The Involvement of Business Elites in the Management of Homelessness: Towards a Privatization of Service Provision for Homeless People?

Although the influence of local urban elites on urban planning is well established in urban studies and geography, the ways in which business and property owners take part in the management of homelessness has received far less attention. This article focuses on Portland (OR) in the United States as a means of understanding the motivations that underlie the role of the private sector and its impact on public policies. To this end, I focus on the support by Portland's downtown Business Improvement District of homeless outreach programs, and on the funding of two homeless shelters by business elites / philanthropists. I argue that although public authorities have different views on the actions to be taken to end homelessness, business elites often manage to bring initially-reluctant public authorities to support their projects in what might be termed a forced-march cooperation. I also highlight the versatility of the private sector and business elites’ participation in homelessness management, given that the outreach programs they support and the homeless facilities they fund provide services for the homeless while simultaneously removing them from visible public space. In this sense, the involvement of business and property owners is also a way for them to protect their own interests.

Future Property Risk Estimation For Wildfire In Louisiana, USA

Background: Wildfire is an important but understudied natural hazard. As with other natural hazards, wildfire research is all too often conducted at too broad a spatial scale to identify local or regional patterns. This study addresses these gaps by examining the current and future wildfire property risk at the census-block level in Louisiana, a U.S. state with relatively dense population and substantial vulnerability to loss from this hazard, despite its wet climate. Here wildfire risk is defined as the product of exposure and vulnerability to the hazard, where exposure is a function of the historical and anticipated future wildfire frequency and extent, and the latter is a function of population, structure and content property value, damage probability, and percent of property damaged. Results: Historical (1992−2015) average annual statewide property loss due to wildfire was $5,556,389 (2010$), with the greatest risk to wildfire in southwestern inland, east-central, extreme northwestern, and coastal southwestern Louisiana. Based on existing climate and environmental model output, this research projects that wildfire will increase by 25 percent by 2050 in Louisiana from current values. When combined with projections of population and property value, it is determined that the geographic distribution of risk by 2050 will remain similar to that today – with highest risk in southwestern inland Louisiana and east-central Louisiana. However, the magnitude of risk will increase across the state, especially in those areas. Projected annual loss will be $11,167,496 by 2050 (2010$) due to population growth, intensification of development at the wildland-urban interface, and climate change. The wildfire-induced property damage is notable because it is projected to increase by 101 percent. These values do not include crop, forestry, or indirect losses (e.g., cost of evacuation and missed time at work), which are likely to be substantial. Conclusions: The results suggest that increased efforts are needed to contain wildfires, to reduce the future risk. Otherwise, wildfire managers, environmental planners, actuaries, community leaders, and individual property owners in Louisiana will need to anticipate and budget for additional efforts to mitigate the economic (and presumably other) impacts associated with a substantial and increasing hazard that often goes underestimated.

Successful Circular Bio-Based Construction Initiatives: Five Essentials from Case Studies

There are challenges surrounding circularity and the application of bio-based material in construction, but also potentials. This paper aims to identify success and fail factors for the initiation phase of construction projects and shows what is essential to realize affordable circular and bio-based. This was specifically investigated for initiators of construction projects, like real estate professionals, property owners and developers. Based on case studies, we describe what these actors should focus on and pursue before the actual construction starts. For the purpose of this paper, research was done and interviews were held with people involved in exemplary projects (case studies). The interviews focused on choices that were made during the initiation phase that were decisive for the degree of circularity and the extent to which bio-based materials were applied. Motivations and consequences were covered. We found that are five essentials for successful circular bio-based construction. These five essentials form the outline of this paper: 1. AFFORDABLE cost-effective & inclusive reuse; 2. FLEXIBLE prepare for future functions; 3. PASSIVE stay cool & healthy with bio-based materials; 4. INTEGRAL continuously reflect on circular bio-based benefits; 5. TRADITIONAL OWNERSHIP keep it, simple. In one case, all five essentials were put into practice, while in the other cases it was a combination of three or four essentials. The five essentials and cases in this paper can be used as inspiration for product and process and could help realize affordable and feasible circular bio-based constructions. By focusing on the essentials, initiators have guidance to prevent valuable resources (including energy) going to waste, today and in the future.

A Private Tree By-Law’s Contribution to Maintaining a Diverse Urban Forest: Exploring Homeowners’ Replanting Compliance and the Role of Construction Activities in Toronto, Canada

Many municipalities are working to protect and grow their urban forest, including adopting private tree regulations. Such regulations typically require property-owners to apply for a permit to remove trees and, if the permit is granted, plant replacement trees. Even with such regulations, many private trees are removed each year, particularly on residential property. Property-level construction activity, including expanding building footprints, replacing an older home with a new one, and increasing hardscaping, is emerging as a key driver of residential tree loss. This study addresses whether homeowners who receive a permit to remove one or more trees comply with the requirement to plant replacement trees to better understand the effect of private tree regulation. We explore this question through a written survey of homeowners who received a tree removal permit and site visits in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). While 70% of all survey participants planted the required replacement trees 2 to 3 years after receiving the permit, only 54% of homeowners whose permit was associated with construction planted. Additionally, most replacement trees were in good health but were dominated by a few genera. We also found significant differences in replacement planting and tree survival across the city’s 4 management districts. This study highlights that if resources supporting private tree regulations are limited, tree permits associated with construction should be prioritized for follow-up. Additionally, guidance about diverse species to plant should be communicated to ensure that private tree regulations are supporting the long-term protection of the urban forest.

