Image from Atlantic Cities: "Where Americans Tweet Messages of Hate"
Atlantic Cities posted an interesting article on a research project from Humboldt State mapping hateful tweets. The interactive map can be found here. The maps illustrate the persistance of prejudice and hate in the US.
Source: Ted Mellnik and Annie Gowen/The Washington Post.
The above chart from the Washington Post article "Tree canopy’s density indicates wealth of D.C. neighborhoods" attempts to illustrate a correlation between tree coverage and income in D.C. In many ways this article states the obvious--wealthier neighborhoods tend to have more trees. The authors quote environmentalists' arguments about the benefits of trees and briefly mention real estate advantages. However, I think this issue deserves deeper explanation. This is an interesting research topic. Does tree coverage matter?
Source: Business Week. Death of the McMansion Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
McMansions may not be as popular after the Great Recession of 2008, but Americans still want larger homes. The National Association of Home Builders recently released their nationwide 2011 survey "What Home Buyers Really Want." NAHB surveys new and potential homebuyers preferences for "home type and size, room layout and design, kitchen and baths, windows and doors, accessibility and outdoor features, electronics and technology in the home, energy efficiency, choosing a community, and trade-offs buyers are willing to make."
Thank you to The Urban Land Institute for providing an overall summary of the data.
Some interesting findings:
1) The average new single-family house is now over 2,500 sq. ft. and continuing to trend larger.
2) This trend reflects the preferences of higher-income families that can afford large downpayments and financing in a tight mortgage market.
3) According to the NAHB most buyers aspire to own a home with a median of 2,226 sq. ft.
4) The majority of people surveyed want 3 to 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
5) Most interesting: apparently 6 of 10 people surveyed would go without a living room.
While revising the final chapter of my dissertation I came across some interesting data on income segregation by the Pew Research Center. Although Pew's research covers the entire United States (see 2012 report, "The Rise of Residential Segregation by Income") for this post I will focus on Washington, DC (where I currently reside).
The above map represents the Pew's Residential Income Segregation Index (RISI) for Washington, DC. RISI is calculated by adding the rate of lower-income households living in a majority lower-income tract and the rate of upper-income households living in a majority upper-income tract. Red represents lower income tracts and blue higher income tracts. Washington's score is 47 (the maximum score is 200) in comparison to the highest scoring metro areas, Houston and Dallas that have a RISI score of 61 and 60, respectively. Between 1980 and 2010, the Washington DC metro area population increased 78%, but the RISI scored only increased by 4.
The reports states that "the typical upper-income household is more likely to live alongside other upper-income households, more than two-thirds of the neighbors of the typical upper-income household in 2010 were either middle income or lower-income households." Although Pew did not report detailed data on the DC metro area, further research on gentrification in the District in comparison to the surrounding area may explain why the DC metro area has a relatively low RISI score.
It is worth noting that residential segregation by race is still more prevalent than income. The report states that "[i]n 2010, 42% of blacks lived in a census tract that was majority black, compared with 28% of low-income households living in a majority low-income tract and 18% of upper-income households living in a majority upper-income tract." This is still the case in the DC metro area. Yale Professor Bill Rankin's map illustrates the point:
Source: Radical Cartography Project
I watch a lot of HGTV--especially "House Hunters." I am always curious if the houses they feature all over the country represent the typical American home. Also, is the demand depicted on the show for the ideal home featuring at least two bathrooms, a home office, and a "bonus" room or man cave representative of the actual market? Fortunately, some of these questions can be answered examining the US Census Bureau's 2011 American Housing Survey released this month.
Out of curiousity I decided to compare the 2011 data to 1985 (the Housing Survey dates back to 1973). In 1985, the median square footage of a single detached home was 1,636. In 2011, the median square footage has increased to 1800 (providing the average household an additional 100+ sq. ft. per occupant). The majority of homes in 1985 had 4-5 rooms versus 2011 with the majority of homes having 6 or more rooms (not including bathrooms). The most significant change is the number of bathrooms per home. Since 1973, the average home had 1 bathroom. Now, the average home has at least 2 bathrooms. What is that about? Lifestyle changes, privacy, aspirational?
