Archive for September 2009
Expert: U.S. Falling Behind Europe in the Green Race
While America’s green building market will likely continue its rapid growth over the coming years, architects, developers and contractors in the U.S. could still learn a lot from their European counterparts, according to engineer Jerry Yudelson, a green building proponent.
Read MoreGuest Blog with Lili Dunn: Lights, Camera… Where’s the action?
After essentially shutting down since the fall of 2008, the real estate transaction market is starting to show some signs of life. According to Real Capital Analytics (RCA), a leading real estate data provider, July marked the first consecutive gain in transaction volume in seven quarters. Yet sales volume is barely 10 percent of the…
Read MoreEDITOR’S NOTE: 1,000 Green Supers in One Year
Does it matter how green your buildings are if the people responsible for their daily operations don’t know how to properly maintain their sustainable lifestyle?
Read MoreFinding the Silver Lining: General Liability Coverage For FHA/ADA Claims
Over the past several years, developers and owners of multifamily housing have been the targets of numerous lawsuits filed by government enforcement agencies, including the United States Department of Justice, private disability rights organizations, and individuals alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act (the “FHA”) and Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”). The “damages” and attorneys’ fees claimed by plaintiffs in these lawsuits, including the cost to modify existing buildings to comply with applicable accessibility guidelines, as well as the enormous costs in defending such lawsuits, have created significant financial exposure to the multifamily housing industry.
Read MoreHousing Conference Examines Global and Local Impact of Credit Crunch
The far-reaching impact of the global credit crunch was discussed by academics and experts at the recent “Housing Assets, Housing People” conference at the University of Glasgow. The four-day event was hosted by the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee 43—a group of academics from various disciplines who study aspects of housing—as well as the University of Glasgow.
Read More‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Car-ied Away
So I was sitting in a ULI professional conference on “Developing Green” several months ago and made a small note to myself. “What a good idea it might be to consider the adaptive re-use of shuttered automobile dealerships.” Well, imagine my ironic delight as I read in Globe St. this morning about a new arm…
Read More‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin Henry: The Hearth Still Makes a Home
Today, when uncertainty surrounds us and the world outside seems lost to confusion and chaos, we seek, almost by instinct, sanctuary and communal comfort, much like our ancestors once did around an open fire. Reaching into our collective past, to a time when all family, community and social activates took place deep within the heart…
Read More‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: It’s Not Easy Being Green…If Your Renters Don’t Know that You Are
According to McKinsey & Co.’s recent report, “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy,” investing in energy-efficient buildings now will lead to $1.2 trillion in savings, as well as reduce the nation’s energy consumption by 23 percent, by 2020. “Green building can stimulate the economy at a level one and a half times larger than…
Read MoreThe Global Forecast
If MHN’s global market report was a weather forecast, it might begin with gloomy clouds settling in over most of the multifamily world, with the possible exception of Washington, D.C. and Houston in the United States. The forecast would then call for steadily brightening skies, especially over a number of coastal California cities and high-growth…
Read MoreCommunity Living
When one traditionally thinks of garden apartments, sprawling suburban communities with plenty of open green space often come to mind. But with suburban sprawl quickly becoming a thing of the past, and with an emerging demographic of Generation Y renters who tend to desire closer proximity to the city, the new garden apartment communities are more urban than ever before.
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