Rejoinder to Dominiak on the necessity of easements

Dominiak (2019) agrees with the Blockian proviso: homesteading in a bagel or donut format is illicit, since it allows the owner to control land (the hole, the territory in the middle) with which he has not mixed his labor. Thus, a person who does so must open up an easement allowing outside home-steaders through his property, and into this so-far virgin land. But, this author claims this proviso of Block’s does not go far enough. It should also be extended further, not only to incorporate the bagel format, but also in justification of easements through private property in emergencies, and so as to avoid entrapment. I strongly support Dominiak in his defense of the Blockian proviso against critics (Kinsella, 2007, 2009C) in the first part of his excellent paper, but find I cannot agree with this second contention of his. In short, Dominiak agrees with Block regarding easements in the bagel case, but wants to extend this concept to when property owners are encircled, and thus trapped. In my view, extending easements to cases other than the bagel is incompatible with libertarianism’s emphasis on the sanctity of private property rights. Certain positive rights (to, in this case, movement) are essential to Dominiak’s argument. And these rights do not exist. Therefore, Dominiak’s argument is unsound.

Starting from The Reform of the Basic Economic System, We Should Truly Realize the Common Prosperity of Scientific Socialism

Starting from the basic economic system of true scientific socialism, this paper argues that in the development stage of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, we should continue to reform the existing Chinese economic system and make it conform to the nature of modern great productive forces so that it can give full play to the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of socialized great productivity organizers, intellectual property owners and human resource teams; That can not only promote the conscious development of economy, but also realize the conscious social fairness and common prosperity of social members under the new economic system.

Reasons for the Discontinuation of Betterment-Levy Charging in Poland (A Case Study of Gorlicki County)

Local government units carry costs related to the shaping and spatial development of communes, and are consequently interested in sharing the benefits that land property owners gain on this account. This is possible through, inter alia, the betterment levy. The aim of this study was to determine the reasons for the discontinuation of betterment levy charging in Poland, illustrated with the example of Gorlicki County. A further aim was to classify the reasons for the discontinuation of betterment levy charging in Poland, and to suggest directions for changes in the way in which this levy is charged. A questionnaire survey was conducted of the communes of Gorlicki County (Małopolskie Voivodeship), and was completed by those responsible for charging betterment levies in the communes. According to the survey results, no decision on charging of the betterment levy was issued in Gorlicki County between 2012 and 2019. The reasons for the discontinuation of charging of this levy, as indicated by the respondents, included the lack of analyses (estimation) of the increase in the property value following the execution of specific investment activities, high administrative costs related to the charging of this levy, and the stimulation of socio-economic development. However, the statistical analysis showed that the discontinuation of charging of the betterment levy in Gorlicki County had failed to contribute to socio-economic growth.

The unfortunate regressivity of public natural disaster insurance: Quantifying distributional implications of EQC building cover for New Zealand

<p>This thesis examines the question “What have been the distributional implications of the setup of Earthquake Commission (EQC) building cover for New Zealand homeowners?” In New Zealand, the vast majority of property owners pay identical premiums for the benefit of the first $100,000 tranche of natural disaster cover per dwelling. The research provides a detailed quantification of the degree of regressivity of the scheme created by these flat premiums. Using EQC claims and property datasets relating to the Canterbury Earthquake Series, I test the hypothesis that wealthier homeowners are receiving more benefit. Wealth is identified by property value, income and a range of socio-economic variables collected from the most recent New Zealand Census before the earthquake series. In explaining EQC total dwelling payout by property value and by these socio-economic variables, the research shows there is a distributional implication to EQC’s building cover. This thesis includes a proposed modification to the premium structure of the scheme, whereby regressivity could be avoided. The research concludes with a survey of other public natural disaster insurance schemes worldwide, and identifies those likely to face similar regressivity issues.</p>

The unfortunate regressivity of public natural disaster insurance: Quantifying distributional implications of EQC building cover for New Zealand

<p>This thesis examines the question “What have been the distributional implications of the setup of Earthquake Commission (EQC) building cover for New Zealand homeowners?” In New Zealand, the vast majority of property owners pay identical premiums for the benefit of the first $100,000 tranche of natural disaster cover per dwelling. The research provides a detailed quantification of the degree of regressivity of the scheme created by these flat premiums. Using EQC claims and property datasets relating to the Canterbury Earthquake Series, I test the hypothesis that wealthier homeowners are receiving more benefit. Wealth is identified by property value, income and a range of socio-economic variables collected from the most recent New Zealand Census before the earthquake series. In explaining EQC total dwelling payout by property value and by these socio-economic variables, the research shows there is a distributional implication to EQC’s building cover. This thesis includes a proposed modification to the premium structure of the scheme, whereby regressivity could be avoided. The research concludes with a survey of other public natural disaster insurance schemes worldwide, and identifies those likely to face similar regressivity issues.</p>