Saving Some Technology for later.

Even in this technology age there are still people that insist on having things stay the same. Recently we've been discussing a transition into a more "computer-run" era and how that effects people. In the end I'm sure that more and more of our daily objects are going to continue to be more and more complicated however, for the time being at least some things are staying the same. Children's books is the topic of this article however, there is much more lying underneath that holds claim to it. the idea that not everyone wants everything so technology oriented that there are still possibilities for the future that don't encourage massive change.


Here's the link to the article. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/business/for-their-children-many-e-book-readers-insist-on-paper.html?_r=1&ref=business

Confronting China

This article talks about how President Obama and nearly all the leaders at an Asian summit directly confronted China on Saturday for its expansive claims to the resource-rich South China Sea, putting the Chinese premier on the defensive in the long-festering dispute, according to Obama administration officials. This article also discusses how President Obama moved quickly, and on several fronts, to restore the influence of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region after years of preoccupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think that it's a good thing that China was finally confronted. We spent way too much time focusing all of our energy on the middle east when China was put on the back burner.

the governments economic plans

looking again at Barack Obama and Joe Biden's plan to revitalize the economy:

"1. immediate action to create good jobs in america
2. immediate relief for struggling families
3. direct, immediate assistance for homeowners, not a bailout for irresponsible lenders
4. a rapid, aggressive Response to our financial crisis, using all the tool we have"

read more about the specifics at: http://change.gov/agenda/economy_agenda/

lets cross our fingers and hope that these and new approaches will have an impact...

Work with Machines not Against them.

In class we discussed the idea of losing more jobs than creating them. The New York Times came out with an article that incorporates that idea along with discussion of the new book "Race Against the Machine." The article is quite interesting and factual, enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/technology/economists-see-more-jobs-for-machines-not-people.html

Paradigm Shift

The other day in class Prof. Mckinney said the word "Paradigm Shift" pertaining to people and cities. my freshman seminar was all about paradigm shifts and what they are. so this really go me thinking about the paradigm shifts that we need to have in today's society. no longer can we rely on industrialization and things like the auto industry or textile industries to supply us with jobs and money. no longer can we see ourselves as the victims of the worlds problems but as a part of the problem. things need to change fast in order to fix all of the problems that we face today. economies need to shift into a new style to conform with our changing world. the urban agricultural movement is one of the fastest growing movements today and it is a huge movement in Detroit. could we see Detroit become a farming city in the near future? anything could happen but the thing we all need to realize is that a "paradigm shift" is needed and we need to be a part of it.

Another reason not to move back in with Mom and Dad

This article presents the "paradox of thrift" from the standpoint of newly graduated college students moving back in with their parents in order to save money. The article interviews a number of recent grads who, despite having well-paying jobs, have chosen to move back in with their parents and wait to buy their own home until they've saved more money. Seems like a good idea, right? Well, the truth is that an estimated $145,000 of economic output is lost for every new home that isn't built. Construction workers are out of a job and appliances aren't sold, just to name a couple areas where potential economic stimulation goes unrecognized. All in all, this article serves as a reminder that saving in the short-term doesn't always lead to saving in the long-run, especially in this situation that we as college students will all be in very soon.

Article from 2010, but

I found a foundation that aims to revive "challenged cities". People with lots of money and good intentions. Don't we all love them?

http://www.governing.com/blogs/bfc/turning-around-challenged-cities.html


"In addition to an injection of funds, the Integration Initiative brings with it a philosophy that says the "siloed" approach to service delivery isn't enough. Instead, it embraces an approach that integrates regional factors, such as transportation, housing and economic development as the best way for distressed neighborhoods to build the capacity for self healing."

It's satisfactory to be able to agree to these articles because we've learned about it in class.

One more thing, I've always wondered what could be accomplished if the different level of governments came together to deal with the same issue.

Detroit to Cut 1,000 Jobs Amid Budget Crisis

Detroit plans on cutting 1,000 by February 25, 2012 to help deal with the city's budget crisis. The cuts represent nine percent of the city's approximate 11,000 employees. It should save the city $12 million. Mayor Dave Bing said that solving the crisis will require a combination of concessions and tough cuts that will require everyone to share in the sacrifice. The city faces a $45 million cash shortfall by the end of its fiscal year in June. Mayor Bing is also asking for municipal union reforms to save $40 million. He also ordered an immediate hiring freeze for all civil service positions. for further reading: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203611404577046161079749528.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth

Generation Jobless

The following link give some very interesting and depressing statistics on Generation Jobless. It illustrates the trends of the challenges that young people face in today's job market. With unemployment remaining high, many young adults are moving back in with their parents to save on expenses, rejecting Ivy-League schools for less expensive state universities, and choosing liberal-arts majors even though science and engineering majors are in higher demand. It gives statistics on highest and lowest earning majors, education costs, unemployment rates, adults living with parents, and college statistics. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/11/11/gen-jobless-by-the-numbers/

Global pessimism effects us all

Pessimism can change the way people deal with their money in a big way. An article in the USA Today described the feelings people had about the European mishaps in the market. It was the reason the S&P 500 dropped nearly 2%. Our economy is so international that anything happening around the world can effect the way investors and stockholders feel.

The commodities market and the technology market were the ones effected most. I hope that at some point people become as confident as they were a few years ago in order to get Michigan and the rest of the struggling states out of this nearly 10-year rut.

Technological Renovation

Holyoke, Massachusetts signed a contract with Cisco to turn the city for the good. This is going to be done through a grant given. This city has about 12% unemployment, and has trouble attracting people (doesn't it sound like Kalamazoo?) It used to be a big mill town but died out along with the mills. The contract was signed in February. We should all keep an eye and see how much technology could revive a city.

www.fastcompany.com/1546430/cisco-plans-to-make-a-massachusetts-city-smarter-rather-than-build-one-from-scratch

whats next?

this class has presented us with many of the challenges we face today and will have to face in the future. the current decisions being made by local governments are often heartbreaking and seem brutal. but what has been shown is that often these horrible changes are needed if cities wish to remain a float. what are we whiling to give up and what will need to change?  it is clear that we will need to address these questions and soon... i only hope that our futures, those of my generation, wont be to stunted.

but i do believe there is hope, like Paul Romer said "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. hopefully we can learn from the past and use this crisis to rebuild a better America. 

