Posted by  Paul Malo on May 01, 2002 at 18:49:09:

In Reply to:  ArchWeek - Livable Places Project posted by Kevin Matthews on May 01, 2002 at 18:38:40:

We've discussed this topic fairly recently. As observed previously, in my urban area there is no shortage of housing; in fact, large sectors of the city have many substantial houses vacant. The notion that we need to construct emergeny shelters simply is not applicable here--as I suppose it is not in many American cities.

What we have, but need more, is a program of self-help to redeem abandoned properties. While "red lining" by banks may no longer be the common practice it once was, applicants for mortgages still are required to have substantial capital before borrowing. We have a "homesteading" program here that helps, but it doesn't begin to attack the problem of deteriorating housing stock.

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