Category: Policy
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Gentrification in the Plateau, Montreal’s most famous neighborhood
By Alyssa Campbell The Plateau-Mont-Royal is arguably Montreal’s most famous neighborhood. Ranked by many publications as one of North America’s “best neighborhoods,” the Plateau has built a reputation for being a hip area with trendy bars, shopping, restaurants and cafes. Yet four decades ago life in the neighborhood was quite the opposite, on the precipice of…
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Eminent domain, not always evil?
Eminent domain is one of those government powers that has gotten some bad press in recent years, mainly due it being used for economic development. But eminent domain doesn’t have to be all bad. Ellen Brown wrote a compelling piece on using ED as a tool to help reclaim foreclosed properties whose ownership is…
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Mortgage Complaints
The 2008 mortgage crisis fascinated me at the time and then last year I bought a home. Therefore, I was pretty terrified during the whole process. Plus, I felt naked having to share my entire financial life to strangers. The NY Times had a recent article on “Complaints About Closings.” It is nice to…
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Counting the Carbon Foot Prints and Changing Our Behavior!
In a recent discussion with a planner the question of over-consumption came up and how it impacts the health of our planet. It is understood that we consume more raw materials than a sustainable eco-system can provide for. In 2007 our (global) Ecological Foot Print was 1.5 planet earth, i.e. we consumed earth’s resources 1.5 times faster than the earth…
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Climate Change – The Verdict Is In
United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just published their fifth assessment report and the conclusion is that the global warming is caused by human activity and the scientific evidence is overwhelming and incontrovertible. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific body set up in 1988 by the United Nations. It is charged to gather comprehensive scientific assessments of…
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More About Detroit Bankruptcy
Guardian, UK News papers and blogosphere published many articles on the plight of Detroit and what led to its decline. Following are few articles I picked to share with those who are still searching for information and answers. Hundred and eighty-two year old Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit area. It…