Category: Posts | Free Content

The valuation of external costs and benefits will be difficult but necessary if the full cost or benefit to society and the environment is to

Read MoreThe Problem with an Economic Valuation of the Environment

Choice is an important element in economic thinking if there are scarce resources and infinite wants. Places that are booming will have to make choices,

Read MoreThe Economics of Choice and Opportunity Cost in Development

The discovery of what specific policy mechanisms can be used to finance affordable housing is extremely helpful. Different ‘types’ of mechanisms are available in the

Read MoreAffordable Housing using Direct Regulation and Bonds

[1500 Words; 8 Minute Read] In this post, we focus on the importance of methods to aid international ‘real world’ research. Natural sciences often place

Read MoreHow do we do international research?: Some Methods in studying ‘Real World’ phenomena

[2000 Words; 10 minute Read] The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is defined as a form of procurement to encourage private investment in public sector projects.

Read MoreThe Private Finance Initiative (PFI) – Paying for Public Goods with Private Money

[1000 Words; 10 Minute Read] In addition to the more localised economic mechanisms that operate in urban areas, the wider open economy will shape how

Read MoreThe Open Economy and Sustainable Cities

[2000 Words; 10 Minute Read] It is important to improve understanding of how cities can be better financed to meet affordable housing challenges over the

Read MoreFinancing Affordable Housing – Some Fiscal Approaches used in the United States

[800 Words; 5 Minute Read] Research methodology often incorporates case studies, and it is important to outline case study epistemological merits and limitations. Firstly, the

Read MoreCase study research – using case studies by geography

[1000 Words; 5 Minute Read] A Public Private Partnership (PPP) is a public service or private business venture that is funded and operated through a

Read MorePublic Private Partnerships (PPP) – A win-win situation?

[1500 Words; 10 Minute Read] This article looks at ‘environmental resource’ issues in connection with water. We look at ‘externalities’ as the third-party costs and

[1300 Words; 10 Minute Read]. The post explores what is involved and could be considered when transferring policy from one context to another. At the

Read MorePolicy Transfer: Why do we see the same ideas and practice around the world? – 5 Key Aspects

[1200 Words; 4 Minute Read] Concern over climate change and a focus to improve and protect natural resources and improve ecological health have been promoted

Read MoreSustainable Urban Development – Connecting Urban and Environmental Economics

Given some recent announcements on social (public) housing provision in New Zealand, I have graphed the changes in tenure since 1991 to the start of

Read MoreNew Zealand Tenure Changes 1991 to 2016

[2000 Words; 15 Minute Read] Policy in affordable housing supply is responding to the challenge of housing markets where unaffordability prevails. Often measured by high

Read MoreAffordable Housing – a Community Reinvestment Solution?

[2000 Words; 20 Minute Read] There are forms of market failure due to external costs and benefits that need to be calculated and internalized to

Read MoreHow can you Value the Built and Natural Environment? Cost-Benefit Analysis

[1100 Words; 4 Minute Read] “Decent, affordable housing is fundamental to the health and well-being of people and to the smooth functioning of economies” (Woetzel

Read MoreHousing Affordability Determinants

[1200 Words; 10 Minute Read] In order to frame research within a particular philosophy a critical realist approach can be taken, especially to gain a

Read MoreCritical Realism as a Research Philosophy – Enlightened Common Sense?

[1000 Words; 5 Minute Read] In discussing globalisation, the term can be described as the convergence of markets, economies and ways of life across the

Read MoreWhy will Globalisation prevail? The enduring forces and enablers

Introduction [3000 Words; 23 Minute Read] The last few decades globally has seen a move away from seeing housing design as part of the development

Read MoreHousing Development and Design in Cities

Building a 2nd Brain and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) In the new pedagogical landscape, I am looking at the limits of teaching and learning as

Read MoreBrains are for having ideas, not storing them

In the lead up to the New Zealand 2020 election it is worthwhile having a look at what proportion of people bother to vote. Here

Read MoreDon’t vote! It only encourages them: Party Votes and Turnout by Electorate

I did some work looking housing affordability trajectories in New Zealand’s regions. All very techy, but essentially evidencing how 4 clustered regions have converged in

Read MoreHousing Affordability in the Regions as Trajectory Regressions – If you are into this kind of thing.

Here we find some initial analysis that I’ve done looking retrospectively on the 2017 election in New Zealand. Its thrown up some interesting aspects that

Read MoreHow to win an Election: New Zealand 2017 Analysis

Over the last few years, I’ve spent some time looking at and engaging with the affordability debate. For New Zealand, it is a significant but

Read MoreNo surprises: Wages haven’t kept up with runaway house prices. Some evidence.