Sim City

Today activity shed some light on how you would like things to work out perfectly but chances are they won't. My group had a plan to divide the budget to certain aspects of our city but as population rises and lowers, unexpected things happen and more supplies is needed or you don't calculate right, your budget can get a lot smaller pretty quick. That was a good way to end the quarter as ew got to try and figure out where our major source of money would come from and how to make everyone happy.

Did you know?

Here's a video that gives a little insight into the future. Technology can be a pretty scary thing. Although this video was made a few years ago, I believe that it still sends a pretty relevant message.

Viewer Discretion is Advised


http://youtu.be/Mmz5qYbKsvM

job displacement

it is difficult to say that we shouldnt have technology for the sole reason to keep jobs because it also creates more business than any people could perform. the jon displacement is difficult to cope with but i believe it is only going to get worse as technology continues to imrpove and eventually take over industries we never thought it would.

Fracking in Michigan

Here is an article discussing Michigan's natural gas reserves and the role that fracking will play in Michigan's recovery.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110527/STAFFBLOG10/110529913/fracking-in-michigan-appears-on-the-upswing

MERS in Michigan

On Wednesday the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that MERS has acted properly in accordance with Michigan law in the process of foreclosing homes. The ruling overturned a previous decision made by the Court of Appeals which had ruled that MERS did not have the right to foreclose on homes because they did not actually lend the money for the mortgage.

http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2011/11/michigan_supreme_court_ends_do.html

Detroit Population Decline

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2011-03-22-michigan-census_N.htm

This article from USA Today describes the population trends in the "Motor City". The trends begins when Henry Ford offered a minimal wage of $5.  The population currently is less then it was before the booming growth that started in 1910.  

Motor City

I find it truly surprising the drastic change that has taken place in Detroit. Detroit went from having one of the strongest economies due to the striving automobile industry and other factors such as being the home of Mo-town records; to one of the most dangerous cities to live in. As soon as the automobile industry started experiencing trouble problems, such as an increase in violence, began to arise. These problems were mostly due to the fact that the economy was struggling; an increase in unemployment and poverty around the city had a huge impact on the cities well-being. Unemployment led to people not being able to pay their housing bills, thus an increase in foreclosure and housing abandonments; the issue of homelessness then arose leaving people in the streets which is a big reason why violence and the crime rates rose. As we saw in the video we viewed in class, teenage pregnancy is unfortunately becoming more frequent as well. Hopefully with the different sports teams (tigers, lions, and pistons) success in Detroit their dire situation can be changed for the better. Will Detroit ever recover?

Going Green in AZ

Here's an article from an Arizona newspaper that explains how local governments are working to promote green buildings that are "beyond code". Cities like these understand the problems that are in front of them and are being proactive in their efforts to reduce energy consumption and use water more efficiently.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/pima-county-news/2011/11/15/new-nationwide-guide-to-green-building-spotlights-pima-countys-beyond-code-program/

Great lakes....To Save!

We discussed a little bit in class about how important the Great Lakes are to us. Nearly all of us raised our hands and said that it would be awful for someone to come into OUR water supply and attempt to drain it for their own personal benefits. However, there are some interesting statistics that will continue this thought process. Did you know that the Great lakes supply 20% of the world's fresh water supply? Also another key point is that it supplies us with 90% of the fresh water that we need.
When expansion occurs especially considering the housing bubble it increases the impact of pollution onto our Great lakes. As bigger homes continue to house less people and expansion of the mcmansions continues we will have a major issue. We can't afford to lose that much of a fresh water supply and therefore something drastic may need to change.

Michigan Making Progress?

This article was posted on Traverse City's "The Ticker" website:

Snyder Points To High Grades

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder sent a message yesterday with some encouraging news: Michigan ranks second in the Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of the States, a rating that indicates the state is recovering more quickly than other states. He also pointed out that Michigan’s unemployment rate is dropping faster than the national average; Michigan is now the top state for new technology jobs; Newsweek predicts Michigan will be #1 for new job growth in 2012; and Fitch Ratings upgraded the state's bond rating to "positive" based on “prudent budgeting."

These are certainly encouraging signs for our state and a lot of the progress being made is in sectors that we have discussed in class (i.e. new technology jobs). We can thank our abundance of natural resources and state-wide environmentally-focused mindset for this growth. Our nation's future is going to depend on the creation of a new economy through the implementation of new technologies that satisfy our growing demand for environmental quality. Obviously Michigan is doing a good job of this.

To Increase Jobs, Increase Economic Freedom

John Mackey gives his opinion on why the US economy is barely growing and unemployment is stuck over 9%. The US accounts for 23% of the world total GDP. GDP per capita has increased almost 2,000% in the US over the past two centuries. The US became the wealthiest country because for most of its history it has followed the basic principles of economic freedom. Economic freedom is declining in the US. In 2000, US ranked 3rd in economic freedom. Now, in 2011, the US ranks 9th. This is a problem; however, Mackey says that increasing economic is the key to increasing the number of jobs.
For further reading on Mackey's suggested reforms here is the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204358004577032442153911170.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read

Kalamazoo is 5th Cheapest College Town in Country

All quarter long we have been examining foreclosures and the negative aspects of it. Have you ever thought about how we, as college students, can capitalize on this? The article I read disccuses how Kalamazoo is the fifth cheapest college town to live in in the country. Check out what one WMU student has done to capitalize on the housing crisis:


http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/11/western_michigan_university_ma_16.html

Taming Shanghai's Sprawl

Visiting Shanghai in the summer of 2009, I saw many advertisements for the World Expo that was to be held in the city the following summer (2010). "Better City, Better Life" was the slogan that was plastered everywhere, now that the World Expo has ended the city of Shanghai has pledged to transform its chaotic sprawl into something more livable for its 19 million or so inhabitants within 10 years. For at least the past five years, China's central government has tried to impress upon the country's major cities that the "growth-at-all-costs" economic model had to change. Fortunately, Shanghai, one of the biggest promoters of this model had embraced sustainability as the core of it next stage of development. China is struggling to cope with the intensifying urbanization of the country and the shift in Shanghai could be the first step to address this issue. As well, a study found that Chinese cities that embraced sustainable growth actually grew their economies more quickly than those that ignored environmental issues. This could be a very positive sign for China, as well as the rest of the world.

