Housing Crisis Hits Them All, Big and Small: a Global Problem.

From Benjamin Schneider, CityLab.

From reading the press, you’d think the housing crisis is mainly relevant to superstar cities like New York, London, and San Francisco. But housing is becoming increasingly expensive in a wide range of cities, including Philadelphia and Detroit. And the worst of the housing crisis by far is not in the wealthy cities of the advanced world, but in the rapidly urbanizing cities of the developing world, where hundreds of millions of people live in substandard housing, lacking electricity, running water, or basic sanitation.

The global housing crisis reflects a fundamental paradox of contemporary capitalism. Cities around the world are more economically powerful and essential than ever. This creates tremendous demand for their land, leading to escalating housing costs and competition.

Meanwhile, housing has been financialized and turned into an investment vehicle, which has caused an oversupply of luxury housing and a lack of affordable housing in many cities across the world. The global housing crisis is defined by a chronic shortage of housing for the least advantaged, and in many cases, for the working and middle classes as well.

Although increasing the housing supply and strengthening renter protections are necessary and important steps, cities alone cannot address the deep structural problem of housing affordability. Where possible, higher levels of government and international development organizations will need to step in to rein in financialization and provide the affordable housing that is so badly needed. But if past is precedent, cities will remain stuck with many of these burdens, and will have to come up with creative solutions to this crisis.

Link to the rest here.

Image. Google Maps.

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Hospital Demolition Continues.

From Tyler Kula, Sarnia Observer.

As rubble sorting continues on the site of the former Sarnia General Hospital, community members are being invited to weigh plans for the land’s redevelopment.

Five local businessmen – GFive Inc. – behind the proposal for new residential, commercial and medical-use buildings at the 7.5-acre George and Mitton streets land parcels are inviting the public to comment on their plan April 17, 6:30 p.m. at the Lochiel Kiwanis Community Centre.

The invite comes as the group has formally submitted for rezoning with the city, said Kenn Poore, one of GFive’s members.

Hopes are the proposal comes to council sometime in May for a decision, he said.

Meanwhile, the group wants to hear from the public, he said.

“We’ve delivered flyers to all of the neighbours there now, inviting them to come and comment and ask questions,” he said.

“So we hope that some of them do turn up.”

The proposal, Poore said, is mostly unchanged from the vision presented last year before council agreed to sell the city-owned properties for $1,000 – conditional on GFive knocking down the former hospital and auxiliary buildings and tearing out asbestos, and with more than $5 million from city coffers thrown in to help with demolition costs.

Link to the rest here.

Image. Zach Neal.

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Duc D'Orleans Seniors' Cruise Is On for June 25.

From Tyler Kula, Sarnia Observer.

Running a free cruise for seniors isn’t much of a stretch for an agency already focused on helping the demographic, and people with disabilities.

So says Bill Yurchuk, CEO of Lambton Elderly Outreach (LEO).

The Plympton-Wyoming-based not-for-profit announced earlier this month it’s carrying on the annual Sarnia Seniors Cruise aboard the Duc d’Orleans II as long-time volunteer organizer Marni Thomas steps away for health reasons.

“I just thought it was something that needs to continue,” said Yurchuk, who said he spoke with Thomas last week and received her blessing to do just that.

It’ll be the 40th year for the cruise that typically carries about 1,000 people along the St. Clair River the last Monday in June.

This year’s is set for June 25, Yurchuk said.

Link to the rest here.

Images. Zach Neal.

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