Clifford over at the Cosmo blog has posted his abstract for a recent talk he gave, The Urban Blogosphere: Gaming the Sacred Text in the New Media-Middle:
…there is an emerging urban blogosphere that is increasingly challenging the rules of urban development. In the urban core of Seattle the demand for condominiums is such that most of the units in a new project are sold before construction of the building is underway. Moreover, developers and city planners coordinate a seemingly endless backlog of new projects with little public involvement
I don’t know how much we currently challenge the rules of urban development. I think for the most part there’s a few consumers who make a bit of a racket, a number of bubble fan boys waiting for us consumers to lose our shirts and a few people from Williams Marketing ready to pounce on my every alleged price reduction claim. I know a few high profile members of the urban development community lurk here and I’d be curious to know if they think we’re having any impact?
Now it’s high time for another meetup. I thought the next one would be at my condo but it’s still in disarray with the only furniture being a $20 chair from Ikea and a dining room table from Craigslist (see I really couldn’t afford it!) I’d like to propose that we have another meetup soon (not at my place) and invite someone from the community to speak. Who would you like to hear? I’d like to hear Liz Dunn speak but perhaps there’s others out there that you’re interested in? Let us know.
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11 responses so far ↓
1 CG // Oct 24, 2007 at 5:40 am
You’ve just described a great topic for a panel discussion/meetup/cocktail reception. Yes to Liz Dunn. Other proposed panelists: Aubrey Cohen of the P-I, Mr. Tim of Seattle Bubble, Gregory Broderick Smith of Urban Visions, EconE (of the blogosphere), John Fox of Seattle Displacement Coalition, Glenn Kalman of Redfin, J. Lennox Scott of John L. Scott Realty. We could have a real discussion about architectual design, community values, the economy, density, political influence, and condo-consumer empowerment. Hope this idea comes to fruition!
2 Dan C. // Oct 24, 2007 at 8:26 am
CG,
Great idea…those are some good names to bring to the table, I especially like GBS of Urban Visions, he has it together. Perhaps Ivanoff of Schintzer?
I would X out Aubrey Cohen in a minute, unless she is covering the event rather than speaking. I read more than enough of her every week. What about someone from the City’s low income housing coalition?
Matt…who are these fanboys you speak of?
3 Ben K // Oct 24, 2007 at 9:59 am
DC: Aubrey’s a he.
MG: An urbnlivn roundtable. I like it. Definitely have different voices/perspectives than what we usually get from the usual suspects.
4 Dan C. // Oct 24, 2007 at 12:17 pm
oops…kind of made an assumption. Anyway, I say no reporters. But it is still a good idea.
5 Cosmo Seattle // Oct 24, 2007 at 1:36 pm
interesting premise, matt. are we simply feeding off each others bad experiences? or are we, as i argue, having an impact?
a meet-up discussion of these topics is a wonderful idea. what about someone from Pioneer Properties? they seem to have a genuine social consciousness–both in terms of people and place. i just looked them up and their website changed to http://www.livehistoric.com.
6 EconE // Oct 24, 2007 at 6:04 pm
I’m probably the “fanboy” that Matt is referring to…although I’m far from hoping that people lose money.
I’m just a realist.
I have nothing to sell people here (unlike many of the posters on UrbnLivn) and in reality I could give a shit what happens to the market.
I’ve been a condo/RE junkie for longer than Matt I’m sure…it has been an odd obsession that I have had since childhood. I was the strange kid reading the RE section of the L.A. Times in elementary school.
People on the sales side seem to have had a problem with me from the get go.
Big whoop.
I made predictions early on that were scoffed at. Comments that I made on the CosmoSeattle blog regarding the number of potential flippers at Cosmo and was told that they had a 20% cap and that the number that I saw were within that limit.
Chalk one up for EconE being right.
I discussed the flipper situation at 2200. Have you noticed that many people are now selling at their 2005 PRE SALE PRICES?!?!? Yet of course…all the bulls were telling me 8 months ago that none of them would lose money as they had purchased at “2005 prices”.
2005 prices? Bah.
Chalk up another prediction that I got right.
I have also pointed out loan programs that would have been financial suicide for “investors” such as the yen loan that was popping up around the country. Look how the exchange rate has changed since then. I would consider that doing the “investors” a favor. Who knows…maybe they thought that I was just soooooo out of touch with everything and decided to go out and get a Yen loan. If they did…all I have to say to them is…”YOU ARE STUPID AND SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A PROPER EDUCATION!”…or at least a more well rounded one.
So…why do I bitch about the developers?
Because I don’t want to see people lose money.
The absorption numbers should also take into account the number of units that were purchased by flippers and have not been resold yet. However…whenever any NAR or Seattle Times/PI, Forbes report comes out the only absorption that matters is what has been absorbed from the BUILDERS.
This is the kind of “balance” I’d like to see come from Matt. But hey…it’s his blog…and if he wants to pop up stats from the Newspaper without looking at them and asking…”what could possibly be missing from these stats”…then all Matt is doing is doing is cutting and pasting as if it is gospel.
If you want to see them build Seattle to death…fine. But I don’t. Sure…I’d love to be part of a round-table but I think that some of the people there will find me to be a bit abrasive. I’d love to have the developers across the table from me. Not some patsy that they send along. Send the fat cat at the top that is harvesting the bulk of the $’s off of the sales and I’m sure I’ll have a couple questions for them.
such as…
Do we NEED another luxury highrise?
and if they are an out-of-town developer (L.A.,NYC, Miami…wherever) I’d ask…
Why do we want YOU building in Seattle. Why wouldn’t we want local developers that will keep the money in Seattle?
end of rant…flame away…like I give a shit.
7 jo // Oct 24, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Wow
Just…wow
8 Evan // Oct 25, 2007 at 8:44 am
Econ E, you have many valid points but this is Matt’s forum. It it were my forum I’d expect to be treated with a little more deference. Its a little odd you have more posts than does Matt.
Why don’t you start your own blog, link it to Matt’s and rant as much as you want? Hell, I might even read it, because you’re knowledgeble and again, have many valid points. But your message stylistically it as bad as the content is good - no one likes a know-it-all who feels the need to lecture others.
9 Bob // Oct 25, 2007 at 9:35 am
EconE, the developers will build as long as they think there is still money to be made. If they lose their butt, you are happy to see that anyway. Your ranting is nonsensical as usual.
10 fooman // Oct 25, 2007 at 10:31 am
I hope EconE continues to post here. If your skin is so thin that the post above offends, simply stop reading them. It takes but a flick of the eyeball to move to the next post.
A blog which is just en echo chamber is a blog destined to slowly fade away. On the same note, I think Matt does a fantastic job of not taking opposing and somewhat abrasive opinions personally.
11 Peckhammer // Oct 25, 2007 at 10:55 am
“I think Matt does a fantastic job of not taking opposing and somewhat abrasive opinions personally.”
Unless I am the one making them…
;)
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