One of my favorite blogs, Brainpickings by Maria Popova, is an inspiring melange of interesting articles from a vast array of topics from science to psychology to art and design and everything in between. This is an overview of the purpose of her blog from her “about” page. I hope it inspires you as it has inspired me.
about
Oh hello. My name is Maria Popova. I am a reader and writer, and I write about what I read here on Brain Pickings – my one-woman labor of love.
Article and video by Plaidzebra
New 1,620 square foot prefab eco-home can be shipped and set up in only 3 days (Video)
“We can build homes that are fossil-fuel free and affordable. We can build homes in 30 days that are around for 300 years.”
By Richard Louv for Children & Nature Network
https://www.childrenandnature.org/2013/05/26/the-botanical-city-part-one/
This past sunday, CBS Sunday Morning, one of my all time favorite shows that I’ve been watching for over 25 years, featured an inspiring story about “Agrihoods” that is an exemplary example of sustainable real estate development. The piece features Steve Nygren,
“The Founder and President of Serenbe, a 1,000-acre sustainable community near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Serenbe is focused on land preservation, agriculture, energy efficiency, green building, walkability, high-density building, arts and culture, and community living for multiple generations. It has been described as a model for future communities at the edge of cities or within redeveloping urban areas.” …….Via Children & Nature Network
Serenbe gives us a good glimpse at what the future of sustainable residential development will look like and I must confess, I wish this was around when my kids were young…..
Enjoy the video from CBS!
Homes sprouting up around farms
A new trend is growing around the country: call it the “agrihood,” in which suburban homes are built next to working farms. More than 200 homeowners in an Atlanta suburb are living adjacent to a 25-acre organic farm, making the journey from farm to table very short indeed.
Some interesting articles on Agrihoods;
How Agrihoods Are Making Farm-To-Table Living Hip
If you’ve ever tasted an heirloom tomato still warm from the vine or an omelet made from just-laid eggs, then you know just how good fresh can be. Now imagine living in a neighborhood where access to farm-raised produce is just steps away from your front door.
Farming merged with new homes in “agrihood”
Some recreational developers link real estate to golf courses, others to skiing, water sports or tennis courts. At the Creekside Mills at Cultus Lake, the attraction is a working farm, some of it Agricultural Reserve Land (ALR) that surrounds the 129 detached houses.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-26/to-lure-homebuyers-developers-use-farms-vegetable-gardens
Agrihoods Give the Commune a Suburban-Living Makeover
When a new $1 billion Florida development of 2,900 homes centered around a nine-acre farm was announced recently, some journalists didn’t mask their enthusiasm for the project. “What has you most excited about new $1B agrihood near UCF?” asked the Orlando Business Journal . Because what’s not to love?
Via CBRE
Three Tech Trends that Will Transform Real Estate – Blueprint, presented by CBRE
Technological innovation is radically changing how and where we choose to work, live and play, essentially forcing us to rethink the built environment-and our place in it. “This industrial-era concept that there is a separation between work and home is becoming increasingly less relevant.” From broad access to WiFi and the ubiquity of smartphones to …
There are so many different types of homes today, but no matter what style home you live in, this much holds true, “your home is your castle”. Enjoy this article by Michelle Slatalla which features a story about an Italian castle and it’s luscious Italian landscapes.
Via Gardenista.com
Paradise Found: Designer Dan Pearson’s Modern Garden for a Medieval Castle – Gardenista
Three decades ago when the Italian newspaper baron Prince Carlo Caracciolo bought a crumbling medieval pile of a place called Torrecchia Vecchia (an hour’s train ride south from Rome), he intended to renovate and flip, one more entrepreneurial move in a long career that would create a massive fortune for his heirs to fight over.
Via EWAO.com
As usual, nature provides all the answers as Paul Stamets, “the mushroom guy” has figured out. Using the science of fungi, there’s now a new way to fight unwanted insects and protect crops without the use of pesticides. Read more….
https://www.ewao.com/a/1-he-holds-the-patent-that-could-destroy-monsanto-and-change-the-world
Via Montreal Gazette
Wanted: Property with a known past
Would you marry someone without knowing anything about their past? Would you hire an employee without any clue as to their prior experience? Probably not. So why would you act differently when it comes to buying a house or co-ownership property, which you could own for the rest of your life?
Via TheBiggerPockets
House Hacking 101: How to “Hack” Your Housing and Get Paid to Live for Free
The internet is full of “hacking tips.” I’m sure you’ve seen them, with clever tricks like storing your pancake mix in old ketchup bottles or dipping your Oreos with a fork through the frosting. Sure, those are fun little tricks – but how much do they really improve your life?
Posted by Brian Ripley’s Canadian Real Estate Charts
A snapshot of real estate prices across Canada over time by city. As we can see Montreal never enjoyed the real estate price highs and heights of some other Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver.
