram -- @urbanexus.
Real estate education
Leadership opportunity at the University of Washington
A recruitment bulletin for the Chair of the Runstad Department of Real Estate in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington is posted here. A Ph.D. is not required and industry experience is desired.
The economy
Is the U.S. economy in the "upside down" Ten years after the financial crisis, it's like we're in another economic dimension. The old rules don't apply. Textbooks are being thrown out the window. It's time to talk about secular stagnation.
Can American consumers sustain the global economy
Consumers in the USA have been a source of enduring strength, but it may not last.
How the recession of 2020 could happen
The freeze-up in business confidence, caused in part by the trade war, could wind up affecting consumer confidence. Chances of a near-term recession are only about one in three, in the view of most forecasters. But if it does develop, the big question will be whether the usual tools to fight it are up to the task.
Central banks cutting rates — www.nytimes.com More than 30 around the world have acted in the face of recession fears. Economists warn of a currency-tied competition.
Investment
WeWork moves toward IPO A public offering by the company, which leases shared office space, will be a major test of investors’ appetite for fast-growing but unprofitable start-ups.
Trump controversy unlikely to hurt Related's fundraising The Related Companies chairman can look to another ally of the US president as proof that politics has little bearing on capital raising success.
Housing
In Boise and Grand Rapids, the housing market is hot The housing market is booming. Just not in the places you might expect: Small to midsize cities like Boise, Idaho, South Bend, Ind., Columbia, Mo., and Youngstown, Ohio, are enjoying a sustained upswing.
Community design and development
Why so many suburbs look the same — www.vox.com
It was all part of the plan. If you live in or have visited a suburb, you’ve probably noticed a similar look: same curving streets, same culs-de-sac. It’s not an accident. In fact, this appearance of the suburbs was part of the Federal Housing Administration’s plan. This video tells the full story.
Pervasive single-family zoning in the USA Rising concerns about housing affordability, racial inequality and climate change are causing cities nationwide to re-examine their attachment to the detached house.
Skyscrapers that will redefine LA — la.curbed.com
These 33 towers will forever alter the city’s skyline.
Places
Comparing the world’s 1,000 largest urban areas
Urban densities vary substantially. Dhaka, Bangladesh is by far the densest, at 106,300 residents per square mile (41,000 per square kilometer). This is approximately nine times as dense as Tokyo-Yokohama, 15 times Toronto, 18 times Los Angeles, 20 times New York, and more than 50 times Boston.
A real estate leader
Besides the 76-story Columbia Center, Selig has over the course of his company’s 61 years developed numerous other projects in and around Seattle’s urban core. He has four more under construction and two more planned.
Environment and resilience
An example of conservation in urban areas
The Dana Point Headlands preserve in Southern California is one of only four sites where the country's smallest mouse lives. The Center for Natural Lands Management is working to properly care for its habitat and rehabilitate the federally endangered species.
West Antarctic ice sheet — www.washington.edu
A new study reveals the first evidence of a direct link between human-induced global warming and melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A research team led by the British Antarctic Survey that included the University of Washington found that curbing greenhouse gas emissions now could reduce this region’s future contribution to global sea level rise.