Fast forward 36 years and we see the land value of sales in Auckland’s districts skyrocket. Auckland city at median land value of $500,000 (previously

Read MorePlaying with QGIS: What were Land Values worth in Auckland 2017?

In playing around with QGIS for another project I’ve mapped Auckland district median land values as of 1981. Auckland City land values at a mere

Read MorePlaying with QGIS: What were Land Values worth in Auckland 1981?

Here’s an excerpt from on recent research project on Machine Learning for Real Estate and Housing Markets… “…Here we consider all 21 national-level indicators and

Read MoreGazing into the Crystal Ball: Machine learning to predict house prices

Approaches to international comparative analysis of real estate development can be used to bring out some comparisons in case study sites. Key layers and mechanisms

Read MoreAn ‘innovative’ framework for comparing real estate development

Owner-occupier motivation is multifaceted and complex. It is the precursor to energy efficiency refurbishment (i.e. action) and to encourage a greater uptake such refurbishment better

Read MoreWhat are the motivations for energy efficient refurbishment (EER)?

For New Zealand, at a national scale housing policy trends have encouraged market engagement given its high proportion of residential ownership, with social housing provision

Read MoreMapping Financial Risk and Housing Trends in New Zealand: towards ‘freer’ in a largely free market?

Here’s an excerpt from a recent Journal Paper where we see An acceleration in Auckland and Central Otago Lakes since 2013 Median house price trends

Read MoreRegional house price (sales) trends 2010-2017. An acceleration in Auckland and Central Otago Lakes

Within a current Machine Learning project we start with a baseline look at how house prices have changed over the last 2 decades. Here we

Read More2 Decades of Auckland Median House Prices 2000-2019

The graph depicts the year-on-year percentage changes of the amount of economic activity being generated in the Rental, Hiring and Real-estate Sector over the volatile

Read MoreA Covid-19 Pandemic Retrospective: Activity being generated in the Real-estate Sector over the volatile period during the COVID19 in New Zealand

Great stories piece on State Housing in New Zealand. Only 4% of total stock but has been an essential part of the fabric since 1906.

Read MoreState Housing New Zealand

Editorial for Journal of Property Investment and Finance https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JPIF-02-2020-141/full/html

Interesting house price index from The Economist post GFC

This data visualisation talk is really good Especially the interesting budget visualisation, demonstrating the enormous relative impact of the GFC

Software to help with referencing is a good way to build up and manage your own dataset of articles. Here are a couple of good

Read MoreReferencing Techniques

A really useful starting point in understanding the PropTech field is from the consultancy-university report authored by Andrew Baum at Oxford University https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2018-07/PropTech3.0.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1080/21681376.2019.1643777

When using online survey methods, two useful software products are Qualtrics and Survey Monkey. Basic techniques for analysing the findings are also available in the

Read MoreOnline Survey Methods

‘Research’ is a term that covers a multitude of activities, but in one way or another they are all about finding things out. At one

Read MoreWhat is Research?

For quantifying and analysing qualitative data I tend to use NVivo. Here’s a link to the software page: https://www.qsrinternational.com/nvivo/nvivo-products

Here’s part of an article I wrote for the main online NZ media outlet stuff.co.nz on housing affordability prior to the 2017 election… Talk of

Read More2 years on: Is the Housing Affordability crisis still a crisis?

https://youtu.be/UZnoOuMwupM

In  a journal paper we argue that Disruptive Innovation Theory indicates that there is disruptive potential of Real Estate Crowd-Funding (RECF). As an excerpt…”RECF seems

Read MoreCrowdfunding real estate

              Policymakers in New Zealand are attempting to achieve improved environmental outcomes by implementing an output-based approach to non-point-source

Read MoreImproving water quality with rural land use policy: (re)balancing farmland regulation, intensification and financial viability

                          Real estate development shapes the way people live and work, playing a

Read MoreMy New Edited Book – Routledge Companion to Real Estate Development

            How do housing stakeholders align future private and public spending to identify investment opportunities and help meet the City’s broader economic and spatial

Read MoreSolutions to the housing crisis – Housing Associations in the Private Rented Sector?

              It is worth looking at the impact of community self-build schemes, especially as many have helped ex-service personnel rehabilitate

Read MoreCommunity self-build schemes enabling holistic solutions for ex-servicemen

Urban policy transfer between the US and UK has long been of interest to researchers and practitioners. Given the recent wider context of reduced direct

Read MoreTax Increment Financing (TIF) as an urban policy for spatially targeted economic development initiatives

I completed a PhD from the University of Manchester (2009), that predominantly focused on exploring the drivers and dynamics associated with what I termed ‘low

Read MoreLow Demand Neighbourhoods – Housing Market Renewal Experience

          I have been practicing transcendental meditation (TM) for nearly 2 years. It was one of the best decisions I have

Read MoreTranscendental Meditation (TM)

If you need a companion to understand real estate development this collection is the best around

First class collection of real estate development literature, with an international framing.

