Economic and ecological truth

Pod people

… dysfunctional layout of their physical environment — the separation of land uses; the physical disconnect between houses, offices and stores built in pods; the stringing of those pods along feeder and arterial roads — that they take it for granted.

Smart Growth scorecards. Anytime the Federal Government gets involved, I become suspicious.

What is a “successful” blog?

A smart growth book and review.

There is more to the debate over sprawl than just anti-Wal-Mart hysteria and anger over traffic. At heart, it’s about politics, broadly speaking. The decentralizing trends in living and working patterns, first in suburbs and later in exurbs, have been deeply problematic for the Democratic party and the American left. So have the decentralizing patterns of the American economy in the last several decades, and the ongoing decentralization of information and media.

Same with framing an argument as “left -v- right.” Polarizing rarely helps effect solutions. That’s why I read both sides as often as possible and read between the lines.

New math on homes.

Calculating what to pay for your home.

You look at the “comps,” of course. A real estate agent will tell you what comparable houses in the neighborhood sold for. Web sites like Zillow.com or HomeValues.com value homes the same way.

Please. Good Realtors analyze the intangibles that add and/or decrease a property’s value. Note: “Good Realtors.”