housing

Finance for future communities: equity partnerships and investment unions

This week we are featuring two articles from Fleeing Vesuvius which explore ethical, equitable approaches to finance. Tim Helweg-Larsen describes his recent attempt to establish an equity partnership in North Wales and Oscar Kjellberg draws on the example of Mondragon in order to examine the role which community bankers could perform as intermediaries between local stakeholders in the future.

Site Value Tax Brochure – Read Online

Site Value Tax is a tax policy proposed by Smart Taxes Network. It would be an annual charge on zoned land, based on its market value, which would fund government expenditure and encourage productive and sustainable investment. Smart Taxes have created this brochure to offer a clear and simple explanation of what the tax is, how it works and the benefits it offers.

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Helping to regenerate: overcoming conflicts of interest in property development

The conventional way of financing property development entangles those involved in a web of debt and conflicting business interests. This week we are featuring two articles from Fleeing Vesuvius which describe a new way of organising developments that promises better buildings, more affordable rents and a stake in the outcome for everyone. Chris Cook provides an overview of this new approach and James Pike gives examples of how it could work to rescue building projects hit by the downturn in Ireland.

Why Pittsburgh real estate never crashes: the tax reform that stabilised a city’s economy

by Dan Sullivan, from Fleeing Vesuvius. Pittsburgh and Cleveland have adopted diametrically opposed strategies, with dramatically different results. In Pittsburgh, foreclosure rates are low despite the downturn, home prices are climbing slightly and construction rates are increasing. Cleveland, meanwhile, is struggling to stem a complete collapse of its housing market. The difference lies in the fact that Pittsburgh has had a site-value tax, which steadies the market, and Cleveland has not.

George Monbiot on Housing Under-Occupancy

George Monbiot has an article in the Guardian about housing under-occupancy, drawing attention to two contradictory housing crises: under-supply of housing stock and under-occupancy of existing houses. The issue is surplus housing – the remarkable growth of space that people don’t need. Between 2003 and 2008 (the latest available figures), there was a 45% increase [...]