The Revitalist

The NY Times reports on a complaint filed by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition against Zillow that alleges racial and class discrimination. The NCRC alleges that "Zillow is placing the American dream of homeownership at risk for countless working families" by undervaluing homes in low-income and minority neighborhoods and misrepresenting the accuracy of their valuations. Zillow says that their "zestimates" are determined based on public data (recent sales, tax assessments, deed registrations, etc.) and that they do not use demographic data in their algorithm. They also rank their accuracy by comparing zestimates with actual sales figures. The accuracy varies place to place (obviously they are more accurate where there is more sales data), but the rating is clearly available on their website for the locale where you are searching.

Seems to me that this is a web literacy issue. Zillow is meant to be a tool for individuals to use to yardstick the info they are getting from their real estate agents and for general research. People on the web have to use these tools critically and to judge for themselves the accuracy of the info. We harp on our kids about research on the web and how to judge a site's credibility – this is a reminder that adults need to apply the same scrutiny. As for the undervaluation of low-income/minority neighborhoods, if Zillow doesn't use demographic data, then you can't accuse them of bias. If the actual sales info reflects a larger bias in the market, then that's a different problem.

The NY Times has an interesting article on the rising backlash against trick or treating in England. The more traditional Bonfire Night with the burning of the Guy Fawkes effigy is dying out, largely due to the expense of mandated safety measures (don't get me started on this one - as if people haven't been torching Guy since the 17th century), and being replaced by a version of "American-style" trick or treating that is largely being interpreted as organized mugging. A recent survey reported that over fifty percent of people had pretended not to be home to avoid trick or treaters.

Personally, I think that Halloween is wonderful – one of those moments where the community opens up – but it works because it's a tradition that has been passed down through generations. The unhappiness in the UK seems to come from the fact that the behavior has been transplanted without all the history and unspoken rules that govern the event (it's not really about lust for chocolate). If I were British, I would spend my efforts reviving the Bonfire Night.

Happy Halloween.

With the US population at 300 million, USA Today looks at where will all those people live. The exec. director of Smart Growth America is quoted as saying, "The rate of land consumption is twice the rate of population growth." The article runs down some of the evolving trends in development and urban planning that will hope to address the pressures of growing population and declining greenfields. But the words "adaptive reuse" or "historic preservation" are not mentioned once. The adaptive reuse of former industrial and commercial buildings in urban cores (already built to handle high-density populations) is inherently a sustainable solution to this housing crunch. Unfortunately, while the smart growth and brownfields redevelopment advocates are really good at getting their word out, the preservation and adaptive reuse crowd lags behind. We have an opportunity to participate in the reshaping of our communities that serves many needs at once, but we aren't selling ourselves well. Preservation organizations need to focus not just on saving historic homes, but also on their role in the community and economic revitalization of our cities. The greenies, smart growthists, brownfielders and the adaptive reusers are all working for the same goal – we need to start working together.

CoolTown Studios posts today about downtown co-op grocery stores. An organization called Food Co-op 500 is working to start 500 co-op food stores around the country. They can help you start one in your downtown.

I have fond memories of the 55th Street Co-op in Hyde Park, Chicago. They were the only "real" grocery store in the neighborhood, serving the University of Chicago crowd and the other residents, and they had everything you were looking for.  The Co-op was a real focal point of the neighborhood with a newsletter and community calendar, delivery service and a shut-in shopping service. As a grad student without a car, it was a bit of a haul, but my handy canvas shopping bag made it much easier.

 

$2.45 million, Queens, NY 

 

 

Wouldn't you love to live in a city where you could climb a mountain, lie on the beach, hike in a National Forest, and raft down a river? A city with a variety of ethnic neighborhoods, housing options from crummy apartments to fantastic mansions, and lots of unique shopping? A city with a truly international airport, buildings designed by world renowned architects, and fabulous museums? Well, we all would. You just have to find it – where is Springfield anyway?

 Spend your afternoon exploring Springfield – and check out this interactive version of the map.

Planetizen links to an article at The Slatin Report that advocates for more green corporate buildings. It's not as hard as it used to be – the author sets out 10 key points to keep in mind when building the next corporate hq. The advice is pretty standard, but the first, and most important, point bears repeating. If you want to go green, start with an integrated team right from the project's conception. You can't just slap on different mechanical systems at the end of the project and expect to be hailed as an environmental savior. That being said, there are lots of possibilities in retrofitting existing buildings to make them as efficient as possible that are pretty appealing.

The most inspiring quote from the article: "Financial institutions and investors will soon use new valuation methodologies to quantify important green building factors like productivity and long-term life cycle costs when determining real estate values." If lenders recognize an increased value in green buildings, then green suddenly becomes an economically feasible alternative for a much bigger audience. 

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the thorny issue of satelite dishes in Boston neighborhoods. The Boston City Council is considering restrictions to prevent a gaggle of dishes from making the neighborhood look crummy, but the Council in limited in their ability to do something by Federal legislation that protects access to the service. The dishes have to point south for reception, so often they are forced to be on the street front facade. The Council could require that the dishes be placed elsewhere unless necessary, but who is going to enforce that? Also, the dishes are owned by residents and often abandoned when people move, resulting in multi-dish building fronts where only one or two residents are actually using the service. The Council could pass a ordinance declaring these dishes abandoned after a certain period of time and require landlords to remove them. Seems like that would be a workable solution that would cut down on the eyesore quotient.

The Boston Business Journal reports that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is planning to submit a revised plan for their parcels on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, despite the Greenway Conservancy's recommendations that they be stripped of their designation for those parcels. The new plan will be phased to allow for fund raising. The first phase is $7 million for public gardens on the Greenway, and the second is $15 million for a 20,000 sq ft building that will house a year-round garden and other program. This is significantly scaled down from the Garden Under Glass proposal, but perhaps it's do-able. Interesting to see what happens...

This is the best photo of the diner that I could find online. It's from Boston Bill's photo gallery of his very cool 1947 Ford pickup.

The Globe reports on the dire plight of the Big Dig Diner in South Boston. The Big Dig, located in the Marine Industrial Park, has been shuttered since 2003 and is now facing demolition. The site is targeted for redevelopment by the BRA, and the Dorchester non-profit that owns the diner has been told to move it or else. Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses operated the diner as part of a job training program that trained at-risk youth in culinary work. The program was a success, but the diner failed to draw enough patrons to support the program. If you've always dreamed of running an old-style diner, here's your chance to pick one up for a song. The publisher of Roadside magazine and diner enthusiast, Randy Garbin, is trying to put a sale together. You just need a spot to move it to.