Category Archives: Housing

The Housing Debate Shows How Meaningless Political Descriptions Are

Posted on May 29, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Last week, Farhad Manjoo of the NY Times had an article which was given the online headline of “America’s Cities Are Unlivable. Blame Wealthy Liberals” and a print headline of “Nimby Liberals Make Cities Unlivable.” Interestingly, Manjoo himself doesn’t use … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Democrats, Housing | 4 Comments

Gentrification Without The Rise Is Just Urban Poverty

Posted on May 9, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Gentrification seems to be in the news again, which always serves as a reminder that the word gentrification is usually very poorly defined. As we’ve noted before, gentrification is a two-step process. First, middle- and lower middle-class people leave a … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Urban Planning | Comments Off on Gentrification Without The Rise Is Just Urban Poverty

Schools In The Richest Nation On Earth

Posted on April 22, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

This, from Montgomery County, MD, one of the richest counties in the U.S., is disheartening (boldface mine): When Abbe Milstein’s eldest daughter started at Luxmanor Elementary, the classrooms were roomy. But when her two other children enrolled several years later, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Housing | 1 Comment

Why I Am Pessimistic About Global Warming Progress

Posted on March 14, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Maybe it’s the jumping forward due to Daylight Saving Time still kicking in, but the problem in combating global warming is that the ‘zipless fuck’ solutions aren’t enough. Weatherizing your house and driving an electric vehicle aren’t enough. We’ll outsource … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming, Housing, Transportation | Comments Off on Why I Am Pessimistic About Global Warming Progress

The Bronx Is Not Burning: Fighting The Urban Battles Of Yesteryear

Posted on February 21, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Recently, Amazon announced that they would no longer be building ‘HQ2’ in Long Island City, NY. The general consensus seems to be that the deal fell apart over the money Amazon, a trillion dollar company, would receive from the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Urban Planning | 1 Comment

Without Vision…

Posted on January 18, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

…the Democratic Party will perish. Or at least not do as well in 2020 as we need it to. Let me preface this by noting, as I have many times, that Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is arguably the best floor whip … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Housing | Comments Off on Without Vision…

One Way Federal Policy Can Influence Local Housing Zoning For The Better

Posted on January 11, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

A couple of weeks ago, Minneapolis passed legislation banning single-family zoning. Here’s what that means (boldface mine): Opening up Minneapolis’ wealthiest, most exclusive districts to triplexes, the theory goes, will create new opportunities for people to move for schools or … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Taxes, Urban Planning | 2 Comments

The Housing Crisis Is Intertwined With The Transit Crisis

Posted on January 2, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

They intersect, if you will. Even though many low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia have available mass transit, many people still use cars (boldface mine): Throughout many Philadelphia neighborhoods, cars are the most common commuting choice, but that is particularly the case … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Transportation | 1 Comment

Unwilling To Truly Combat Global Warming: The WaPo Transit Edition

Posted on December 12, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

While this Washington Post editorial would appear to be about a minor transit issue, it represents the kind of failure that we must end if we’re serious about stopping climate change (boldface mine): WHEN GOV. Larry Hogan (R) last year … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Global Warming, Housing, Transportation | Comments Off on Unwilling To Truly Combat Global Warming: The WaPo Transit Edition

The Rent Is Too Damn High

Posted on December 9, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Or, if you prefer, affordable housing is now an upper-middle class problem. Not a gentry class problem, but definitely one for the upper-middle class. Consider the median D.C. household income–which is pretty good compared to many places!–of $77,686. Affordable housing, … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Housing | 2 Comments