Wealthy more pessimistic about economy

The wealthier people in the United States Economy do not want to dish out money if they don't see improvement in our financial crisis. They want answers and good feedback before they start making financial decisions. They want to be on a more confident path. But most people that are wealthy can withstand a bad economy much longer then the average middle class American. 76% of the Americans surveyed said they are concerned about our economy over the next 6 months.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/Wealthy-more-pessimistic-about-economy/-/1719116/4768656/-/58yk8p/-/

Closing Underachieving Schools

The article entitled, "Do Failing Schools Deserve a Second Chance" says that when struggling schools are closed, most of the kids are re-enrolled in other low performing schools, and their attendance and test scores drop even more. When students transfer to better schools, attendance increases, but their test scores remain consistent. If people want the closing of underachieving schools to be effective, then it is essential to have a supply of established high performing schools, and officials must invest the time and effort to make sure the kids are enrolling in these superior institutions. "Bringing new leaders, new staff, and new programs with strong evidence of effectiveness, seem more likely to benefit struggling schools." This definitely seems easier said than done.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/11/14/do-failing-schools-deserve-second-chance

Detroit will run out of money in April

The article I read is about how Detroit is running out of money. Tomorrow Mayor Bing will address the financial crisis and what needs to be done to save the city. No department is safe from cuts. including the police department (although public safety is still the city's top priority). The highest costs the city has is health care costs and when combined with the decline of property taxes this equals a disaster.....

http://www.freep.com/article/20111115/NEWS01/111150398/Without-cuts-Detroit-runs-out-cash-by-April

Pushing America Back to the Farm

Linking back to what we talked about in class recently, I read an article today that pushed for America to go back to the farm and participate in a more localized economy. The article focused on Joel Salatin, who pushes for a more sustainable food system. He proposes nothing less than an extreme decentralization of the food system - you raise what you eat. He also believes that freedom begins with food, with the security of knowing where your food comes from - preferably raising and preparing some of it yourself. But in America we are not doing this, in 1935 there were 7 million farms, today there are only approximately 2 million and less than 2% of Americans farm for a living. Essentially, by returning to a more sustainable lifestyle, more people will be fed and there will be more jobs available in the farming industry. We must go back to using our hands and move away from the modern manufacturing process, which relies upon machines and chemicals.

Roads

After the class discussion I began to think about the topic of new roads. After hearing from Justin and Mike about being upset if new roads weren't being built every 2 years I was a little bit shocked. Whenever I go home and I see construction every two years I feel like there are better things that money could be spent on. Most of the new roads being built in my area are ones that don't really need to be fixed. They may have a few cracks but that is to be expected in Michigan. I think that it would be much more practical and cost effective if they would spend more time filling the cracks rather than tearing up the roads and rebuilding them every two years.

worldwide problems

Being here in America, we can say that we are pretty spoiled compared to other parts of the world. I find it interesting that we feel that we are in a crisis, we have a ton of problems while there are many other countries out there that are still worse than us and they are probably feeling the effects of everything going on worldwide as well. Some of them can't even get clean water, while were worried about not being able to afford a huge house or something that we don't really need. Our worldwide relations don't appear to be as strong as we like to think they are as it seems like when we are in trouble, we try and find ways to help out ourselves more and more and forget about the other countries, knowing that we are blessed here and are better off than many people around the world. We have beds to sleep on, a roof over our head, food and water still and the neccesities to survive while others go day by day trying to find a way to survive.

FHA struggles

I read in the Wall Street Journal today that the Federal Housing Administration's cash reserves have fallen so low that there is a close to 50% chance the agency could run out of money and require a taxpayer bailout in the coming years. There are deals going on right now to try and increase the FHA's loan limits but the agency is clearly struggling. This is administration is a crucial source of loaning for first time home buyers. It doesnt make loans directly but it insures loans against defaults and gives people security. Some experts predict a $50 to $100 billion dollar bailout will be necessary.

Requiem for Detroit

After watching those films today in class it reminded me of a BBC movie i saw a while go called Requiem for Detroit. From what i can recall this film takes a look at what Detroit once was and where it currently is at today. I cannot recall but i don't believe it takes a look at the rise and fall of Detroit, not necessarily what needs to be done to fix Detroit, but it is a very eye opening film that is worth watching. Unfortunately it has been banned by BBC on youtube, but for anyone interested i found it on some other streaming site.

http://rutube.ru/tracks/3971045.html

The Young and Restless

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=908689286&ids=0Se38Ve3oUc3AIc30Qe38Pdj0Vb30OdjcQd3cMeiMUc3gVd3wSc3AIcjcVcPAVd3AU&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod-b-ttle-68&ut=10jUE10KPk1R01

This article talks about how our generation of young people from about age 16-34 are affected by the occupy Wall Street situation resulting from our economic crisis. "Today, only 55 percent of people ages 16 to 29 have a job — the lowest percentage since World War II. A quarter of people between ages 25 and 34 are living with their parents, and new numbers out this week say people under 35 are worth 68 percent less than they were 25 years ago." What does this mean for our generation? This means that getting a job straight out of college will be more difficult. So where do we go from here? Our nation's young people need to realize that times are changing and the idea of getting rich quick and being educated in order to purchase luxuries life can order, needs to be thrown out the window. We need to go back to our grandparents era and follow their idea of hard-work and dedication in order to achieve success (the American dream).

Michigan's Other Black Friday

Today is the opening day of the whitetail deer firearm season in Michigan. This day is termed Michigan's other Black Friday because hunters spend an average of $800 and deer hunting is a $500 million industry for the state. 1.185 million deer licences have been sold this year, which is unfortunately 60,000 fewer than last year. This is most likely due to opening day being on a Tuesday. If it was on a weekend, licences sales would be higher. Nonetheless, sporting goods stores have been seeing a pick-up in business leading up to this "holy day" for Michigan hunters. Buck poles are popular attractions that bring in business to small towns. Deer hunting definitely has an economic impact on Michigan, and it helps control the deer population. Happy opening day.

Snyder's Budget II

http://www.michiganfuture.org/03/2011/the-snyder-budget-ii/

This is a short article summarizing, highlighting, and commenting on the Michigan Gov. plan.

