Housing News

Police clear Berlin squat, symbol of city's radicalism By AFP Berlin - Police cleared one of Berlin's few remaining squats on Friday, as a symbol of the German capital's free-spirited ideals faces the reality of soaring rents and gentrification.

Welcome to the jungle: plants overrun Chinese apartment blocks By AFP Bejing - An experimental green housing project in a Chinese megacity promised prospective residents life in a "vertical forest", with manicured gardens on every balcony.

Israel razing more Palestinian homes despite virus: UN By AFP Jerusalem - Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes built without planning permits that are almost impossible to obtain have risen sharply during the coronavirus pandemic despite the health risks, the UN said Friday.

In crumbling workers' paradise, Russians live in squalor By AFP Tver - An elegant complex of red-brick buildings, the "Proletarka" in the Russian city of Tver was designed as model housing for workers. But a century later, its impoverished residents are living in squalor.

Denied permits, Palestinians raze own homes in Jerusalem By AFP Jerusalem - Palestinian Alaa Borqan preferred to tear down his own house in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem after a court ruled that it was constructed illegally and must be demolished.

Fears for UK homeless as virus hotel scheme draws to close By AFP London - Thousands of homeless people in Britain were given hotel rooms to protect them from coronavirus but as the outbreak slows, charities fear they could soon be back on the streets.

Long road home for Cape Town's apartheid dispossessed By AFP Cape Town - "It was just here. My house was number 41 Clifton Street," said Cassiem Morris, his voice catching as he points to where his Cape Town home was razed to enforce apartheid.

On Hanoi's Red River, fruitsellers forgo comfort for cash By AFP Hanoi - Card games and karaoke help migrant workers pass the time on the cramped houseboats of Hanoi's Red River, swapping their privacy to eke out a living selling fruit for a few dollars a day.

As families flee Paris, fingers point at Airbnb By AFP Paris - The bells will ring for the last time this week at Vaugirard elementary school in central Paris, the latest school in the city to close as spiralling property prices drive families out of the capital.

Malta moves all rental contracts to blockchain By Tim Sandle Malta has taken the decision to harness the transparency advantages and tighter security that comes with blockchain to underpin its entire rental sector.

Q&A: How technology can help with affordable housing Special By Tim Sandle Affordable housing is an enormous challenge in high income countries. However, there are several startups offering technologies designed to help address the affordable housing challenge, as Nate Loewentheil from Camber Creek reveals.

Q&A: Where digital mortgage providers are missing the mark Special By Tim Sandle Digital mortgages are becoming a more popular choice for consumers. However, the new startups do not fully understand the lending landscape, according to Karl Jacob, of LoanSnap as he explains to Digital Journal.

Amazon is selling a $7,250 tiny home kit By Business Insider Amazon is selling a tiny home kit that can be assembled in just 8 hours. The vendor, Allwood, said the structure isn't supposed to serve as a permanent residence, since there's no bathroom or kitchen.

Hong Kong to build $79 bn artificial island By AFP Fpo - Hong Kong plans to build one of the world's largest artificial islands with an eye-watering $79 billion price tag, city officials announced Tuesday.

PropTech adoption is disrupting the real estate sector By Tim Sandle Every sector of the economy is undergoing digital disruption, and commercial real estate is not exception. A new report from Altus Group Limited shows significant acceleration in adoption of property technology (“PropTech”), which will trigger changes

Q&A: New blockchain solutions for real estate Special By Tim Sandle Blockchain is set to disrupt real; estate in 2019. Jointer’s CEO & Founder, Jude Regev offers insight on blockchain solutions for real estate property owners and investors and what the future holds for tokenization solutions.

No place like home: Dublin boom fuels housing spiral By AFP Dublin - Sharing a studio flat in Dublin with two other people, Greek security guard Aris complains about the housing crisis that forces him to live in cramped conditions.

Rights groups call for UN action on Egypt 'reprisals' By AFP Geneva - Rights groups on Wednesday called for a "robust" response to a UN expert's allegations that people she met during a visit to Egypt faced harassment, intimidation and other reprisals afterwards.

UN experts decry Egypt 'reprisals' By AFP Geneva - A United Nations rights expert voiced alarm Tuesday over Egypt's clampdown on people she met with during a recent visit, saying their homes were demolished while others were forcibly evicted or arrested.

Spanish pensioner kills herself over eviction By AFP Madrid - A Spanish pensioner killed herself by jumping from the fifth floor of her Madrid apartment on Monday as police tried to evict her.

More evacuations as 8th victim found in French building collapse By AFP Marseille - Rescue workers Friday pulled an eighth body from the rubble of two dilapidated buildings which collapsed in the southern French city of Marseille, as residents were evacuated and nearby buildings inspected.

Living on edge: Vietnam's 'black canal' dwellers By AFP Ho Chi Minh - On the banks of Ho Chi Minh City's Xuyen Tam canal the houses come in many forms. Short or tall, pieced together from scraps of wood, or metal or plastic. Some tilt precariously over the polluted water's edge.

Q&A: Blockchain makes waves in real-estate Special By Tim Sandle Camber Creek is aiming to help start-up companies that have created technology that can improve the real estate industry by investing in them and helping them into the space. This includes innovations in blockchain.

'Capsule housing' project sparks outrage in Spain By AFP Barcelona - A Barcelona company sparked outrage in Spain on Thursday with a plan to rent tiny pods where low income workers would live side-by-side like bees in a hive for as little as 200 euros ($232) a monthThe company argues the project called Haibu -- which me...

Dutch city to unveil world's first 3D-printed housing complex By AFP Den Haag - The southern Dutch city of Eindhoven plans to unveil the world's first 3D-printed housing complex next year, which its inventors believe could revolutionise the building industry by speeding up and customising construction.

Construction is using tech to seek efficiencies By Tim Sandle New technologies have the potential to make a substantial impact upon the home of the future. The smart home concept can one day be extended to an entire town, according to a new state-of-the-industry report.

Hong Kong golf course row exposes city's social divide By AFP Fpo - Its sprawling greens and woodland have made Hong Kong's historic Fanling golf course a favourite with homegrown and international stars, but it is now under threat after being listed for potential housing development.

Close quarters: Vietnam's downtown dwellers cling to tiny plots By AFP Ho Chi Minh - Pham Quoc Cong walks two kilometres to use the bathroom because his 2.2 meters-squared house isn't big enough to have one.

For tens of thousands in Sao Paulo, squatting is only way out By AFP S - At home with her student daughter in their central Sao Paulo apartment, Rosangela Gomes de Melo hardly resembles a squatter.

Interview: Smart containers offer affordable housing solutions Special By Tim Sandle Paul Galvin is a designer, innovator and fabricator of container-based structures, and he has hit upon an idea for using container technology as an affordable housing solution. To find out how the idea is progressing, read our exclusive interview.

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