The Time-Series Properties on Housing Prices: A Case Study of the Southern California Market

We examine the time-series relationship between housing prices in eight Southern California metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). First, we perform cointegration tests of the housing price indexes for the MSAs, finding seven cointegrating vectors. Thus, the evidence suggests that one common trend links the housing prices in these eight MSAs, a purchasing power parity finding for the housing prices in Southern California. Second, we perform temporal Granger causality tests revealing intertwined temporal relationships. The Santa Anna MSA leads the pack in temporally causing housing prices in six of the other seven MSAs, excluding only the San Luis Obispo MSA. The Oxnard MSA experienced the largest number of temporal effects from other MSAs, six of the seven, excluding only Los Angeles. The Santa Barbara MSA proved the most isolated in that it temporally caused housing prices in only two other MSAs (Los Angels and Oxnard) and housing prices in the Santa Anna MSA temporally caused prices in Santa Barbara. Third, we calculate out-of-sample forecasts in each MSA, using various vector autoregressive (VAR) and vector error-correction (VEC) models, as well as Bayesian, spatial, and causality versions of these models with various priors. Different specifications provide superior forecasts in the different MSAs. Finally, we consider the ability of theses time-series models to provide accurate out-of-sample predictions of turning points in housing prices that occurred in 2006:Q4. Recursive forecasts, where the sample is updated each quarter, provide reasonably good forecasts of turning points.

A descriptive study on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita evacuees participating in the Harris County Housing Authority Disaster Housing Assistance Program

Natural disasters occur in various forms such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, outbreaks, etc. The most unsettling aspect of a natural disaster is that it can strike at any moment. Over the past decade, our society has experienced an alarming increase of natural disasters. How to expeditiously respond and recover from natural disasters has become a precedent question for public health officials. To date, the most recent natural disaster was the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti; however the most memorable was that of Hurricane Katrina (“Haiti Earthquake”, 2010). ^ This study provides insight on the need to develop a National Disaster Response and Recovery Program which effectively responds to natural disasters. The specific aims of this paper were to (1) observe the government’s role on federal, state and local levels in assisting Hurricanes Katrina and Rita evacuees, (2) assess the prevalence of needs among Hurricanes Katrina and Rita families participating in the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) and (3) describe the level of progress towards “self sufficiency” for the DHAP families receiving case management social services. ^ Secondary data from a cross-sectional “Needs Assessment” questionnaire were analyzed. The questionnaire was administered initially and again six months later (follow-up) by H.A.U.L. case managers. The “Needs Assessment” questionnaire collected data regarding participants’ education, employment, transportation, child care, health resources, income, permanent housing and disability needs. Case managers determined the appropriate level of social services required for each family based on the data collected from the “Needs Assessment” questionnaire. ^ Secondary data provided by the H.A.U.L. were analyzed to determine the prevalence of needs among the DHAP families. In addition, differences measured between the initial and follow-up (at six months) questionnaires were analyzed to determine statistical significance between case management services provided and prevalence of needs among the DHAP families from initial to 6 months later at follow-up. The data analyzed describe the level of progress made by these families to achieve program “self sufficiency” (see Appendix A). Disaster assistance programs which first address basic human needs; then socioeconomic needs may offer an essential tool in aiding disaster affected communities quickly recover from natural disasters. ^

Normalizar la utopía: Un proyecto de sistematización de la normativa en vivienda social = Normalizing Utopia: A Project of Systematization of Regulations on Social Housing

La presente tesis doctoral aborda el estudio del proyecto de vivienda colectiva social desde la noción de norma, entendida desde la sistematización o normalización de los instrumentos del proyecto arquitectónico de vivienda protegida. Esto es, desde una idea de tipificación taxonómica en cuanto ajuste a un conjunto de reglas comunes productoras de sistemas normativos. La hipótesis de partida se basa en la consideración de la vivienda pública como un laboratorio de estudio histórico de los ideales de confort y calidad de vida. Este campo de pruebas ha constituido una sólida base que ha servido como punto de encuentro muy particular entre proyecto y normativa desde las primeras vanguardias europeas hasta la actualidad. El principal objetivo de la investigación es la revalorización de una normativa de vivienda que ha producido ejemplos de innegable calidad en el contexto nacional e internacional, así como un intento de actualización de su codificación. La investigación se sirve de los instrumentos específicos de la disciplina arquitectónica para explicar una disociación detectada desde la segunda mitad del siglo pasado entre la utopía del proyecto social de vivienda y el pragmatismo de la norma que lo regula, más allá de los aspectos sociales y culturales asociados a las nuevas composiciones familiares, las tecnologías cambiantes, los ritos domésticos contemporáneos o el valor creciente del tiempo libre. La propuesta de una nueva terminología que aborde nuevas relaciones en el acercamiento al proyecto de vivienda desde la normativa española deriva en un conjunto de estrategias de proyecto desde las que proponer sistemas normativos. Dichas estrategias se basan principalmente en mecanismos de cualificación espacial que permitan un nuevo acercamiento entre dichas normas y las formas de habitar actuales. ABSTRACT This doctoral thesis deals with the study of the project of social collective housing from the notion of rule, understanding it from the systematization or standardization of the instruments of architectural project for social housing. Thus, it deals with an idea of taxonomic typification as an adjustment to a set of common rules which produce regulation systems. The initial hypothesis is based on the consideration of public housing as a laboratory for studying the historical ideals of comfort and quality of life. This testing ground has been a solid base that has served as a very specific meeting point between project and regulations from the first European avant‐garde to nowadays. The main objective of this research is the revaluation of housing regulations, which have produced examples of undeniable quality in the national and international stage, as well as an attempt to update their codification. The research assumes the specific tools of the discipline of architecture for explaining a dissociation detected between the utopia of the project for social housing and the pragmatism of the regulations from the second half of last century, beyond social and cultural aspects associated to the new family arrangements, the changing technologies, the contemporary domestic rituals or the rising value of leisure time. The proposal of a new terminology that tackles new relations in the approach to housing project from the Spanish legislation results in a set of strategies to propose regulation systems. Those strategies are mainly based on mechanisms for spatial qualification which allow a new approach between these rules and the current ways of living.