Pennsylvania Abandoned Properties Solution Plan

I found this and thought it went along perfectly with the reading summaries from week 7. It is a complete solution plan that has been put together specifically for Pennsylvania. It covers a large range of different ideas and challenges that might arise from taking action. Since every state and city is different there isn't one single solution plan that will work for everyone so I would really like to try and find a solution plan for another state and compare the two. Here however is the link to Pennsylvania's abandoned property plan. http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/Pub/SWPABlightedandAbandonedPropertiesSolutionsProjectReport_12909.pdf

A State-by-State Look at Long Road to Jobs Recovery

The following link is to an interactive map that lays out how long it will take each state to get back to pre-recession employment peak. Now, the results are not pretty. At the median, it will take until the fourth quarter of 2014 to fully recover. This map is based off an analysis from IHS Global Insight. It takes into account a state's industry breakdown, population growth, and demographics. Michigan has the largest road to recovery. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/11/14/a-state-by-state-look-at-long-road-to-jobs-recovery/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=marketbeat

Kuznet's Curve

Holla

Kuznet's curve was mentioned in my prosperity 2050 article. I thought it was quite interesting.

This study, that received a noble prize, states that economic inequality would lead to the prosperity of the country. When a country has not fully matured, it usually focuses on physical capital, buildings, for urbanization. This process favors people who already have money, so these people would be able to invest and reap the benefits. At the same time, these changes would increase the country's GDP, therefore, it would eventually lead to an overall increase in wealth for all citizens.

This model is for country that had not been industrialized, and it seems logical. Yet this noble prize winning equation did not hold true in the US. There are too many other factors that comes into play. Prosperity 2050 said athe country would be able to perform better if it takes advantage of all human capital. Yeah, this makes more sense.

Fed’s Fisher Sees U.S. Poised for Growth

The jobless rate fell from 9% to 9.1% in October. The U.S. added about 80,000 more payroll jobs to the market. Also, consumer confidence rose more then expected last month as people are starting to spend more money because they have money to spend. The forecasts for 2012 show that unemployment will be around 8.5%, a significant drop from last month. Overall, there is hope for the U.S. economy in the upcoming years. The United States is poised from growth in the near future.

The Hard Truth About Going 'Soft"

I read an article today in Time magazine about Obama saying America has gone soft. The direct quote from Obama is "The way I think about it is, you know, this is a great, great country that had gotten a little soft, and we didn't have that same competitive edge that we needed over the last couple of decades. We need to get back on track." He received a lot of flak for pointing this fact out, but unfortunately he is correct and there are many statistics that back up his point. To start the U.S. is slipping in most measures of global competitiveness. The World Economic Forum's ranks the U.S. No. 5 behind Sweden, Singapore, Finland, and Switzerland. The most crucial area of measurement that the United States is falling behind in is our educational attainment, especially in science, math and engineering. A decade ago the U.S. led the world in college graduates, today we are ranked 9th. As well, in the 1950's, household debt was just 34% of disposable income, currently it is 115%. These changes are greatly hurting the United States and it is due to our own choices, especially the federal, state and local governments choice to now spend less money investing in the future. The structure that has developed in the United States does not lead to a more competitive society, we support "consumption over investment, the present over the future, ourselves over our children." Overall, the essence of the article pointed out that there needs to be a change in our ideals and we must push to be more competitive in the global economy.

Jefferson County, Alabama

Jefferson County has claimed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.  This came after a 4-1 vote by local officials due to a $3 billion sewer system debt reduction with JPM that was not backed by state lawmakers.  Where do they go from here?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-10/alabama-s-jefferson-county-declares-biggest-municipal-bankruptcy.html

U.S. Farmers Reclaim Land From Developers

Now that the United States is five years into this housing downturn, much of the land set for residential development is falling in value and is once again being used for agriculture. During the housing boom land was being bought from framers left and right to be turned into subdivisions. Now with the housing market at a halt, the uses of land have flipped. The land is being put back into the hands of farmers. The farmers sold their land at top dollar. Now to get their land back, they are paying a small fraction of what housing developers paid for the same land before the recession. Nothing like a short sale. For further reading: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204621904577018201607304964.html?mod=WSJ_economy_LeftTopHighlights

Business Tax and Creating Jobs

The article entitled, "Snyder: Simpler Biz Tax Already Creating Jobs," talks about how Governor Snyder has defended his decision for the new business tax code by saying that it is already creating jobs. He spoke at a "Michigan Emerging" event in Detroit and discussed the negative impact that past tax credits have had on the state's substantial debt. The Governor said, "Our state budget is now $500 million in the hole because of tax credits we've given," and presented his "five keys to a reinvented Michigan," which requires focus to be placed on technology, talent, capital, infrastructure, and culture. The new state business tax, which goes into effect on January 1, 2012, is intended to replace two much more complicated business tax systems implemented by other administrations. It is a flat six percent tax on profits that Governor Snyder says, "will take time. We will see early results but the inflection point will take time." We have heard over and over that there is no short-term solution, so hopefully this simple approach proves effective.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/11/14/snyder-simpler-biz-tax-already-creating-jobs/

re: dying cities

Last week I posted an article about America's "dying cities." To refresh memories, Grand Rapids was 10th on the list. When I first read this I was extremely surprised to see this because I always thought of GR as the biggest city in West Michigan.

The residents of Grand Rapids were also surprised to read this. In response to this news the city came together and made a video. The link is posted below. This is a creative project that I believe represents all the life that Grand Rapids has. Definitely watch this!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjjZCO67WI

Requiem for Detroit

we watched this documentary in another one of my classes and it was a very good one about Detroit and how it got to where it is today and what is future holds. it is long but a very interesting and good thing to watch if you are interested in Detroit and its future.

http://documentaryheaven.com/requiem-for-detroit/

It's time for a Change

http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/08/news/economy/obama_stimulus_plan/index.htm?iid=EL

This is a relevant article about Obama's stimulus plan aimed to improve the nation's economy by increasing hiring, cutting the payroll tax business pay, and spending government money wisely on things such as infrastructure and summer jobs. This plan will hopefully give our economy the jump start it needs. But some people against the plan claim that we taxing producers and giving money to the non-producers who do nothing to contribute to the economy is wrong. Read the article and tell me how you feel about this plan

Skinny Houses for Fat Wallets

These "skinny houses" are certainly not an answer to our housing woes, but do provide an artsy, innovated take on home architecture. The article mentions that "Skinny homes are built for any number of reasons. It could be space constrictions, tax or code restrictions, the creative muse, or even for the vengeful-minded to grind an axe with a family member." Obviously the homes presented in the article are quite expensive, but it would be interesting to consider alternative designs with less of a focus on art and design. It's hard to imagine living in a house where you can touch both sides of it at the same time, but it's not unfathomable to predict that similar houses could be used in the future to help solve environmental and/or economic issues.

