A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

"Prepared by Matthew French and Katherine Hegab"--Acknowledgements.

The majority of people now live in cities and for many that means apartment living. Apartments are where we spend our time, make our homes, raise our families and invest our money. Apartment living requires that we try to get along with our neighbours and make decisions collectively about the management of our buildings. This book examines how different housing markets, development practices, planning regimes, legal structures and social and cultural norms affect people’s everyday experiences of apartment living.

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2020 in the subject Economics - Other, grade: 1, Ethiopian Civil Service University (IGAD), language: English, abstract: This study has been conducted in Addis Ababa city of Akaki Kality sub city administration, Gelan condominium site with the general objective of assessing condominium houses affordability. It also attempted to identify the factors which affected the low income households for affording the condominium house and as well as to assess whether the condominium housing project benefits this targeted groups. Among other condominium sites Gelan site was chosen purposively. The study used mixing qualitative and quantitative methods and used primary and secondary data sources. To select the target population a researcher used simple random and purposive sampling technique. The study found that, majority of the residents of the condominium in the study area can afford the cost of condominium house because they were getting high income per month. However, the households with low income could not afford the price of condominium house. Furthermore, in the study area, condominium housing beneficiaries were not those who were classified as low and middle income categories rather households with higher income categories were benefited more. Majority of the housing units are owned by non targeted groups. The study also showed that, the intended objectives of condominium housing programs to provide 30 percent of the housing unit for female headed households has been well applied in to the study area. Additionally, the study revealed that, external factors such as poor investigation of the real problems on the ground, weak institutional evaluation and monitoring system of the program, the unparticipatory of the program and corruption practices was the main challenging factors that affects the households to benefited from the program. Based on the finding the researcher suggests the following to minimize the current problems of housing in the city through, giving special attention to control rural to urban migration, facilitating a comprehensive national housing policy by providing different subsidy mechanisms, establishing governmental housing banks that particularly work on the provision of low cost houses, encouraging the saving culture of the society, expanding the construction of rented houses, legislating and enforcing laws on the price of condo houses and increasing the participation of the city’s residents on evaluation of the program.

The first comprehensive architectural and cultural history of condominium and cooperative housing in twentieth-century America. Today, one in five homeowners in American cities and suburbs lives in a multifamily home rather than a single-family house. As the American dream evolves, precipitated by rising real estate prices and a renewed interest in urban living, many predict that condos will become the predominant form of housing in the twenty-first century. In this unprecedented study, Matthew Gordon Lasner explores the history of co-owned multifamily housing in the United States, from New York City's first co-op, in 1881, to contemporary condominium and townhouse complexes coast to coast. Lasner explains the complicated social, economic, and political factors that have increased demand for this way of living, situating the trend within the larger housing market and broad shifts in residential architecture and family life. He contrasts the prevalence and popularity of condos, townhouses, and other privately governed communities with their ambiguous economic, legal, and social standing, as well as their striking absence from urban and architectural history.

This book critically assesses the complex urban issues, planning challenges and development opportunities of rapidly growing cities, using Addis Ababa as a case study. Just like other developing cities, Addis Ababa is undergoing numerous natural and policy-driven changes. This book analyses the effect of these changes on urban management to allow better understanding of the conceptual frameworks that define the everyday functions of rapidly growing cities. It demonstrates that rapid urban growth has simultaneously created opportunities for economic development in the developing world as well as social, environmental and cultural challenges causing a mismatch between demand and the supply of services. The author argues that, by combining indigenous knowledge and practices and contemporary planning principles, developing countries can overcome challenges concerning environmental and public health, transport congestion, rising rents and house prices and lack of open space. Foregrounding the experience of everyday citizens of the city, this book aids our understanding of the nature of rapidly growing cities and outlines what needs to be done so that the city meets the needs of the people. A unique contribution to the literature on cities of the developing world, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Urban Studies, Planning, Development Studies and African Studies.