NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

/ Condon, Patrick M. — [Vancouver, BC] : UBC Press, 2024.

1 online resource (xii, 273 pages) : illustrations, graphs, maps, PDF.

The author argues that property values and the hyper-financialization of urban land correlate with social and wage inequalities as well as public health problems. He discusses the economics of urban land value, the relevance of Henry George's economic theory and the Vienna Model for social housing, urban sprawl, urban transportation, and the shock of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. He suggests policy responses that address housing affordability, zoning solutions and a tax on rent. The book focuses on the United States, Canada (predominately Vancouver), the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

/ Marohn, Charles L. & Herriges, Daniel. — Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2024.

1 online resource (xvii, 222 pages) : PDF.

The book explores the causes of the housing crisis in the United States, focusing on financial factors (e.g., mortgage financing and viewing housing as an investment); policy factors (e.g., rigid building codes, exclusionary zoning, single-family zoning and sprawling suburbanization); and social factors (e.g., NIMBY). It looks at the YIMBY movement to increase the supply of housing (e.g., abolishing single-family zoning and parking minimums) and the affordable housing system (e.g., public housing, inclusionary zoning and housing vouchers). The final section discusses the principles and strategies of the Strong Towns approach to increasing the supply of housing at multiple price points (e.g., incremental development, financing infill and adaptive reuse, tax incentives for home ownership and developers, and changing property assessment and taxation practices).

/ Triandafyllidou, Anna; Moghadam, Amin; Kelly, Melissa; & Sahin-Mencütek, Zeynep. (Eds.). — Cham : Springer, [2024]

1 online resource (ix, 307 pages) : illustrations (some colour), maps (some colour), PDF. — (IMISCOE research series).

The book contains case studies from around the world on managing cultural diversity and multiculturalism in cities; immigration policy, migration and resettlement in small, medium and suburban cities; migration to suburban areas and immigrants' experiences there; and the challenges and opportunities of migrants seeking asylum and irregular migration for cities. Canadian content includes chapters on multicultural policies and migration; welcoming cities; immigration policy in Atlantic Canada; and the rental housing experience of recent immigrants to Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey, BC.

/ Goodman, Nicole J.; Hayes, Helen A.; McGregor, R. Michael; Pruysers, Scott; & Spicer, Zachary Devon. — Montréal ; Kingston : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2024.

1 online resource (x, 217 pages) : graphs, maps, PDF. — (McGill-Queen's studies in urban governance ; 17).

The book analyzes data on internet voting in Ontario. It explores the history, driving factors and implementation of internet voting in local elections; the effects of internet voting on satisfaction with local democracy and support for its use in provincial and federal elections; the sociodemographic characteristics of online voters; the accuracy of candidates and electors' perception of who votes online; the characteristics, ideologies and incumbency status of candidates that support or oppose internet voting; changes in campaigning due to internet voting; the motivations for adopting internet voting; and the views of administers of local elections' on internet voting and its adoption, including the effects of two external shocks on its uptake (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic and technical incident in the 2018 municipal elections). The conclusion highlights lessons learned about the adoption, regulation and implementation of internet voting in Ontario. The epilogue discusses issues affecting the 2022 municipal elections.