DAY 8

GEOG 352

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS

• Sorry for the disruptive impact of my being off sick, but we will pull things back together.• For starters, the communication problems have

been sorted out, and the assignments instructions are up on the web site. The outlne for the major project is due Tuesday. October 13th. The project itself is due November 26th. If you have any questions about your project, don’t hesitate to buttonhole me and we’ll talk after class. You can also send me a draft of your outline for comments or send me your initial thoughts about your case study.

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS

• We will likely do the review for the final exam on October 20th, and hold the exam on the 22nd. We’ll see how we’re doing with the readings.• Is anyone scheduled to present today?

Social Sciences Pizza lunch event on Tuesday the 6th in Building 356 from 12 to 1:30, probably on the main floor atrium

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS

• Were the library talks useful?• What did you think about the facilitation by

Michele Patterson of the group discussions, and the talk on the economic evaluation of nature by Maria Inês? I put her talk on the web site.• Upcoming event: the film “Bikes vs. Cars”

on Wednesday, October 7th at 6:30 in Building 250, Room 125; by donation.• Also: Sustainability Fair, Thursday, October

8th 11:30 to 2 in the Library Quad.

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS

• Who presented last week. I would like to get feedback from the rest of the class.• A message from Janeane in the Dean’s office: You

may have noticed the 25 quotes posted on some of the windows (see attached) on the 3rd floor B356 today; they’re for getting your photo taken with at the Bachelor of Arts table at VIU Open House this Fri Oct 2 from 10:00 to 3:00 in the Upper Cafeteria. More info about our table at https://www.facebook.com/viusocialsciences and on the VIU Open House: https://u.viu.ca/openhouse. 

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS• Thanks to everyone who responded to my test message.• Bring your LUNCH AND LEARN about research at VIU

featuring Michele Patterson, VIU Geography Dept, PhD Geography Candidate, University of Victoria. 

• WHAT IS A FARMED SALMON? Understanding the social life of a seafood commodity from ocean to table

• Over the last few decades the world’s seafood economy has increasingly become both aquaculture-based and globally traded.  BC farmed Atlantic salmon is a globally traded, farmed seafood product that is also highly politicized here in British Columbia. This research will capture and characterize the "social life" of farmed salmon using participant observation and informal interviews amongst people who produce, process, transport, prepare, sell and eat farmed Atlantic salmon; in research sites across two BC and two California communities.  

• Tuesday October 6, noon-1pm• Bldg 305/4th Floor Lounge

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

• What is the definition of ‘affordable housing’?• According to Wikipedia, “In economics, market

failure is when the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not efficient. That is, there exists another conceivable outcome where a market participant may be made better-off without making someone else worse-off.” What does ‘market failure’ mean in the housing context?

• Why is affordable housing in short supply in Vancouver and even, increasingly, on the Island/ Gulf Islands?

• Of possible interest: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/09/blog-spotlights-beautiful-empty-homes-vancouver/.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING• Ch. 4: Uniting the “I” and “We”: Affordable Housing in Perpetuity• - Since 2008, housing prices in some parts of the U.S. have declined causing people to owe more than their house is worth (the infamous NINJA loans: No Income, No Job or Assets)-Community Land Trust Model in USA• -land trusts develop affordable housing by

separating the two cost elements• -by removing the land from the market and

placing it into a CLT, the unearned equity resulting from rising land values is taken out of the equation

• -based on Gramdan (village land trust in India)

• --First land trust in Georgia in 1967 • 1) Non-profit, tax-exempt corporations• 2) very flexible• 3) allow dual ownership and dynamic

property rights• 4) make leased land and housing affordable

[• 5) allow open and place-based membership• 6) tripartite governance

CHAMPLAIN HOUSING LAND TRUST• The Champlain Housing Trust: Restoring the commons- An

Affordable Solution• -land trust was started in Burlington, with the Burlington

Community Land Trust and Lake Champlain Housing Development Corporation with a $200,000 grant from the city, and later $1million line of credit from the city employee’s pension fund

• -Two groups merged to become the Champlain Housing Trust• -Currently has over 2000 units of affordable housing• -2 ownership centres: Burlington and St. Albans• -also offer home maintenance courses• -financing packages offer down payment grants• -CHT mobilizes its membership to contribute to a pool of funds

that it used to cover operating costs; currently there is 4000 members in an area with 100,000 people

• -CHT also developed a day center for the elderly, a nursery facility, social enterprise and non-profit offices, a storefront for the local credit union, a legal advice center and a multi-unit business incubator

• -See pg. 92 for CHT Homeland Grant program

COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS IN THE UK

• -Community Land Trusts in Britain: Rekindling Land Reform in the 21st Century• -1899: Ebenezer Howard established a

“cooperative land society”, First Garden City Ltd, and initially raised 20,000 pounds to “buy cities and land that could be owned collectively”• -Letchworth, Hertfordshire was launched in

1903, population grew to 33,000 and thrived for a short period • -Much of the land eventually became public

land, but some has been restore with 999 year leases, and homes with 99 year leases• -see pg. 100 for funding available for CLTs in

England and Wales• Also being developed in Vancouver.

MUTUAL HOMEOWNERSHIP MODEL: SCALING UP URBAN AFFORDABILITY

• --inspired and informed by 3 models: Letchworth in England, American CLTs, and a tenant-owned co-op model from Sweden• -Swedish model: “Mother” co-ops develop new

co-ops and mobilize low-cost financing, smaller co-ops manage themselves• -tenants also bring money to the table• -see pg. 102 for the Mutual Home Ownership

Society Shared Equity Co-op Housing• -Mortgage on cost of building is shared by

tenants

• -A Closer Look At Mutuality and Equity• -see pg.104 for mutual home ownership: monthly

costs and equity shares for two-incomes household

SCALING UP MUTUALITY

• -Mutual home ownership is affordable for the following reasons: lease payments are a set ratio (35 percent) of net household • -Lower-income members can acquire equity shares

(in ten years, the equity available to low-income members is almost equal to their annual income)• -members can buy more shares as their incomes rise• -transaction costs are reduced, properties are not

bought and sold• -over longer term, borrowing costs should be cheaper

as longer-term financing is secured from pension funds• -the linkage to average earnings helps reduce the risk

and maintains affordability of the home

IMPACTS ON HOUSEHOLD ECONOMIES

• -The household economy: land trust impacts on transition• -see table 4.5, pg. 107 for 10-year savings by adding

in land trust• -Transition factors• -commons is countercultural as property ownership is

embedded in modern psyche• -affordable housing:• -frees up income to afford healthy food• -reduces stress due to housing insecurity• -enables families to participate in community

life• -have been proven to contribute to better

education and more sociable environment for children•