Last Updated: 7:33 am | Sunday, July 23, 2006

Gas mileage figures belie complaints

Editorial/Cincinnati Enquirer

 

If we are what we drive, then most of us are not as upset as we say we are about U.S. dependence on foreign oil, global warming or the high cost of gasoline.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency's annual analysis of average fuel economy reported no improvement in 2006 model year vehicles over 2004 or 2005. The estimated average for 2006 "light-duty vehicles" stayed constant at 21.0 miles per gallon. Most U.S. car buyers and carmakers do not put their money where their mouth is, no matter how much we grumble about being held hostage by Mideast oil or gouged by volatile fuel prices.

 

EPA's calculations provide a sobering reality check to the Enquirer Editorial Board's summer campaign urging readers to share ways they are trying to move the supply-and-demand needle by "Easing Off the Gas." The market on its own won't rescue us. Informed consumers can make a difference by smarter car-buying and driving practices.

 

...

 

More at:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060723/EDIT01/607230347/1090

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/24/story2.html

 

Execs casting wary eyes on pumps

Business First of Columbus - July 21, 2006by Kevin KemperBusiness First

 

Richard Durst's business runs on diesel and, like many forms of energy lately, the price of the fuel has been increasing - and eating into his company's bottom line.

 

Durst's Arctic Express Inc. in Hilliard operates a fleet of refrigerated trucks that ferry goods cross-country for Abbott Laboratories, Coca-Cola Co., Dow Chemical Co., Kraft Foods Inc. and others. But because of the higher fuel costs those companies are paying Arctic the normal delivery fees and a fuel surcharge that ranges from 33 to 45 cents a mile.

 

"We would have long ago gone out of business if not for those surcharges," the CEO said.

 

...

 

More at:

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/24/story2.html 

The problem is in an interview meant to explain why prices are so high and why consumers are feeling the pinch, it seems disingenuous to infer transit as a cause (even though you could argue it legitimately is) when it can be a major part of the solution. It's a bit of public policy misdirection. And yes, we are at the mercy of our poorly conceived environment, but until we can make wholesale change in the scattered way in which we live, comprehensive transit will be part of the cure to oil dependency, not the cause.

 

The idea that empty buses traveling on little used routes are a significant factor in the current gasoline price increase is ridiculous, no matter what your political affiliation is.  This is the same fallacy in thinking that the shirking worker or welfare mother has an important and nefarious impact on the economy.  This notion, which still gets a surprising amount of play, is a holdover from our pre-industrial/modern economy.  Prices aren't increasing because of the misallocation of resources, they are increasing because more people want more of something that is finite.  Think about one of, if not the greatest misallocation of resources man can make- war.  The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) caused great destruction to Germany, which didn't recover for nearly 100 years.  During the Second World War, which lasted about six years, Germany got pounded and millions of people died, yet only 10-15 years later Germany's economy was not only thriving and producing more than it's prewar economy had, it was the largest economy in Europe.  KJP's right- The Shell exec's comments are totally disingenous.  I don't know if he truly knows better or not (I don't think they teach economics at business school, just PowerPoint and how to remember people's names if they aren't wearing a name tag), but he should.

 

Why is gas so expensive?  Because there's less of it and so many people want it and need it.  These types of shortages have occurred over the course of the history of the petroleum industry, though they were usually dealt with through a combination of technological improvement, government regulation and the discovery of new sources.  Now it seems that people with a whole lot more knowledge than me on this subject seem to be saying we're running out of new sources.  So prices are increasing because demand is outstripping supply.  People always talk about how this Middle East b.s. is driving up prices, but we'd probably see gas prices drop quicker if we allowed those silly bastards to keep running after each other in the desert and just nuked the chow mein out of China.  Of course, then we'd have to pay more for shower curtains at Wal-Mart.  Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060725/us_nm/energy_us_publictransport_dc

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gasoline prices at near-record highs are fueling a big increase in the number of riders on buses and trains, prompting cities around the country to improve their public transport systems, transportation agencies said on Tuesday...

 

Guess COTA missed that memo.

Quite simply, these are devastating times for the U.S. auto industry (see the BBC report above). Even more tragic is that the losses they are taking could have been avoided if they had the long-term vision that the foreign automakers, particularly those in Japan, had.

