The latest blogs posted on the Foundation for Growth website, massgrowth.net. en-us Copyright 2010, Foundation for Growth http://www.massgrowth.net “But we can’t afford it!” This is among the most common arguments made against proposed housing developments in communities across the Commonwealth and in many cases it is just simply wrong.Undoubtedly, cities and towns across Massachusetts face profound budget pressures and in… Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST /blogs/14/1/reality_check_housing_development_and_municipal_budgets 14 An interesting discussion is going on over at The Boston Real Estate Now blog, where real estate freelance writer Scott Van Voorhis blogged about the difficulty in Greater Boston’s housing supply with finding a home that doesn't need major renovations, despite unreasonably high asking prices.As… Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST /blogs/12/1/blogger_lack_of_well-priced_homes_remains_problem_in_mass 12 For the very groups that need rental housing the most, the Massachusetts rental market poses a significant challenge to making a life and career here.Massachusetts ranked the fifth least affordable market for rental housing in the U.S. according to The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach… Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST /blogs/11/1/low_vacancy_rate_projects_states_dim_rental_picture 11 Between 2001 and 2006, America experienced a housing market tsunami.  According to the Case-Shiller Index, housing prices soared by 64 percent during the five years before May 2006, and fell by 32 percent over the three years since then.  The housing bust did enormous damage to the financial system,… Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT /blogs/10/1/bubbles_the_housing_casino_the_link_between_price_volatility_and_development_restrictions 10 Any suggestion that Massachusetts needs more housing to support the economy usually gets the same basic response: “We don’t want metro Boston to become another Phoenix, Las Vegas or Orlando, with thousands of empty foreclosed homes and no end and sight. And if you’re saying more… Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT /blogs/9/1/the_phoenix_boogeyman 9 All regions in the Commonwealth need new housing development and you could make reasonable arguments for every one of them. With suburban towns complaining about traffic and overburdened public services, the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires could handle additional growth, as they have a land mass three… Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT /blogs/8/1/core_values_why_all_housing_isnt_equal 8 I don’t normally fall in step with The Economist and its laissez-faire perspective on economics, but the July 9 cover story on why the Texas economy is faring better than California’s is a good read if you’re trying to figure out what Massachusetts can do to grow its economy.  The editor also… Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT /blogs/7/1/texas_illustrates_value_of_starter_homes 7 Are there growth opportunities in Massachusetts’ older communities? We’ve heard the chorus: “There’s no room here. We are all built out. We are already a dense community.” But the leaders of these same communities seek to increase their tax base in order to continue to support… Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT /blogs/6/1/finding_opportunities_in_built-up_communities 6 A robust public debate about housing and economic growth in Massachusetts is long overdue. Ever since the boom and bust of the late 1980s the state’s job growth has lagged behind the nation as a whole. Prior to the 1980s, housing costs and annual housing production in Massachusetts were right in line with… Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT /blogs/5/1/rediscovering_growth 5