The use of urban climatology in local climate change strategies: a comparative perspective

This paper discusses the extent to which the science of urban climatology has informed local climate change strategies in four city case studies – Stuttgart, Tokyo, New York City, and Manchester. The paper draws on historical and contemporary policy documents along with sixty interviews with practitioners, city officials, politicians and academics in order to understand the use or non-use of urban climatology science in local climate change strategies. It explores the historic successes and failures of urban climate management of the cities and how the impact of global climate change and perception of risk, local competency and capacity, national programmes, and the involvement of cities in networks influences the application, stabilization and institutionalization of urban climatology into climate change strategies. It concludes by highlighting the high levels of variability present and potential reasons for local policy engagement or non-engagement in the use of urban climatology science

Minority Party Strategy in the House of Representatives: Cross-Pressuring and the Motion to Recommit

The minority party in the House of Representatives possesses few procedural advantages. As a result, it is typically dominated by the majority party. I argue that the minority controls the use of one procedure in the House, the motion to recommit, and that it uses this control to strategically cross-pressure members of the majority party. Ultimately, this cross-pressuring places the minority in a win-win situation where they either receive a policy victory or better election results. The results of this project overwhelming support the theory of cross-pressuring and indicate that the minority is able to design, implement, and reap the benefits of its own strategy in the House

The Effect of Electoral Security on Partisan Support

I examine the relationship between the electoral security of congressmen, measured as vote margins in the previous election, and the support Members of Congress offer to their party. I develop a theory that predicts safe members will be more willing to support than vulnerable members and leaders demand more loyalty from safe members than vulnerable. This arrangement is rational and beneficial for leaders and both types of members. Using an OLS regression, I find basic support for my theory

The implications of condominium neighbourhoods for long-term urban revitalisation.

Condominium neighbourhoods are emerging in intensifying city centres as a response to market and demographic preferences for homeownership. While the multi-ownership structure of individual condominium buildings accommodates a short-term demand, the long-term implications for neighbourhoods is a source of concern. In particular, the presence of unit owners with varied acquisition objectives can lead to an anticommons problem resulting in building disinvestment due to an inability to reach decisions on sustainable maintenance fees and capital reserve funds, and a lack of end of lifecycle planning. The city of Toronto is experiencing unprecedented condominium development and serves as the basis for a case study that assesses the anticipated future neighbourhood challenges associated with a predominantly condominium-based form of ownership. Twenty-two local stakeholders were interviewed to identify problems that are viewed as sources of concern due to decisions made during the early stages of a building’s lifecycle and the absence of a neighbourhood planning strategy. An analysis of the results indicates that lock-in, lacunae and neighbourhood effects will likely complicate revitalisation efforts as condominium neighbourhoods become more prevalent. Limited stakeholder recognition further suggests that it is necessary to raise a greater awareness of the potential anticommons impediments to long-term collective revitalisation actions

Analysis of Economic Depreciation for Multi-Family Property

This paper uses a hedonic pricing model and National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries data to estimate economic depreciation for multi-family real estate. The findings indicate that investment grade multi-family housing depreciates approximately 2.7% per year in real terms based on total property value. This implies a depreciation rate for just the building of about 3.25% per year. With 2% inflation, this suggests a nominal depreciation rate of about 5.25% per year. Converted into a straight-line depreciation rate that has the same present value, this suggests a depreciable life of 30.5 years - as compared to 27.5 years allowed under the current tax laws. Thus, these laws are slightly favorable to multi-family properties by providing a tax depreciation rate that exceeds economic depreciation, which is in part due to inflation that has been less than expected during the past decade.

The changing role of household projections: exploring policy conflict and ambiguity in planning for housing

Household projections have been a critical tool in establishing top-down hierarchical frameworks through which planning systems impose new housing requirements on localities. This paper re-assesses the role of household projections in the context of two recent factors. The first is the emergence of increasingly localised spatial governance arrangements that enhance the scope to challenge household projections data. The second is the gradual emergence of the economy from recession and its impact on interpretation of household projections data. A case study of planning for housing in Wales explores the ambiguities and conflicts that arise as a result of these changes

Fragility and Recovery: Housing, Localities and Uneven Spatial Development in the UK

Hincks S., Webb B. and Wong C. Fragility and recovery: housing, localities and uneven spatial development in the UK, Regional Studies. Uneven spatial development has long been a characteristic feature of the economic and social fabric of the UK. The north-south divide has become something of a hegemonic narrative in the UK and this has served to mask an 'archipelago' of variegated spatial development in housing and locality conditions at sub-national and sub-regional scales. This paper explores the changing nature of sub-regional housing and locality conditions across the UK and evidence is found of significant spatial variation in the way that places responded to the effects of the most recent economic recession. © 2013 Copyright Regional Studies Association