 

Ford and GM made a disproportionate share of their profit off of SUV sales. With SUV sales down 45 percent, one can only imagine what will happen to these companies.

 

Remember too that even before the price of oil shot above $60 (and stayed above), and then Katrina hit, GM was already in bad shape because of pensions and health care costs. Their grand plan to save the company was to come out with an all new exciting line of friggin SUVs. Something like $5 billion was invested in retooling factories and coming up with the new models.

 

Good plan guys. It's clear you can't see what's coming beyond the tips of your noses.

I recently purchased a new (well, gently used:) car. I'm still unhappy about needing to buy a car (I'm one of those people who would rather drive around a beater all my life than stress about a payment or scratching a shiny new beauty), but I really can't get around it with my job. If I want to get more responsibility/increased wages in the future, I can't be bumming rides off my boss to get to clients' offices not serviced by bus routes.

 

Anyway, I purchased another Honda Civic. And to KJP's point, the Civic market is BOOMING right now because of the fuel issues. It's got to be good to be a Honda dealer right now. They get them in off leases, fix them up a little and then put a $15,000 sticker on the window, no matter how many miles are on the the odometer.

 

This is the third car I've driven in a little less than 10 years, and they've all been Civics -- this time I'm actually driving a car made in the same decade, though, lol. I've been looking into buying a new car for a few months now as my old car was starting to have some problems, and I had thought about going American this time around. I was forced into a decision after a recent minor car accident (no injuries or anything, and my old Civic actually doesn't look that bad. but at 10 years old, the repairs aren't worth the money). When push came to shove, I went Honda again because of all the reasons I went with them before -- good gas mileage, solid warranties and solid construction. Plus, they're the same price as the American cars, and I just feel comfortable with them. I am sure you can draw some sociological, Marxist conclusion about this, but I am beginning to identify with that dopey "H" logo. I had my 1997 Civic from 2001 until now, and besides the accident, I only had one weird problem when a computer inside broke, which could have cost a lot of money, but it was covered by Honda, and the car was eight years old when this happened! Other than that, just oil changes, exhaust systems, brakes and tires. I was ready to drive that thing into the ground. I was getting 35 mpg on the highway easy. In high school, I drove a 14-year-old Civic around and I would have driven that into the ground too if my parents wouldn't have made me buy a new car (they were afraid I was going to get squashed by an SUV).

 

I'm actually hoping the next time I need to buy a car (which I hope is in 10 years, but I guess that's unlikely anymore), I want to get a hybrid. Maybe they'll all be hybrids by them. I want 100 miles/gallon. And since most American Hondas are made here, I have to feel guilty. Unless I'm in Detroit.

 

Sort of funny sidenote about Detroit. When I lived there last year, I took my Civic in for an oil change and the guys at Valvoline had to get an oil-change manual out for my car to figure out how to do it. I thought that was interesting because anywhere else, Civics are omnipresent.

 

 

 

 

^Plus, a lot of Hondas are built here in Ohio, as well as in Flatrock, MI. I drive a 1998 Honda and freaking love it. 35MPG average. $4,300 used.

Yeah, I saw at the dealership there was a new Accord that had a "Made in Ohio" sticker in it with the percentage breakdown of where everything came from. Most of the work was done here but there were some parts shipped in from Japan. It's too bad we didn't get that new factory, but I was reading in the Dispatch that Ohio will still get some economic benefits, so the glass is half full! Support Ohio, buy Japanese, I guess.

 

 

It's kind of stupid to exclusively buy American anymore.. Our economies are so interlinked now. Helping Japan out indirectly helps us out, really. I'd like to buy a Honda Civic. I'm driving a gas guzzling '90 jeep cherokee with 235k miles until I can afford something else. The cherokee was given to me; I did not intentionally acquire an SUV :[  A few fuel injectors are leaking gasoline but I don't want to get it fixed since my uncle just told me he can get me a car through his firm but it's taking foever :[ I envy you Honda owners! I spend like 40 bucks a week on gas and I go to school close by and only work about 4 miles away! I cant sustain this lifestyle.

It says something about the desirablility of used Civic's when I bought my '95 Civic four years ago and it only depreciated $250.  In the process, I've put about 35k miles on it.

