City Properties Journal

The CityLiving Home Program is a project jointly sponsored by the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. It gives homebuyers a chance to buy, build or renovate a property with a below-market-rate mortgage loan. It is limited to first-time homebuyers whose income and property price are below the set limits, except if the house is within the target area specified by the city. Limits may be increased if the home to be purchased is in the target area, the household is is at least five persons, the loan includes improvement costs, or the property is currently vacant. Interest rates vary, depending on the Down Payment Assistance Grant, which can be up to 4% of the mortgage amount.

This year, magazines CountryHome and Popular Science  came out with separate lists of the greenest cities in America. While rankings differ because of criteria, there are notable cities which make appearances on both lists, testament to their commitment to becoming environment-friendly cities. Making the top 20 in both rankings are  Portland, Oregon; Santa Rosa, California; Eugene, Oregon; Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; San Francisco, California; and Seattle, Washington.

Popular Science based their results on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society Green Guide, and had 30 categories in total, including air quality, electricity and transportation habits, green living and recycling. Country Home looked at official energy policies, electricity, green buildings, and local food sourcing.

EcoBrokers are licensed real estate agents who are up-to-speed with the green real estate market. They are familiar with energy-efficient and environmentally sound building because of the ARELLO-certified training program they undergo. They differentiate themselves with their designation, which means that they are knowledgeable about Energy Star homes, sustainable design, and air quality issues, topics that are discussed during training. To find your local EcoBroker, properties and more information about green real estate, visit ecobroker. com. The website also gives information on Affiliates, suppliers of green products and services. EcoBroker is an Educational Partner of the Built Green voluntary program.

Every three years, leading experts and researchers on sustainable building gather for the Sustainable Building Conference in Melbourne to look for connected, viable and livable built environments and communities. How will this affect the average homeowner? Not directly now, but the innovations and studies to be presented over five days in September will influence policy globally. Or so we hope. The international panel of speakers gives a more global outlook to the conference. SB08 strives to be carbon neutral, with ‘zero net greenhouse emissions’ as its goal throughout the entire conference. That’s a good start if they also take into account the amazing pre-conference tours.

Austin, Texas-based Rick Black Architects is a partnership between husband and wife Rick and Cindy Black. A 2520-square-foot artist’s residence-cum-studio situate in Long Branch Valley was completed this year. Also upcoming is the Volkshaus, four upcoming single family houses with shared carports, also in Austin. Each residence is envisioned to achieve a five star Green Building Rating. Aside from houses, Rick Black Architects also works on buildings and commercial establishments, drawing on Rick Black’s experience with Frank O. Gehry and Associates. The residence they designed for a graphic designer and a choreographer was featured in the March 2008 edition of dwell magazine.

The Texas Solar Energy Society invites you to cool houses in Austin on Sunday, June 22nd, from noon until 6pm. The eighteen sites that are part of the tour are models in energy efficiency and green building practices. A variety of homes using combinations of solar energy, rainwater collection systems, green building materials, energy-saving climate control, and water-saving techniques will be open to visitors. To join the tour, purchase the guidebook online or from the Austin Central Market (starting June 1st). The guidebooks contain directions and the features of each site. Visitors also get the chance to talk to the designers, builders and owners of these homes.

Alternative Building Center in Eureka, California offers quality building products from paint stains and finishes to flooring, kitchen countertops to carpets, lighting to bathroom fixtures. The lines they carry are carefully selected green building materials to help you minimize your ecological footprint without having to go far from Humboldt County. ABC advocates Green Building and a health-conscious, environment-friendly approach to design and use. They also offer e-newsletters through their website. They will be celebrating their first year anniversary on June 7th, so stop by if you’re in the area to join special activities including product demos on that day.

Building material costs are rising worldwide, even in regions where much construction is ongoing, such as the Far East and the Middle East. Builders are left with no choice but to ask for larger budgets and to pass on the additional costs to buyers. Faced with ballooning costs, builders and buyers have the option to forego more expensive (but cheaper in the long run) energy saving techniques. It is in fact at times like these that sustainable building is most crucial and it is worth pointing out that “green” building is not grinding to a halt.

On a positive note, Architectural Record presents Unbuilt Houses 2008 showcasing concept and soon-to-rise houses with green elements. Let’s hope that more houses like these will be built.