Income, energy expenditure and housing in Madrid: retrofitting policy implications

Fuel poverty can be defined as ‘the inability to afford adequate warmth in the home’ and it is the result of the combination of three factors: low household income, lack of energy efficiency and high energy bills. Within this context, the present research is aimed at characterizing, for the first time, the housing stock of fuel-poor households in the Autonomous Region of Madrid. Fuel poverty incidence was established and households were divided into six different groups according to their relative position regarding fuel and monetary poverty. The housing stock of each group is characterized and those households most in need are identified. These results enable energy retrofitting priorities to be established, focusing on the needs of the different household groups and accounting for their housing stock characteristics. This allows Spanish energy retrofitting policies to be assessed for their capability of tackling fuel poverty and makes it possible to suggest some improvements.

Vivienda y Revolución. El Concurso entre Camaradas de la OSA, la Sección de Tipificación del Stroykom y la Casa Experimental de Transición Narkomfin (1926-1930) = Housing and Revolution. OSA’s Comradely Competition, Typification Section of the Stroykom and Narkomfin Experimental Transitional House (1926-1930)

La cuestión del asentamiento socialista en la URSS durante la década de 1920 estuvo caracterizada por el objetivo de definir y establecer un estado socialista en términos políticos, sociales y económicos. En este contexto de inestabilidad y cambio, un grupo de arquitectos pertenecientes a la Asociación de Arquitectos Contemporáneos, OSA, y liderado por Moisey Ginzburg, abordó el tema de la vivienda obrera asumiendo la responsabilidad y el compromiso por alcanzar un nuevo orden social. Su misión no consistió únicamente en solucionar el problema del alojamiento para los trabajadores en las grandes ciudades soviéticas, sino en redefinirlo como el marco adecuado para una sociedad sometida a un cambio sin precedentes que, al mismo tiempo y en un proceso dialéctico, debía contribuir a la construcción de esa nueva sociedad. La respuesta dada por la OSA trascendió el diseño inmediato bajo los estándares modernos establecidos en Occidente y tomó forma en un proceso de investigación que habría de prolongarse durante cinco años. Este trabajo, que culminó con la construcción y puesta en crisis de la Casa Narkomfin, se desarrolló en tres aproximaciones sucesivas. La primera, de carácter conceptual, consideró la participación ciudadana, así como de especialistas independientes, formalizándose en el Concurso entre Camaradas convocado por la OSA en 1926. La segunda aproximación al problema de la vivienda obrera se articuló a través de la investigación llevada a cabo por la Sección de Tipificación del Stroykom, esta vez desde premisas científicas y metodológicas. Finalmente, las conclusiones alcanzadas fueron transferidas a la práctica arquitectónica por medio de la construcción de seis Casas Experimentales de Transición, entre las que destacó la Casa Narkomfin. Este último acercamiento, de carácter empírico, ha sido tradicionalmente examinado por los expertos como un hecho aislado. Sin embargo, su estudio debe trascender necesariamente el genio del autor-creador en favor del proceso de investigación al que pertenece. En esta tesis, la Casa Narkomfin no se presenta sólo como el paradigma de vivienda soviética de vanguardia al que estamos acostumbrados, sino como un prototipo que recoge los principios y conclusiones alcanzados en las aproximaciones conceptuales y científicas precedentes. Únicamente desde este punto de vista cobra sentido la consideración de Ginzburg sobre su propio edificio como un medio propositivo y no impositivo: un proyecto concebido como una herramienta de transición hacia una sociedad más avanzada. ABSTRACT The question of mass housing in the USSR during the Twenties was marked by the drive to define and establish a socialist state in political, social and economic terms. In this context of instability and change, a group of architects gathered together under the Association of Contemporary Architects, OSA, led by Moisey Ginzburg, to address the issue of mass housing, thus taking on the responsibility and being committed to creating a new social order. Their quest not only involved solving the problem of housing for workers in large Soviet cities, but also redefining this solution as an appropriate framework for a society undergoing dramatic changes which, at the same time and in a dialectical process, would contribute to the creation of this new society. The solution provided by OSA transcended Modern standards of immediate design set by the West and was the result of a research process that would last five years. This work culminated in the construction of Narkomfin House and its self-criticism, developed in three successive approaches. The first was conceptual, being formalized in the Comradely Competition held by the OSA in 1926 and taking into account the participation of citizens and independent experts. The second approach to the problem of mass housing involved research developed by the Typification Section of the Stroykom, this time under scientific and methodological premises. Finally, the conclusions reached were put in practice with the construction of six Experimental Transitional Houses of which the most notable is Narkomfin House. This third empirical approach has traditionally been examined by scholars in isolation. However, its study must necessarily transcend the genius of the author-creator and involve the research process of which it is part. In this thesis, Narkomfin House is presented not only as the paradigm in Soviet housing avant-garde we are used to, but also as a prototype reflecting the principles and conclusions reached in the preceding conceptual and scientific approaches. Only from this point of view does Ginzburg’s understanding of his own building as a proactive and non-imposed environment make sense: a project conceived as a transition tool towards a more advanced society.