Skinny Houses

Future Jobs

Think back to 1967. The job you have today may not even have existed. The Internet, and all the jobs that have come with it, were decades away. The Detroit automakers were dominant. Quality of life was different, too: The median household income was an inflation-adjusted $40,261, compared with $50,303 in 2008. There were also a hundred million fewer of us; 1967 was the year the U.S. population hit 200 million. We passed the 300 million mark in 2006, and by 2050, there will very likely be more than 400 million Americans. The lifestyle of the average American may change just as much from 2010 to 2050 as it did from 1967 to 2006. The economy will especially undergo change. It is really interesting to think of what types of jobs will be available in the future and what popular jobs today won't be available. Read this article for some interesting insight.

http://money.usnews.com/money/business-economy/articles/2010/02/02/the-future-of-the-us-economy-2050

Staying Hopefull for the Future

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-28/us/young.unemployed.bootcamp.irpt_1_national-unemployment-rate-carl-van-horn-graduates?_s=PM:IREPORT

This article relates to college students, and it talks about how they should hope for employment in the future and never give up. We all know that due to the financial crisis our nation is experiencing unemployment rates have hit an all time high, making it hard for the youngsters just graduating from college to find a job. We must fight through these hard times and keep striving for the career of our choice, the economy will hopefully be back in full swing again allowing more jobs to open up. In the mean time, we should work on improving the different effects caused by this crisis such as; poverty, violence, and homelessness.

optimism is a must

if we are going to rebuild ourselves we need to have a positive outlook for our futures. with no vision of a better tmw there will be no movement in that direction. this article talks about the "redistribution of hope"... its startling that only 30% of Americans think we're moving in the right direction.  Though i agree that there needs to be change that doesn't mean we need to loose faith completely.  i'm really looking forward to next weeks class to look at the "silver lining" of our situation.

http://www.economist.com/node/17732859

Even the pros lose....

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/financial-pro-lost-house-191003606.html

This is an article about how an experienced financial adviser lost his home due to poor choices during the house bubble.

It is shocking to see that someone who at that time was advising people how to efficiently use their money, could make the uneducated and risky choices that he did during the housing boom. It gives you an idea of house screwed up the prices and predatory lending was at that time.

Jobless Claims decrease

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-10/u-s-jobless-claims-fall-to-lowest-level-in-seven-months-in-recovery-sign.html

Is the economy picking up? Lets keep our fingers crossed that the labor market will keep improving!!!

Is Confidence Increasing?

The article entitled, "Michigan Sentiment Index Rises," discusses how the University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment for this month is the highest since June. They say that one potential cause for this increase could be contributed to more hiring as less people are claiming jobless benefits. This trend could also help greatly influence a potential increase in consumer spending, even as Europe's debt crisis threatens global growth.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-11/u-s-michigan-consumer-sentiment-index-rises.html

Rebuilding The American Dream

I was reading the Van Jones article in The Index earlier today and found it to be quite relevant to our class. The article explains how Jones discussed the declining job market, how it's lead to millions of foreclosures, and where we as college students fit in. He goes on to explain that our generation is not only the most diverse in history, but also the biggest. This reminded me a lot of the the Prosperity 2050 reading in which they predict people of color to be the majority in our country by 2050. Regardless, he talks about the steps we need to take in order to create a new, more prosperous economy and form a new American Dream. His advice is to create jobs "through the creation and implementation of renewable energy, like wind and solar power." I not only think this is a great way to combat joblessness, but also a way to improve and further learn about the environment and its priceless services- a nice double-dividend.

Real Estate Choices

The article entitled, "Expensive Urban Real Estate is a Consumption Choice," reveals the interesting demographics of Occupy Wall Street, but then continues to discuss how "living in an expensive city is a consumption choice." It presents the observed feelings of many people "living in New York (or San Francisco, or Boston)," and how several of these people are very affluent, yet still consider themselves to be 'middle-class.' They do not understand the trade-off that is involved when choosing to live in a city like New York. When the decision is made, these people are agreeing to place all their extra wealth toward enjoying a big city lifestyle, instead of the "spacious real estate, cheap groceries, and easy commute," that comes with a smaller city or suburb.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/expensive-urban-real-estate-is-a-consumption-choice/247937/

Gov. Snyder

After looking into Gov. Snyder's plan to bring Michigan back, I can't really say that I would be doing a better job. Granted, I feel it is less democratic but at the same time, someone needs to step up and make everyone make the sacrafices needed because we can not keep going the way we are going or else we will end up like cities that are already down like Flint, Detroit or Kalamazoo. I do give props to Rick for making the cities make sacrafices and hopefully get the state going in the right direction needed.

Live Midtown

This is a program being established in downtown Detroit to encourage people to live in the city instead of commuting from a suburban area. They will be giving a year long incentive of $2,500 for new renters downtown and then $1,000 for the second year. They will also be rewarding people to extend their lease by giving them the $1,000 fir a year long extension of contract. This seems to be a great idea. It will encourage younger people to move downtown, which will strengthen the community as a whole. I know recently i went downtown and saw some great new looking apartments and condos right by Tigers stadium and Ford field which is a relatively nice and quickly growing area. I am excited to see how well this project works, it is an excellent opportunity for college students in Detroit or young professionals who are working in the city.

http://livemidtown.org/

Alabama's Jefferson county files bankruptcy

http://news.yahoo.com/alabama-county-seeks-file-biggest-municipal-bankruptcy-001117903.html

Jefferson county files for bankruptcy for one of the biggest deficits in the country, 3.4 billion.

Their debt escalated in the 2000's when their system was hit with a lot of fraud and corruption.

Flint City Take Over

Flint will soon be the only city to be in State take over twice since the bill has started almost 20 years ago. This is sad because Flint is a city that lost the auto industry and it has never returned to what it was. A financial manager has the power to cancel or adjust current contracts. I think this will be a great step to help Flint as long as we get a good manager. This is a huge step for Flint and get it back on the right step to pull them out of this current economic crisis

Why Don't People Vote?