The last new American auto I bought--and will ever buy--was a 1995 Saturn, and it was something like 75% domestic content. But since then GM has walked away from the Saturn experiment, the electric car experiment, the making-cars-people-desire experiment, and I can no longer buy into the "Buy American" argument.

 

In a pithy little nutshell, I gave up investing in American car companies not long after they gave up investing in America.

 

So I say buy whatever car is manufactured in your neighborhood, especially if it's a Honda. You're supporting the same globalization that The Big Two-and-a-half use to rationalize gutting their suppliers and sending manufacturing out of the country.

 

Ptooie! I speet on you GM!

Road Projects a Casualty of Oil Crisis - Asphalt Prices Escalate as Oil Prices Climb, Making Highway Projects More Expensive

 

(Pumps fist) Yesssssss!

Well I was at Jake Sweeney Chevy last night and I ordered in a 2007 Chevy Tahoe. I can't wait! I will be commuting to UC this year and I needed a newer vehicle and this one is perfect.

 

Remember how small the Ford SUVs were in Jurassic Park compared to today...................?

 

 

:shoot:

:shoot:

:shoot:

:shoot:

:shoot:

^One school of thought is that their immense size, lumbering gait and insatiable appetite created an extinction-hastening handicap.

 

Ditto for the dinosaurs.

 

 

 

Kingfish out of water, are you a journalist? You have an extremely broad vernacular.

 

I entered to win a H3 today at work...then I thought, wait a second; I can't  afford to put fuel in a Hummer! So I figured I'd just sell it, but I'd hate to take advantage of someone dumb enough to buy it :[

^Worse. I'm an ad man. But if it's any consolation, I'm not a very good one.

Pain being felt beyond the pump, poll finds

Many delay paying bills, alter their driving habits

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Tracy Turner

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The high cost of gas is now wilting the quality of life for many Americans, an Experian-Gallup poll reports.

 

Drivers with household incomes of less than $40,000 are delaying their rent payments, stalling creditors, skipping vacations and dining out a lot less. Prices yesterday spiked to as high as $3.19 a gallon at some stations, about 25 cents higher than the average last week. With prices this high, fewer people are saving for tomorrow.

 

The heat is on, even inside their cars.

 

...

 

More at:

http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/05/20060805-A1-02.html

 

Link to Survey Chart: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/05/20060805-A4-05.html

A frightening article... as we're only getting into the start of the troubles. How will people respond to $5 gas? We'll soon find out.

^We won't necessarily find out about $5.00 gasoline.

 

  When I first found out about peak oil, my first thought was, "What happens when gasoline hits $10? $20? If supply declines and demand stays the same, then prices have to rise.

 

  However, demand DOES NOT stay the same. Look in the preceding article. People are avoiding dining out, avoiding vacation trips, and so on. Not only does this reduce the demand for the people making those decisions, it also puts less money in the pockets of the restaurant and hotel workers. Some call this effect Demand Destruction.

 

    Then there is inflation, which just confuses the price issue even more.

 

    I don't know what's going to happen with price. It may go up further, it may stay the same, or it may go down. But in any case, I think there will be big changes.

 

    Just for fun:

    Assume a car is driven 12,000 miles per year at 20 miles per gallon. It will consume 600 gallons of gasoline.

 

    At $1.00 a gallon, that's $600.

    At $2.00 a gallon, that's $1,200.

    At $3.00 a gallon, that's $1,800.

    At $4.00 a gallon, that's $2,400.

 

    That's still small, percentage wise, compared to the cost of the car or the $40,000 per year earnings. Obviously, the poorer you are, the more it will affect you.

^We won't necessarily find out about $5.00 gasoline.

 

  When I first found out about peak oil, my first thought was, "What happens when gasoline hits $10? $20? If supply declines and demand stays the same, then prices have to rise.

 

   However, demand DOES NOT stay the same. Look in the preceding article. People are avoiding dining out, avoiding vacation trips, and so on. Not only does this reduce the demand for the people making those decisions, it also puts less money in the pockets of the restaurant and hotel workers. Some call this effect Demand Destruction.

 

What you just described here is demand desctruction for casual dining establishments via high gasoline costs.  People are dining out less so they can still afford to commute and drive the kids all over town, thus, gasoline demand is staying the same (or even rising by about 1% according to the EIA). 

