Apartment Look

Six years ago, Mike Brown and Casey Lynch stood on Downtown Boise ’s 8th Street and wondered: Why don’t more people live here? Downtown seemed to have everything that a growing percentage of Americans wanted in a place to live. “I mean, there’s all kinds of jobs. There’s a million coffee shops and hair salons and restaurants, and there’s an active street life ,” says Brown, who founded the Los Angeles- based development company LocalConstruct with Lynch in 2008. Casey Lynch, left, and Mike Brown have made their mark in Boise. Provided by LocalConstruct But in 2011, fewer than 4,000 people lived in Downtown’s scattered apartment and condominium buildings and houses. On a typical weekday afternoon , most Downtown workers got in their cars and put the city in the rearview mirror. Brown and Lynch saw an opportunity. They thought Boiseans would trade ample floor space and vaulted ceilings in the suburbs for smaller, high- end Downtown apartments that offered amenities like gyms, a do...

This article is the last of a series of articles based on new research into the place of lower-income and disadvantaged households in a compact city. More and more of us living in denser cities where apartments and high-rise developments are increasingly common. This creates specific health concerns for residents of these areas, and for lower-income households in particular. We already know socioeconomic status is closely related to health and wellbeing. The importance of equity was highlighted in the 2016 Boyer Lectures. Entitled Fair Australia : Social Justice and the Health Gap, the lectures were delivered by a world leader in health inequality research , Professor Sir Michael Marmot . Further reading: Social determinants – how class and wealth affect our health Marmot examined the challenges for poor communities in achieving good health from early life to old age. His message focused on the social determinants of health. And the built environment , including its environmental co...

The leafy suburbs making up the area known as The Parks in northern Johannesburg offer a unique bouquet of property investment opportunities , and most importantly, a quality of life that is ‘a walk in the park’. This three bedroom, three bathroom home in Parkwood has a covered patio and braai area overlooking a well-maintained garden and pool. It is on the market for R3.9 million - click here to view. “When buying in The Parks, you’re buying into a lifestyle. There is The Delta, a green hub where people go walking and jogging, cycling and walk their dogs. There are also stables and restaurants, and it offers a lovely vibe,” says Lorraine Hurdus of Jawitz Properties, who services Parks’ suburbs, including Craighall, Craighall Park, and Hurlingham. “People use their outdoor spaces, particularly in my area where property stands are smaller,” says Shelley-Ann Solms of Jawitz Properties who works in Parkhurst, where 495sqm is the general stand size . Gail Katz of Jawitz Properties, who...

When it comes to condominium development , Cascadia’s two largest cities couldn ’t be more different. Last year nearly 60 percent of new housing starts in the city of Vancouver, BC , were condominiums; meanwhile, Seattle saw no new condominium buildings open . And that’s not changing anytime soon: less than 10 percent of all building slated for downtown Seattle in the next three years will be condos. What’s the difference—why the blossoming of condominium construction in one city and the almost complete dearth in the other? The short answer is economics. In Vancouver, apartments are saddled with an unfavorable tax code , making condos the more lucrative multi- family housing investment even despite high rental demand . In Seattle’s skyrocketing rental market , one that’s climbed even faster than the condo market in recent years, apartment buildings are much more financially attractive, while condos come with bigger risks and, typically, lower returns. Compounding this profit differe...

Warm Hearts Reach Across Philoptochos To Provide Aid One of the great strengths of a national organization is its unique ability to provide assistance locally , regionally and nationally. A recent case in Cranston, Rhode Island is the perfect example of this collaboration. A woman whom we will call Anna traveled from Greece to America to receive medical treatment for a complicated condition. After surgery, she suffered a severe setback, necessitating an extended stay in the US. Fulfilling their mission to help those in need, Philoptochos stewards from the local Philoptochos chapter , the Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos and the National Philoptochos —three tiers of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society – came together in support of Anna. According to local Philoptochos Social Services Chair Bessie Papigiotis , “Our chapter is the Good Samaritan .  We try to live up to our name, so we sprang into action.”  Led by President Georgia Pappas , the ladies investigated ways t...