SEVENTY MILLION Americans who could decide the outcome of the November presidential election do not plan to vote, according to the findings of a survey reported in early September. This includes 60 million who have never voted and 10 million who have voted in the past but now have become political dropouts. How can one say that this is a democracy led by the will of the people when so many people don't exercise their rights as American citizens? Is compulsory voting the answer? In Australia, there is a fine (about $15, according to the Australian consulate spokesman in Chicago), if you fail to vote and don't have a satisfactory excuse. That accounts for the 97 per cent turnout. Something needs to be done to encourage more voters and this issue needs to be taken more serious.

http://www.lib.niu.edu/1976/ii761125.html

RealtyTrac Foreclosure Data

RealtyTrac has released its foreclosure data for the month of October and it shows that many of the counties around Kalamazoo had increases in the number of foreclosure filings in the last two months. Despite this recent increase, all of the counties listed were down in the number of filings from 2010.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/realtytrac_releases_october_fo.html

Community Gentrification

I would like to introduce a trend happening in Los Angeles right now. First a definition, gentrification: the restoration of run-down urban areas by the middle class (resulting in the displacement of low-income residents). Right now in a few parts of Los Angeles City, particularly low income Hispanic neighborhoods, the housing prices are growing faster than other places. The portions of Echo Park and Silver Lake in the 90026 Zip Code lead the Eastside in September with the highest percentage price increase. The median price of the single-family homes sold in the 90026 Zip Code last month increased nearly28% from last year’s level to $550,000, according to sales information from DataQuick & the L.A. Times. This is happening because many young professionals (referred to hipsters in the vernacular) are moving in for cheap housing. Without children these people do not have to worry about the roughness of the neighborhoods in Echo park, allowing them to take advantage of the cheaper housing. This trend has two effects on the community. One, is that a new economy is created for these young, unattached well-to-do people including a thriving nightlife, live music and art and more general local commerce. On the other hand, these young adults are increasing the demand for housing in echo park, which means higher prices. Now, landlords are trying to get rid of families that have lived in their homes for many years (often over 10 years) and rent to higher paying hipsters. There is good and bad effects of gentrifying neighborhoods. It helps the economy, but at what cost?



For more Echo Park housing information: http://www.theeastsiderla.com/2011/10/eastside-property-echo-park-silver-lake-home-prices-leap-ahead-in-september/

Ohio Voters Reject Public-Union Limits

Ohio voters shut down the proposed law that would restrict the powers of the public sector unions. This law would have stripped the state's 350,000 public employees of most of their collective-bargaining rights and forced workers to pay 15% of their health care costs. 61% voted against the bill. Many states watched this election closely because other states have been debating whether cutting wages and benefits for the public unions would be a good way to cut government spending. In Wisconsin, a similar union rights restricting law was passed; however, Indiana failed to pass version of the law. For more details see that article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577026360072268418.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read

Snyder addresses Michigan Rail Summit

This article was about how the governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, is trying to improve the states transportation services. Nearly 800,000 people choose to travel by Amtrak train last year (I was one of them). Snyder even went on to say that the rail project is vital for the recovery of Michigan's economy. Michigan is also one of the largest urban places in the U.S. to not have a commuter rail system in place as well. Amtrak was also talking about updating its rail system once they have the rights to the rails from the freight companies. They are going to program every crossing differently so that the trains can travel at faster speeds so people can get to there destinations faster.

http://news.yahoo.com/gov-rick-snyder-addresses-michigan-rail-summit-172700474.html

Industry Scale Cont.

*these are all revenues. not profits *these our all national rankings. not global

WalMart our #1 corporation in the universe. Cheap labor, import, cheap labor, import. And the smart technology to maximize efficiency in the distribution sites. $221 Billion

Exxon #2 profitable company in the US. Raising that gas price like the negative population growth in MI. They know that America is a culture heavily depends on automobile transportation. so why not raise it some more? $354Billion

Fannie Mae. #5. Our favorite company of fraud is enjoying its fifth position of the most prosperous corporations in the US. They should get shut down and give away their money to cities that got affected by the housing crisis (for our sweet home, America's sake) $153 Billion

General Motors. Hanging in there. #8. 135 Billion. Nice ranking, but the decrease in the revenue = decrease of employees. whoops

BoA. My bank that I'll probably switch by the end of the year got #9. $134 Billion

AT&T #12. known for sending the fees late to charge for late fees. They get sued quite often. (that;s why I switched) $124 Billion

Fredie Mac #20. big difference from Fannie Mae. $98Billion

CVS. #21 taking over US with its infinite stores $94

Protector & Gamble. The company for Tide. #26. $79 Billioin.

COSTCO #28. I see these in Japan too. $77Billion

Pfizer. #31. our proud company. $67 Billion

Apple #35. the geniuses. $65 Billion

PepsiCo. Lays chips, pepsi, etc. they're making more money than Coke?? wow. #43 $57 Billion

BestBuy #47 I need to go there to fix my computer. They put so many minor electrical stores in the shade. $49 Billion

Walt Disney #65 They could make more money if they wanted to... so global. maybe their goal really is to bring dreams. $38 Billion

Coca-Cola #70 $35 Billion

Amazon.com. a safe option to acquire class materials. #78 $34

Google #92. I didn't know they make that much. haha. $29 Billion

McDonald's #111 Even though it took over the world, nowhere near the Oil industry, banks, or creditors. the food industry is rough. Long live MickyD's. $24 Billion

Nike. coolest apparels. They have SALES unlike Addidas. #135. $19 Billion

Starbucks. finally found you on the list. where's my carmel frappeccino? yes, grande please. #220. $10 Billion.


It's amazing how much an idea could take a company. In short, I agree with the readings from this week; in other words, innovation is needed in this economy.

In other news!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15630581
The sliver lining we talked about some time back seems to be getting bigger. More jobs being created by big companies. Now we need to slow down on the layoffs. But it seems we are on the right direction.

dying cities

In class everyday we talk about how screwed American cities are. Some cities are inevitably worse off than others. I found two lists online, Dying Cities and Dying Towns. Both lists give the top 10 cities with the most dire financial situation. From 2000 to 2010, the United States experienced the smallest population increase in more than 70 years. This figure is a tell tale sign of financial insecurity. Here are the sites:
cities: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/01/21/america-s-dying-cities.item-1.html

towns: http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/08/towns-ten-economy-forbeslife-cx_mw_1209dying.html

Rick Schneider

the governor wants to cut a lot of things that will put a lot of cities in financial danger. He has to power to put in an advisor who can literally do whatever he wants whether its firing people or whatever. To me, this sounds like a dictatorship. That seems like a lot of power he just put into his own hands. I don't like the sound of that and also putting so many cities in danger then putting essentially his own people in any of those cities. That does not sound very democratic that he can also fire anyone he wants that was elected.