 

I'll see if I can dig up a few studies I've read about the breakpoint that was witnessed in the 70's about demand destruction.  I believe conventional wisdom says it will happen between $3.50 and $4.  Anything short of that, and people will offset cutting back on driving at the expense of other items (casual dining, clothing, gifts, etc...).  We're a stubborn culture that believes we are somehow entitled to our easy motoring lifestyle.  Obviously, $3/gal isn't enough of a shock for us to cut back on driving.

 

    So, if people are dining out less, than that means less business for the restaurants as well as a little bit less driving. Less business for the restaurants means fewer employees driving to work. I think demand destruction has already started, although it may be mild compared to what is to come.

 

    On another discussion board, it was estimated that gasoline will never reach $6.00 a gallon, other things being equal. At that price, demand destruction will be in full swing. Minimum wage earners will not be able to afford to drive to work: it will cost them more money than they make. At least that was one guy's take on it.

 

    In 1997 it cost me about $8.00 to fill up the tank of my car. Now it costs me $45!

(I have a larger vehicle with a larger gas tank in addition to higher gasoline prices and some inflation.)

 

   

^ low wage workers already cannot afford to get to work...it is frighening.

In 1997 it cost me about $8.00 to fill up the tank of my car. Now it costs me $45!

 

In the late fifties, regular gasoline was steady for a long time at around $0.299, and occasional price wars dropped it to $0.249. At that price I could fill up my $65, 20-year-old Chevy for $3, and that would get me to and from work for the better part of a week.

 

Take into consideration that I had a decent job for a 19-year-old, making $110/week before taxes.

I remember 19 cents/gal at one point in the late '60's and that $2.00 routinely got my Dad 8 gallons. We had it too good. The whole system was so ginned up, the outcome of near-total auto-dependency was a foregone conclusion. We starting to pay the piper now.

After BP today discovered a corroded pipeline from its Prudoe Bay field, and 8 percent of domestic production went off line "indefinitely," look for crude prices to rise above $80 per barrel and gasoline futures to rise to above $2.50 per gallon. Don't be surprised if the average retail price is in excess of $3.20 per gallon by the end of the week.

 

Translation: Fill up your gas tanks now.

In 1997 it cost me about $8.00 to fill up the tank of my car. Now it costs me $45!

Take into consideration that I had a decent job for a 19-year-old, making $110/week before taxes.

 

There are some grown adults who'd love to make that much nowadays.

 

What I want to know is how bands can stay on tour with gas prices like these. My combo was touring heavy from 1997-1999 and we'd freak out at $1.12/gal. Playing for gas money has never been more lucrative, as long as you and your bandmates take turns getting out and pushing.

I just use my jetpack everywhere I go; it works great.

^The music business really has changed.

I saw the story about the Prudhoe Bay shutdown. An article said we might see $80/bbl and maybe higher if Iran gets into the act and does some postring about cutting off oil or whatever.

I saw the story about the Prudhoe Bay shutdown. An article said we might see $80/bbl and maybe higher if Iran gets into the act and does some postring about cutting off oil or whatever.

Yeah, KJP's wager is looking pretty solid.  You can also add in the developing tropical wave off the coast of Africa.  NHC is expecting this to become Tropical Storm Debby over the next 36 hours.

Different kind of band.... But I know from experience that many drum and bugle corps have folded based on the fact that they cannot pay for the gas to tour around the country(some of these groups have been around for 50 or more years). I know that my drum corps is facing similiar problems now. When you travel 30,000 miles in about 3 months..gas prices can really hurt you. I know that some corps are talking about taking trains to and from performances for long trips and then taking the buses only for short trips...no matter how you look at it, the touring life has to change, it's getting too expensive

 

 

 

 

 

i know, i know..................................band geek

Dennis Byrne (a former reporter for several Chicago newspapers) has an interesting new entry in his blog titled "Key to energy reform: Let our oil prices soar" which I posted at:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2706.msg116508#msg116508

I think thats a great idea. In Europe it's not just a problem with consumption and pollution, it's also a matter of taking up space. Those Smart cars can fit in the smallest spaces.

 

I wish we would focus on longer-range battery technology. I don't understand all the hype about hydrogen fuel cell. Every year they say it's 15 more years away.

