Tag: affordable-housing
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Gentrifier
Book Review Gentrification is a term we’ve all heard, but few truly understand its complex mechanics. Anne Elizabeth Moore’s memoir “Gentrifier” offers a uniquely personal window into this process, chronicling her experience after winning a “free house” in Detroit through a writer’s residency program. What initially seemed like a dream opportunity quickly unraveled into a…
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Homelessness is a Housing Problem
Book Review I have been in my new role as Community Development Manager for almost a year now and one of the steepest learning curves for me was understanding our continuum of care and homeless outreach services. There is a whole network of agencies and departments working to support families and individuals at risk of…
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Modular Housing: a solution to the housing crisis
At the University of Nebraska Lincoln, architecture students over the course of several semesters have been both learning and attempting to solve a major housing problem–how to built smaller homes to accommodate the growing aging population in our cities that are looking to downsize while maintaining affordability. This project was initiated by Partners for a…
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From Decline to Growth: Lessons from Company Town Histories
I have been working in small towns across the Midwest for about a year now and have seen firsthand the struggle they face in trying to maintain growth or in some cases, turnaround their decline. Many communities are successful, as noted in the book Our Towns which I recently read and reviewed. Oftentimes, the recommendations…
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Snob Zones
Book Review In cities across America, residents balk at the idea of density. “Putting twenty-eight homes on just under four acres is crazy.” This is almost the exact density of my neighborhood in Northeast Minneapolis which seems perfect to me. My yard is just the right size to mow with a reel lawn mower, but…
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Understanding Density: The Future of Living Spaces
It is hard to keep pace with the ever changing trend of where people want to live. One week we seem to be moving back into cities, the next the suburbs are back on the rise. Larger trends like the suburban flight of the 1950’s and 60’s are easier to see, but the year to year…
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Transforming Neighborhoods: Small Projects, Big Impact
I recently read an article by Robert Steuteville titled “Great Idea:Incremental Developers”. The incremental developer is someone who creates meaningful change in their own communities through small scale building projects. When I thought about this for a moment, I realized I was an incremental developer when I lived in Lubbock, Texas. My husband and I…
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Density vs. Preservation: the never ending battle
I began my career as a preservation planning intern in Lincoln, Nebraska. While there, I mostly worked on National Register nominations and local landmark designations. Lincoln was receptive to preservation and not in the business of demolition. There was no need to pack density into the downtown core at the expense of historic buildings because…
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The Planning Lady 