Governor Rick Snyder's plans for Michigan Roads and Bridges

His plans got ok views from the west side of the state. But what people don't want is an increase in gas taxes. The governor is just trying to raise enough money to actually start the process on these Michigan roads. There are other options but people use gas to drive on the roads, so this seems to be a reasonable choice and sacrifices the citizens of Michigan might have to make.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/10/gov_rick_snyders_plan_to_impro.html

Holiday Sales

http://www.marketingvox.com/economy-to-significantly-slow-online-holiday-sales-041702/

With the holiday season coming; Thanksgiving, and Christmas, represent the times of increasing sales. This article talks about how unfortunately with the poor state of the economy online shopping sales is increasing at an unusually slower rate than previous years. This economy is in trouble, and now with the holiday season approaching hopefully people are smart about their spending and not spending money they do not have.

HOME Fraud and Waste Prevention

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is proposing greater oversight of the $1.6 billion HOME housing program that has been criticized for excessive waste and fraud. The proposed changes would require state and local governments to improve oversight of HOME projects.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-04/hud-pledges-improved-oversight-of-home-program-after-missteps.html

Smaller is more beautiful, and cheaper

Reading the article "Smaller is more beautiful" that Dr. McKinney sent us this week, I was shocked to read about people buying property for as little of $50. We've talked a lot about Habitat and land banks and how their organizations work to deal with diminishing demand for housing and increasing abandonment rates. Still, we haven't talked much about people taking the initiative as private individuals to fix the problems themselves. I never would have considered that people could buy land for so little, but now see how great of an idea it is. If people are really willing to take these projects on on their own, this may be the best solution to many of the problems we've discussed in class. People are more dedicated and committed to projects when they take them on by choice and truly make them theirs. This could be a great solution, but are people willing to take the first step?

Housing Crisis Explained

Thinking about getting a new house but afraid to make any moves because of everything you hear about this housing crisis? Don't actually know what the housing crisis is? Well this article will answer a few question such as,what is going on with the U.S. economy right now, and how does it affect people who are trying to get a mortgage and buy a home? This explanation will give you a better understanding of the economic and housing crisis in this country, as it pertains to people who are trying to buy homes.

http://www.armingyourfarming.com/articles/article29.php

Artists Reinventing Detroit

I recently read an article the linked two of my interests, urban issues and art. The article titled "Art Motors On" is about the rich breeding ground that Detroit has provided for the new generation of artists. The painter Herman Bas moved from Miami to Detroit five years ago because he said "Detroit is the city of tomorrow." The artistic movement that is moving into Detroit is using the old resources that the city provides from the palatial mansions to the regal Art Deco skyscrapers. The city's storied past and almost grotesque beauty gives the artists that live and work in Detroit deep reserves of both subject and material. To quote the article "It [Detroit] is not an easy place to reckon with - the scale of decay is astounding. Yet Detroit is attracting artists in numbers large enough to earn it a designation as another Berlin." As an art minor, I can understand the desire to use art as a reinvention tool and to receive comparison to Berlin is remarkable. Reading this article was very enjoyable because it gave hope for a city that I know most of us in this class connect with in some way.

Tiny Houses, Tiny Prices, Big Ideas

Looking for a way to beat the system? Tired of dealing with inconsistent, unreliable housing prices? Just live in a closet. Literally. These houses were built as a green effort to limit the environmental impacts of living in a large home, but also come at just a fraction of the price of a normal house. Plus, if you want to move all you have to do is put it on a trailer and drive it away. A family friend was telling me about these 100 square foot houses and how his friend is trying to get in the market of building/selling them to help people, and himself, battle the housing market. Low prices, on-the-go, and eco-friendly are the goals, but that doesn't mean they're for everyone.

Check them out

Rambling about MI

This is from last week's article about turning MI around.
“+ $21,643 annual income/ +824,000 jobs” seems almost unreal considering the current economical state, but this is the consequence of reaching for such a goal. Not to say that it is not possible, but their needs to be a strong sense of mental unity, in terms of futuristic goals, in order to realize such a plan. If not, it would be logical for people to move to Cleveland. This reminds me of Japan after the WWII. One of the core factors that played the dramatic turnaround in the Japanese economy was that the Japanese were all determined to completely alter the existing economic disaster. So the human capital increased its value through further education and further enthusiasm. They were not working for themselves but for the country. Japan just focused on enlarging the PPF of the country. If MI is attempting to take a stand, there needs to be a sense that is the home for all of its residents so people would focus on their state before their personal gain.

My point is that there is an urgent need of realization that MI is the "home" for people. Thus they should not run away and actually take care of their asset.

Small Town Housing Policies

To manage the development of new housing, the majority of small towns rely on zoning and building codes. Very few have considered regulating the continued maintenance or occupancy of existing housing.Unlike cities like Kalamazoo that regularly use programs like Habitat for Humanity which will refinish foreclosed or condemned houses. Housing related services need to be more available to smaller communities. This would have a positive impact on these communities. Here's a small article I found that touches on this issue.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/familydevelopment/components/7565_10.html

Megacities - FT.com

Megacities - FT.com
People move to urban areas for all sorts of reasons. I liked the comment in this article about the size of a city being determined by the scale of infrastructure. Literally economics of scale at work. I wonder what the quality of life is in some of the newer cities. I also wonder how Tokyo manages to have a good quality of life. I think it does. I've only been in Toyko briefly so I know little about it. Does anyone have impressions built from experiencing these megacities?

How Appraisals Are Derailing Home Sales

This article explains how appraisals are derailing home sales. It gives a clear example. More requirements in the appraisal process are resulting in an increase in cancelled or delayed contracts. This, however, has its benefits for buyers. It can make houses cheaper and also ensure the buyer is not overpaying and the lender is not over-lending. The article also explains ways to make the process easier. It explains how sellers can prepare; how buyers can protect themselves; and what to do if appraisal value comes in below the purchase price. Here is the article: http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/real-estate/how-appraisals-are-derailing-home-sales-1320357466034/?grcc=grdt

Occupy... the time you could be working

When will these occupants create a base for these complaints? They are simply announcing their presence... granted successfully they are still baseless and no one knows what to do to get them to leave. Do they simply want money to be thrown their way that they have not earned? Do they want the 1% to quit their jobs and give away their CEO positions to the masses, albeit unqualified?

