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Category Archives: Housing

Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll

The Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll surveyed 2,010 young Americans between 18- and 29 years old nationwide, and was conducted between March 14-21, 2024. Top Issues – Inflation; Healthcare; Housing; Gun Violence – “A national poll released today by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that among 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide, more than half of young Americans say they will definitely be voting in the Presidential election this Fall. But findings show that among those likely voters, levels of support varied significantly among different subgroups.. Since 2000, the Harvard Public Opinion Project (HPOP) has provided the most comprehensive look at young Americans’ political opinions and voting trends. It provides essential insight into the concerns of young Americans at a time when the nation is confronting numerous challenges both at home and abroad. President Kennedy once said, “It is a time for a new generation of leadership, to cope with new problems and new opportunities.” The IOP is preparing a new generation of political leaders to confront these very challenges and gain the ability to successfully lead in today’s complicated political landscape. Identifying areas of concern through the Harvard Youth Poll lets tomorrow’s political leaders get started on ideas, strategies, and solutions, and allows them to decide today what the next generation of political leadership needs to look like.”

The Flooding Will Come “No Matter What”

ProPublica – The complex, contradictory and heartbreaking process of American climate migration is underway –  “This article is an excerpt from the book “On The Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America,” about climate migration in the U.S. For more, see abrahm.com. “Another great American migration is now underway, this time forced by… Continue Reading

Mapping America’s access to nature, neighborhood by neighborhood

Washington Post – “A city is a science experiment. What happens when we separate human beings from the environment in which they evolved? Can people be healthy without nature? The results have been bleak. Countless studies have shown that people who spend less time in nature die younger and suffer higher rates of mental and… Continue Reading

Home Insurance Rates to Rise 6% in 2024 After 20% Increase in Last 2 Years

Insurify: “Home insurance rates are rising, influenced by climate catastrophes and inflation, leaving homeowners uncertain about future expenses. The average annual rate increased by 19.8% between 2021 and 2023, from $1,984 to $2,377.  Insurify projects a 6% increase in 2024, placing rates at $2,522 by the end of the year. Early weather forecasts predict a… Continue Reading

Historical Settlement Data Compilation for the United States

Harvard Dataverse: “The Historical Settlement Data Compilation for the United States (HISDAC-US) contains historical gridded settlement layers derived from property records compiled in the Zillow Transaction and Assessment Dataset (ZTRAX). HISDAC-US describes the built environment of most of the conterminous United States back to 1810 at fine temporal (5 years) and spatial (250 m) granularity… Continue Reading

Redfin rolls out new AI assistant tool that answers homebuyer questions

GeekWire: “Redfin wants to help answer homebuyer questions in a more efficient way with the assistance of AI. The real estate giant is rolling out a new generative AI-powered virtual assistant called “Ask Redfin” that can quickly answer questions about a particular home listing. The tool combines the latest in large language model technology with… Continue Reading

US Census Bureau purposely fudges location data in census to protect people’s privacy

Via Kottke – The U.S. Census Is Wrong on Purpose: “…Full census data is only made available 72 years after the census takes place, in accordance with the creatively-named “72 year rule.” Until then, it is only available as aggregated data with individual identifiers removed. Still, if the population of a town is small enough,… Continue Reading

The East Coast Is Sinking

The New York Times interactive [read free] – “New satellite-based research reveals how land along the coast is slumping into the ocean, compounding the danger from global sea level rise. A major culprit: overpumping of groundwater. The most vulnerable areas of Boston have been sinking up to 3.8 centimeters per decade, which adds up to… Continue Reading

These States Are Basically Begging You to Get a Heat Pump

Wired [read free]: “You need a heat pump, ASAP. Now nine states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of this climate superhero. Nine states have signed a memorandum of understanding that says that heat pumps should make up at least 65 percent of residential heating, air conditioning, and water-heating shipments by 2030. (“Shipments” here… Continue Reading

Good AI Legal Help, Bad AI Legal Help: Establishing quality standards for response to people’s legal problem stories

Hagan, Margaret, Good AI Legal Help, Bad AI Legal Help: Establishing quality standards for response to people’s legal problem stories (November 21, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4640596 “Much has been made of generative AI models’ ability to perform legal tasks or pass legal exams, but a more important question for public policy is whether AI… Continue Reading