Climate Housing
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Out of reach: How sprawl jacks up the cost of ‘affordable’ housing
We've poured billions in to low-income housing deep in the suburbs and far from mass transit. The result? Just getting to work and back and paying rent can gobble up half a family's income. Now, affordable housing is getting a facelift.
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If people got rid of their extra cars, they could afford an extra house
The average American family owns 2.28 cars, and even in genuinely car-dependent areas they could probably get away with one. How much does that excess auto capacity cost? Enough that if everyone ditched their unnecessary vehicles, they’d save an average of $186,425.03 over 30 years. In a lot of places, that’s enough to buy another […]
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Nature is trying to reabsorb the exurbs
Great news for folks who have watched the value of their exurban McMansions circling the drain over the past few years: These fringe habitations can be returned to nature to find new life as wildlife habitats. It’s basically the real estate version of composting. Okay, so there's not really an official effort to make subdivisions […]
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Can you say ‘sprawl’? Walmart’s biggest climate impact goes ignored
My, that’s a big abandoned parking lot you have.Photo: Rob StinnettEarlier this year, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance tried but failed to block a permit for a new Walmart supercenter in the small coastal town of Toms River. The development, now moving forward, will destroy habitat for the threatened northern […]
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Ten years of car commuting could cost you $125,000
A lot of home buyers are pushing out into the exurbs because the houses are cheaper there -- but long commutes come with hidden costs that could seriously dent any money you might save on a mortgage. A personal finance blogger with the trust-inspiring nom de plume of Mr. Money Mustache (okay, so he's a mustache, but it's a MONEY mustache!) has calculated that a two-car commute of 19 miles each way would cost a couple $125,000 over 10 years. That makes a $250,000 home into a $375,000 home, but all you get for your extra money is a tension headache.
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The curse of the exurbs
Sprawling, farther-off suburbs like Yorkville, Ill., boomed during the housing bubble, but have taken a terrific tumble in the crash.
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How smart growth in cities saves wilderness [VIDEO]
The relationship between smart urban development and rural conservation is a mutually beneficial one.
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Which cities pay the most for gas?
Which cities eat up the most gas? Mint.com has the lowdown on how often their users buy gas every month, and how much they spend (click for a larger infographic).
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Mom who lost son in hit-and-run could face more jail time than driver
Raquel Nelson of Marietta and her three children were hit by a tipsy two-time hit-and-runner, Jerry L. Guy, in April 2010. Nelson's 4-year-old later died of his injuries. But prosecutors dropped a homicide charge against Guy, and he was sentenced to two years for hit-and-run and served only six months. Nelson, who was convicted this week of vehicular manslaughter for having the chutzpah to cross a street, could get 36 months -- six times longer than the man who killed her child.
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Look how much more space we'd have without sprawl
If we could just get everyone in the world to pack in a little tighter, we'd have a hell of a lot more open space to work with. Imagine the possibilities! We could pack everyone into the Midwest, fill Canada with wind turbines, and leave everything else for wildlife. Okay, maybe that's not realistic, […]