Candidates Playing Gas Pump Politics

 

By JAMES HANNAH

Associated Press Writer

 

August 14, 2006, 2:44 AM CDT

 

MIAMISBURG, Ohio -- Mike Shteiwi pulled out the pump in disgust after buying just a few gallons of gas on a day when the price for a gallon of regular jumped a dime, to $3.09, in his southwest Ohio hometown.

 

"It's killing everybody," muttered Shteiwi, 54. "Whoever's in office now, I'm not going to vote for none of them."

 

With the country's gas prices averaging $3 a gallon, congressional and gubernatorial candidates nationwide are trying to turn pain at the pump into smart politics.

 

...

 

More at:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-pump-politics,1,5004233.story?coll=chi-news-hed

"It's killing everybody," muttered Shteiwi, 54. "Whoever's in office now, I'm not going to vote for none of them."

 

That am really goodly English there, pardner....

^ I was more concerned that he is going to vote against every incumbent, based on gas prices alone, if I read his English correctly.

Rep. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Mike DeWine in Ohio, keeps reminding voters that the average two-car family is paying $1,563 more for gasoline this year than it did in 2000.

 

This kind of double talk turns me against Sherrod Brown.  You can't say that you're environmentally conscious and then turn around and console some poor old lady about her gasoline bill.  You can't have it both ways!  Cheap gas means environmental damage.  It's just that simple. 

 

What is he planning on doing to cut that $1,563/year?  Give me something concrete!  Politicians frustrate the hell out of me.

^One could argue that were there more viable alternative transportation options on the table, the law of supply and demand would have kept the price of gasoline in check.

 

Grasping at straws here. Yeah, politicians generally suck.

 

But some suck way, WAY more than others...

the lastest from MSN (link at bottom of page):

 

 

Could rising gas prices kill the suburbs?

When a high-cost commute reaches the point of no-return, home buyers will start finding houses closer to work. In fact, some already are.

 

By Marilyn Lewis

 

Rising fuel costs are being blamed for everything from soaring utility costs to lower retail sales and higher airline tickets. And now, experts say high gas prices could reshape U.S. cities.

 

"Most analysts believe that crude oil prices in the $50s and $60s will be with us for some time," says Stuart Gabriel, director of the Lusk Center, a think tank at the University of Southern California devoted to studying real estate forces and trends. There's even talk of crude hitting $100 per barrel -- or 10 times what it sold for in the summer of 2005.

More at:http://realestate.msn.com/buying/Articlenewhome.aspx?cp-documentid=742526&GT1=8479

^One could argue that were there more viable alternative transportation options on the table, the law of supply and demand would have kept the price of gasoline in check.

One could definitely argue that!  The problem is, I don't hear any politicians up for election doing so.  They just talk about poor Mr. Smith who is trying to provide for his family and can't afford to pay for gas anymore.  Then Mr./Mrs. Politician says, "we need to change this!", but doesn't say how.  Sorry, but that's not enough to get my vote.

more from MSN. the # after the city name/rank are average gallons used per day. note cleveland fares well in all this:

10 cities worst hit by rising gas prices

The $50 fill-up is all too common today, but some cities have it particularly bad. Here are the top 10 cities feeling the gas crunch -- and 10 that manage to keep their pain in check.

 

Sperling's BestPlaces

 

With the price of gasoline at record highs, there's no shortage of pain at the pump. But some U.S. cities are being hit especially hard.

 

Sperling’s BestPlaces looked at the cost of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline in 80 major U.S. cities and factored in the number of miles driven by daily commuters, plus the effect of rush-hour congestion.  The findings? Commuters in Atlanta are the worst off: A family with two daily drivers can spend more than $5,700 annually on gas.  Birmingham, Ala., and Orlando, Fla., round out the top three, with annual gas costs at $5,464 and $5404, respectively. Four of the top 10 cities were located in Florida. (View the complete rankings here.)

 

The Top 10 most expensive places for driving:

 

More at:

http://realestate.msn.com/Rentals/Articlesperling.aspx?cp-documentid=500985

 

When a high-cost commute reaches the point of no-return, home buyers will start finding houses closer to work. In fact, some already are.

 

Does this mean I have to start thinking about moving out to the exburbs where developers are building office parks on cheap farmland?

^ I know a part of me really worries about this, however I think you have to have a centralized business area (ie a downtown) not everyone will live and work in the same cow pasture. If people start heading into the cities, cow pasture businesses will have to worry about attracting people way out there..lets hope this is the way it goes down.