Best there is if you are interested in procuring and building

And what a book.

Wonderful introduction to economics in the field of property from my old room mate.

Textbook outlining the history and development of urban and regional planning

Arguing the case for housing as needing radical political and economic attention

Good compendium of journal papers looking at affordable housing as the contemporary crisis unfolds

Major textbook on globalisation of the economy in the social sciences.

Spatial application of economic theory using old and new modelling techniques to look at urban and regional phenomena.

Brilliant follow up teaching that progress and growth can come from surrendering to the moment.

Arguing early on that markets are driven by psychological and social factors rather than fundamental values. Especially in later editions that consider housing market bubbles.

Important text from the 20th century that unpicks earlier pure logic work, to identify the complexity of language that form the basis of most philosophical

Read MoreInfluential books #88 Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein

Long running textbook that introduces the basics of urban economic theory and concepts. As well as some economic policy ideas to deal with urban problems.

1860 saw the birth of capitalism in political language. This book explores the period where private enterprise is maintained in a belief of developing economic

Read MoreInfluential books #86 The Age Of Capital 1848-1875 by Eric Hobsbawm

Important stocktake that cities should not necessarily be celebrated given their contradictions, and that these tensions make cities what they are.

Accessible methods textbook that has stood the test of time.

Urban and economic geography, looking at what makes cities grow and decline. Particular focus on urban development from forces that are economic, institutional, innovational/interactional, and

Read MoreInfluential books #83 Keys to the city by Michael Storper

Islamic history and more importantly the birth of modern sociology 400 years before Comte.

Largely mathematical underpinning of urban economics principles, that help those new to subject have a clear and precise introduction

Useful economics text on real estate in cities , with examples helping to demonstrate the theory and practice

From the father of utilitarianism this text sets the new legal thinking on societal motivations and intentions

Looking at how societies see time, particularly as an economic ‘resource’ both natural and cultural

Set over four books, this leading text of the enlightenment covers nurture, experience/reflection, language, and the limits of knowledge.

Leading text on real estate investment as an asset class, with international cases that illuminate strategic theory that is used in practice

Postmodern thinking on taxonomies, in that structures are set within the parameters of their own historical epistemological norms such as scientific discourse. Subtitled the ‘Archaeology

Read MoreInfluential books #75 The order of things by Michel Foucault

Now a decade on since the third edition. A really great theory-practice book at the nexus of urban planning and real estate development.

Famous for macroeconomic thinking on the positives of fiscal intervention as counter-cyclical to peaks and troughs in growth.

In erring towards science over faith, this book places an importance on realising the human limits of understanding in physical and mental reasoning.

Useful practical reading on valuation methods

One of the go-to textbooks for commercial and industrial property (real estate) valuations and appraisals.

Rebalancing historical, spatial, and social considerations in the production of space. Further real and imagined dimensions are used to build a new theoretical urban frame.

Beyond the idea of the monarchy making legislative decisions, the social contract progresses to argue an allocation of power by the people.

A thorough body of work exploring poverty from theory to practice as applied to the United Kingdom. Published at a pivotal political turn in 1979.

Popularising the ‘Edge City’ term for growing development of commercial hub activity outside of the urban core.

Compelling historical critique of the neoliberal project of free(er) markets that has dominated contemporary thinking and practice.

Reflective book on travels in South America that strengthened structuralist thinking. The idea that there are underlying universal structures in the human condition.

Text that provides a history of urban planning in addition to some of the social and economic problems that underpin its theory and practice.

Popularising early thought on human behaviour in the neoclassical economics paradigm – diagrams, maths, marginal utilities, and elasticities being embedded as principles.

Book that energised the garden city movement as a utopian desire to live in harmony with nature

Book that attracted new attention post global financial crisis, in that accumulation of non-government debt creates a condition for instability in the economy.

Initial founding writings on the idea of positivism, where observations in science are seen as the most effective approach.

How globalisation of capital has created new governance of the state beyond the nation

Exploring and supporting the movement for more walkable cities given the modern historical influence of the car.

Work post WW2 that promotes the idea of limited government involvement, to enable universal market efficiency, and thus liberalism in the sense of individual freedoms.

A touchstone for political theory of distributive justice, looking normatively to rebalance equality of opportunity and helping the more disadvantaged in society.