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Vertical Farms Expand as Demand for Year-Round Produce Grows

Amy Zipkin

April 06, 2022 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Venture capitalists are increasingly interested in investing in indoor vertical farms as a way to combat supply chain disruptions and grow crop yields in a changing climate. A number of these farms are opening in the coming years throughout the United States and the industry is expected to grow to $9.7 billion worldwide by 2026. However, running an indoor vertical farm does have some technological limits and can result in high energy costs.

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Cooperatively Owned Builder Sees Affordable Housing, Climate Action in ‘Granny Flats'

Ashira Morris

March 03, 2022 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Evanston, Illinois

A building cooperative is changing local zoning laws and building small houses known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the suburbs of Chicago. The efforts support economic equity by increasing the supply of housing in a community where housing and rental prices have been on the rise. ADUs also produce smaller carbon footprints, making them a sustainable housing option.

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A new fund seeks to close the racial wealth gap by helping Black families buy homes in metro Denver

Tatiana Flowers

February 23, 2022 |

The Colorado Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Black families that make less than $140,000 a year can qualify for down payment assistance to purchase a home in Denver. The Deerfield for Black Wealth is attempting to close the racial wealth gap that has remained pervasive due to a lack of generational wealth. Owning real estate creates housing stability as well as an increase in family wealth and opportunity, which leads to economic mobility.

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Could modular housing be a quick fix for the affordability crisis?

Josh Sherman

February 22, 2022 |

TVO |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Cambridge, Ontario

Ontario’s lack of housing supply has inspired the construction of modular housing: repurposed shipping containers that people now call home. Shipping containers can be converted into homes faster than traditional homes can be built. The approach is saving time and is meant to eventually bring down the soaring cost of housing.

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The City Owned by Locals

Mary Hall

February 04, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, South Bend, Indiana

Incremental investment is gaining momentum in South Bend as an alternative to big developers. Residents are given the network and knowledge to become micro-developers so that ownership and money stay within the local economy. The project aims to cultivate community and strengthen the local economy.

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The Forgotten Answer to the Affordable Housing Crisis

Cole Sinanian

February 03, 2022 |

Eugene Weekly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

Housing cooperatives were once a successful strategy for creating affordable housing. The method has been traced back to the 19th century in New York City and is now making a comeback. Limited equity cooperatives are owned by multiple people who make a payment for buy-in and create a board that makes collective decisions about the property and how it’s run. Unlike other coops, residents can’t decide to sell and make a large profit which maintains the affordability over time.

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How Cleveland is salvaging old buildings to create a new circular economy

Marc Lefkowitz

February 01, 2022 |

The Land |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Developers in Cleveland are salvaging building parts that can be reused in other construction projects. The sustainable initiative known as deconstructing helps reduce carbon footprints and helps avoid the “high social and environmental costs of dumping demolition material in landfills.”

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On the bricks: Efforts to increase commercial affordability in Boulder and beyond take time and planning

Angela K. Evans

November 11, 2021 |

Boulder Weekly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

A big factor in the high costs of doing business in Boulder is a tight and expensive commercial real estate market. Some of the many initiatives the city is considering are beginning to work already in Portland. There, the city's economic development agency, Prosper Portland, has acted as an intermediary to open more affordable spaces to small, local businesses. With extras like marketing and accounting help, the program managed to retain all of its original tenants, although a big push to enlist private developers in creating new space has hit snags.

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Mobile turns blighted homes into affordable housing

Sarah Whites-Koditschek

November 11, 2021 |

AL.com (Alabama Media Group) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Mobile, Alabama

Home makeovers are increasing the stock of available affordable housing in Mobile. Instead of constructing new developments, the city is repairing vacant homes with federal housing funds, resulting in a “53 percent drop in blighted properties” while simultaneously alleviating the housing shortage.

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Here's how Charlotte could turn property taxes into rental help

Lauren Lindstrom

November 02, 2021 |

The Charlotte Observer |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Property taxes are being used to subsidize rent for households that earn up to 30 percent of the area median income. The pilot program allows landlords to use the tax rebates to cover rent for tenants who would be unable to live there otherwise. The initiative makes rent more affordable and also keeps affordable housing from being sold to developers who create luxury apartments, reducing the available affordable housing stock.

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