In the media

Residents of Guangzhou new town’s last urban village battle against eviction

Published in Thursday April 25th, 2013 In In the media

Angry Guangzhou natives in the ramshackle village of Tan, the last urban village left standing in the posh Zhujiang New Town, have stepped up their fight in court this week to protect their ancient homes. Four families from Tan appeared before the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court on Wednesday, trying to get their eviction orders overturned. And more than 200 people showed up from Tan and other urban villages that are seeing forced evictions without what the residents consider fair compensation.

Tags ,

A terrace house for £1 or £250m – Britain’s bizarre housing crisis

Published in Wednesday April 24th, 2013 In In the media

News in austerity Britain is not short on grotesque juxtapositions, but there was one this week that was just so spectacular that it couldn’t pass without comment. In the same week, terrace houses were expected to change hands in different parts of the country for £250m and £1.

Rebuilding the community of Meiktila, in Myanmar

Published in Wednesday April 24th, 2013 In In the media

After sectarian violence in the central Myanmar city of Meiktila, officials are working hard on reconstruction plans. The riots in March pitted Buddhists against Muslims, leaving dozens dead and a community in ruins. As you walk through the neighborhoods of Meiktila, it’s hard to escape the damage. A month after the violence here, burnt-down houses, destroyed businesses and torched cars dot the streetscape.

Tags , ,

German municipalities demand affordable housing

Published in Tuesday April 23rd, 2013 In In the media

The association representing 3,400 German cities and towns has called on the federal government to hand over more former Cold War military sites such as barracks to provide affordable housing and tackle rising prices.

Tags

Tens of thousands face eviction from Haiti camps, according to Amnesty

Published in Tuesday April 23rd, 2013 In In the media

Rights group Amnesty International has collected dozens of testimonies from Haitians who have been kicked out of makeshift camps set up by those left homeless by the 2010 earthquake.

EU agrees mortgage law to avoid more housing bubbles

Published in Tuesday April 23rd, 2013 In In the media

EU countries reached a deal with the European Parliament on Monday on the bloc’s first common rules on mortgage lending, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of property bubbles that helped fuel the euro zone’s debt crisis. Once written into European Union law, the rules will force lenders in Europe’s 6.5 trillion euro ($8.5 trillion) mortgage market to check the creditworthiness of potential customers and their ability to repay, banning self-certified or “liar” loans.

Tags ,

Ethiopian PM Rejects Land-Grab Allegations

Published in Monday April 22nd, 2013 In In the media

Ethiopia remains one of the world’s poorest nations, with its government attempting to attract large-scale foreign investment in a bid to alleviate poverty and create jobs to millions of citizens. Investors from India, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are currently eyeing large tracts of land to cultivate cereals, coffee, tea and rice, among others. According to human right organisations, Ethiopia has leased over 600,000 hectares of land to Indian companies alone.

Tags ,

Locals need more legal rights in big African land deals

Published in Monday April 22nd, 2013 In In the media

Large-scale land deals in can offer benefits, such as job opportunities, market access and infrastructure improvements, supporters say. But critics note that they also can lead to local people losing control of land, and can spur economic conflict in local communities.

Tags

African slum dwellers get boost to improve living conditions

Published in Monday April 22nd, 2013 In In the media

Unveiled on Tuesday during the ongoing UN-Habitat’s Governing Council in Nairobi, the Community Managed Development Fund targets close to 800,000 slum dwellers living in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tags

Spain approves new eviction law

Published in Monday April 22nd, 2013 In In the media

Spain’s Parliament on Thursday approved a new mortgage law it hopes will calm a national outcry over the dramatic increase in evictions in recent years, but anti-eviction lobbyists said the law was insufficient. Repossessions because of mortgage nonpayment have soared since Spain’s economic crisis began in 2008. Spaniards are angry that most people still have to pay off their mortgage debt even after eviction.

Tags ,