I have been attempting to see what will cause this to end, and who will come out successful but there is no goal, no ultimatum, no nothing that will create a victory or a loss on either side. The only thing lost is the time with which these complainers could be trying to find a job in order to support their families.

Freddie Mac Loss Widens

Freddie Mac posted yet another loss in its third quarter of $4.4 billion. This will be its worst quarterly loss in over a year. This loss indicates how poorly the housing market continues to remain. Losses at Freddie Mac had been easing over the past year. Freddie Mac had been returning more money that it had been borrowing in the previous four quarters. Freddie and Fannie are now selling properties they have acquired through foreclosure, and as home prices they will continue to take bigger losses those sales. To find out more on the recent losses of Freddie Mac here is the article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577015720867838672.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

Midwest Poverty

The article entitled, "Poverty in America: In the Midwest, a forever recession," discusses a video by Alan Berube which focuses on the "reemergence of concentrated poverty in America." In the video, Mr. Berube states that the recession is still effecting many cities in the Midwest (which I did not know was up for debate), and also says the region is struggling to keep up with the coasts. He talks about how General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler are making comebacks because of smarter operation strategies, and that other cities in the Midwest need to take notice and start forming smarter systems. Although the process may take a long time, it will prevent a large portion of the country from decaying.

http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/2011/11/03/3734/poverty-american-midwest-recession-never-ended/

Fixing Housing Crisis can Create Jobs

Bill Clinton thinks that fixing the housing crisis can add jobs. He also says that Democrats and Republicans need to come together and figure out a plan to do so. When Clinton was in office, he helped lessen the debt of the United States. But since this debt is in the trillions, its going to take a lot more effort then that for this country to get out of not only the debt, but the economic and housing crisis' as well. Clinton wants to saddle the bank and home owners with billions of dollars in hope that this crisis can be resolved.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67375.html

Van Jones

I would characterize Van Jones' lecture as inspirational rather than educational. in the 1960s the baby boomers, the largest generation in history, changed the nation, maybe the world, and instigated social and political change. Right now, our generation (generation Y?) is even bigger then the baby boomers. We are also presented with the possibility to instigate vast social and political change. Van Jones pointed out that out generation has a monumental challenge, making millions of jobs, bringing industry back to the United States and doing it in a environmentally conscience way. To partially solve this problem he suggested investing in Green Energy. He explained that America is not broke, we have the biggest GDP in the world, and we need to stop thinking that way. (This last point contradicts some things we have learned in class, but I think he was being inspirational- not factual). He ultimately left generation Y with a challenge, to turn the countries economy around and transform how the country will look in the future.

Utopian City?

After Tuesday's class I spent more time trying to figure out what a perfect city of mine would have. As a class leader this week Matt, Colleen and I analyzed the pictures and found many of the same aspects and trends throughout. I Google-searched) Utopian City and found "Victory City". This Utopian City was supposed to be built around 2002 and boasts a clean, protected and correctly populated city. The characteristics that are similar include; forested areas, offices, retail businesses, and recreation areas. There is a lower cost of living with higher standard of living due to better efficiency. Some ideas that I did not originally think of for my Utopian city would be a better mode of travel. For me my only viable option is to drive my car. However, if there was a better and more effective way (such as a subway) back and forth to school I would gladly take that and not pay for gas. There are many aspects to a utopian city and having it all in one place, could that really make it perfect? Here in the US I don't necessarily think that we're looking for a perfect Utopia but having a great clean-up and better environment physically and socially would benefit us all. For the interesting website I looked at http://www.victorycities.com/tour/index.html . It's a little goofy but a nice idea.

Homophobia in Suburbia

The article entitled "Gay Neighbors Impact Property Values," evaluated the potential relationship between same-sex couples and housing prices. Researchers used 2000 census data from Ohio and compared the number of same-sex, unmarried partner houses with the percentage of people who voted for the "Defense of Marriage Act" in 2004, which stated that a marriage could only consist of one man and one woman. As expected, results revealed that an increase in same-sex households in conservative areas was associated with a one percent decrease in housing prices, and in very liberal areas, an increase in same-sex households was associated with a 1.1 percent increase in home prices. The research also showed that an increase in lesbian households had an "insignificant effect," which reveals that only households headed by gay men have an effect. So maybe intolerance is more costly than people think...

http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture/gay-neighbors-impact-property-values-37507/

Accommodating Automobiles

Here is a short article about the issues that arise when a city focuses too much of its resources on automobile accommodation. Not only does it leave many parking lots scattered around the city, but it creates equity problems because cars are not universally accessible to youth, people with lower incomes, or those with disabilities.

http://www.prrecordgazette.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3354094

the story of old pasadena

This week in class we are talking about the future and how to solve the housing crises. I would like to share with everyone the story of a little place in Los Angeles called Old Town. No more then 20 years ago, Old Town Pasadena was known as skid row. Abandoned store fronts, homelessness and drugs plagued Colorado Blvd. Today it is a thriving shopping district that attracts people from miles around. To learn more, visit this website. This is a real life rags to riches story.


http://www.oldpasadena.org/history1990s.asp

Futuristic cities?

Perhaps considering new and different directions for recreating cities would be better then modeling plans off existing ones. simply to provoke :) here are some fascinating ideas for futuristic green cities

http://www.environmentteam.com/2010/08/31/pictures-of-futuristic-cities/

I'm excited to see everyone's drawings on Thursday! 

Downtown Kalamazoo, student friendly?

I believe that downtown Kalamazoo and the surrounding areas are more lively and friendly than other cities that I've been to but it could still get better. making it more student friendly and inviting could change it in a good way. I mean there are hundreds of thousands of students in this area, why not make it the place to be at night for us college students? I have only been here for over a year and I've been downtown a few time and I like it but I feel like there isn't a whole lot to do down there sometimes besides eat at some very nice restaurants. Maybe its just me and I need to spend some more time down there and explore.

Imaginary Cities

Our last class activity was depicting an ideal city with all the components that defines a perfect city (like Portland, Oregon?). Once I had the freedom to be creative, I began drawing rivers, farmers market, university campuses, cafes, restaurants, libraries, and everything else in a modern building structure. Yeah, my finished product was quite nice, I must say. But it got depressing when Dr. McKinney asked if it would be possible to transform the assigned cities into our imaginary scenery.

If Portland turned itself to a convivial city.

Could you imagine Kalamazoo or Detroit looking like this?