Late life second move housing choices of international retiree migrants

Purpose – Many international retirement migrants are amenity movers undertaking the first move in the late life course model of migration. The purpose of this paper is to examine second moves within the retirement destination community to test whether the model of late life course migration accurately portrays the motivations and housing choices local movers make after retiring to another country. Design/methodology/approach – The paper combines secondary data and survey results to examine the composition of the retiree migrant population in the Alicante province of Spain. The socioeconomic characteristics and housing choices of those who have made a second move since retiring to Spain are compared with those who have not moved through a series of t-tests and chi-square tests. Findings – The paper finds that those who have made a second move within Spain are somewhat typical of second movers in the late life course. They are likely to cite mobility or health problems as a reason for moving and appear to recognize the need for a home that provides living area on one floor. Yet, they are choosing to move within an area that does not provide them with access to informal family care givers. Research limitations/implications – The data are restricted to retirees of two nationalities in one province of Spain. Further research is suggested in other locations and with retirees of other nationalities for comparison. Practical implications – Because many international retirees do not plan to return to their countries of origin, they will create demand for formal in-home care services and supportive retiree housing in the near future in their retirement destination countries. Originality/value – This paper provides understanding of a growing consumer housing segment in retirement destinations.

Housing discrimination study : incidence and severity of unfavorable treatment /

"HUD-1327-PDR"--Cover p. 4.

Annual report of the Federal Housing Administration.

"Letter from the administrator of the Federal Housing Administration transmitting the First annual report of the Administration ..." (subtitle varies slightly, 1934-1941).

Failure to regulate--asbestos : a lethal legacy : hearing before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-eighth Congress, first session, June 28, 1983.

Mode of access: Internet.

Supplemental appropriation and rescission bill, 1981 [microform] : hearings before subcommittees of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, first session.

Includes indexes.

"Building for success" : Illinois' annual comprehensive housing plan : progress report January 1 ... through December 31 ... : as submitted to Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor and the Illinois General Assembly /

No longer issued with the consolidated performance report.

Draft State of Illinois consolidated plan : as submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Each issue includes first year of action plan (e.g., issue for 2000/2004 includes action plan for 2000).

First year evaluation report for Cabrini-Green High Impact Program /

Thomas J. Riley, project director.

Housing conditions and housing options for older residents : a question of need, a question of acceptable alternatives : final report /

The primary goal of this project is to learn more about the housing conditions of the rural elderly in Illinois. By using questions similar to those included in the American Housing Survey (AHS) used by the Bureau of the Census, comparisons can be made between Illinois residents and a national sample. The questions used in this Housing Conditions and Housing Options for Older Residents Survey (2002) (Appendix B) focus specifically on issues related to the availability and condition of plumbing, heating, electricity, and upkeep using guidelines extablished by the AHS. ... There are three objectives for this study (1) to determine the type and condition of housing occupied by older residents in three regions of Illinois, (2) to determine the types of housing elderly residents would choose from a list of options and what conditions would cause them to choose that type of housing, and (3) to examine whether regional variations exist in housing conditions and housing options among rural residents of Illinois.

Illinois Rural Life Panel survey : spring 2000 report : addressing issues about the quality of life, availability of skilled labor, housing, access to computer technology, impact of the Internet, and womens' health /

"First printing: March 2001"--T.p. verso.