Housing

Renters vs Population Density – NY Census Tracts

Renters vs Population Density - NY Census Tracts

I was a bit surprised to see that there isn't a stronger correlation between population density and the percent of the population that rents. But maybe it's because often Census Tracts contains things besides residential properties like roads, parks, and businesses.

Senior Housing That Seniors Actually Like – The New York Times

Senior Housing That Seniors Actually Like – The New York Times

Forty-five years ago, Betty Szudy and her wife, Maggie Roth, both 70, bought a Craftsman bungalow in Oakland, Calif. In 2017, at the same time their son and his wife were fruitlessly searching for an affordable apartment in the neighborhood, California was liberalizing its housing laws to encourage so-called accessory dwelling units, or A.D.U.s.

So, the family looked into building one. The parents now live in the main house and the adult children in the A.D.U. — in this case, a once-decrepit garage transformed into a 400-square-foot studio with a kitchen and bath.

The arrangement makes it simple to share meals, planned or spontaneous, and to pick up items for the other household at Trader Joe’s. “I love having them around,” Ms. Szudy said.

This Maine home can stay 70 degrees without a furnace, even when it’s freezing outside | Maine Public

This Maine home can stay 70 degrees without a furnace, even when it’s freezing outside | Maine Public

What if you could design a house that on a cold day in January would stay at 70 degrees inside — without running the furnace? Or even having a furnace?

It's already being done.

In fact, what's known as the passive house concept came to the United States in 2006, and is being used to construct buildings throughout the U.S.

Maine Public recently visited a passive house in the town of Hope to find out how it works — and what it costs.