Does this mean I have to start thinking about moving out to the exburbs where developers are building office parks on cheap farmland?

 

 

Let's hope not.  You may shorten your commute, but you'll still have to drive for just about everything you need.  You pretty much have to be married to your automobile to live in the exurbs.  I live where I do because the community is walkable for many of my most common needs (not all, but enough).  Unfortunately, I work in an exurb.  The job is too good to give up right now, but it consumes probably 95% of my driving miles. 

 

My choice was to live close to my job and have a short commute but have to also drive for everything else, or live in a place like I do now that's walkable but have a 30-35 minute commute (one-way).  I chose the latter. 

 

We have sort of a dual problem developing now though.  Driving is getting more and more expensive.  We want to see more efficient development patterns and re-birth of the urban core, but the new urban housing going in isn't in the affordability range for a lot of people.  $250k+ for a condo (I'm speaking about the Cleveland area, this would be dirt cheap in some areas of the country) is too expensive, at least it is for me and my income, despite my commute and associated driving expenses.  Besides, I don't like condos.  I don't have, need or want a big house or a big yard, but I just don't like condos.  Once you start getting into townhomes or detached homes in  revived or reviving new-urbanist area, you're talking even more unaffordable amounts of money.

 

Does this mean I have to start thinking about moving out to the exburbs where developers are building office parks on cheap farmland?

 

 

Let's hope not.  You may shorten your commute, but you'll still have to drive for just about everything you need.  You pretty much have to be married to your automobile to live in the exurbs.  I live where I do because the community is walkable for many of my most common needs (not all, but enough).  Unfortunately, I work in an exurb.  The job is too good to give up right now, but it consumes probably 95% of my driving miles. 

 

My choice was to live close to my job and have a short commute but have to also drive for everything else, or live in a place like I do now that's walkable but have a 30-35 minute commute (one-way).  I chose the latter. 

 

We have sort of a dual problem developing now though.  Driving is getting more and more expensive.  We want to see more efficient development patterns and re-birth of the urban core, but the new urban housing going in isn't in the affordability range for a lot of people.  $250k+ for a condo (I'm speaking about the Cleveland area, this would be dirt cheap in some areas of the country) is too expensive, at least it is for me and my income, despite my commute and associated driving expenses.  Besides, I don't like condos.  I don't have, need or want a big house or a big yard, but I just don't like condos.  Once you start getting into townhomes or detached homes in  revived or reviving new-urbanist area, you're talking even more unaffordable amounts of money.

 

 

I would love to see new 160-200k two and three story houses being built in the inner city. Condos (although I'd personally love to live in one) just aren't for everyone; especially suburbanites in transition from a sprawled lifestyle. They need a more gradual change.

What...like these?

 

http://www.northofbroad.com/

 

The problem with only paying 160-200k is that land value is higher closer to the city (rather than farmland), so you'll likely be in a less desirable neighborhood.

 

Here's another one, in a more desireable neighborhood.  The prices obviously reflect that.

 

http://harrisonpark.com

Hell, I'd love to be able to buy a studio apartment for 160k-200k.  LOL

DaninDC... that's exactly why I qualified my statement to reflect incomes/real estate in the Cleveland area.  I have a decent income for this area, but would have a difficult time making ends meet in DC.  I'm guessing the best I could do would probably be to live in Harper's Ferry and take MARC in every day.  Don't know for sure as I don't know the area other than housing in most instances is out of site, just guessing. 

 

Brewmaster:  Yes, land values are higher in the city, that's why we need creative solutions to lower the prices in SOME instances to prevent moderate and lower income people from being priced out of those neighborhoods.  I recall reading a couple of years ago that in, I think what is becoming Cleveland's EcoVillage, a neighborhood land trust actually owns some of the housing lots.  So, people only have to pay for the house and not the house + the lot.  I'm not sure of the specifics of how the agreements are set up between the homeowner and the land trust, but those houses are always targeted for certain income levels when they go on the market.  Not just anybody can buy them. It seems like a reasonable solution.

 

 

 

 

True. Housing values are higher in the city. Transportation costs are often lower, particular in cities where land use supports non-automobile transportation and options to the car are plentiful.