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Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes special report study entitled: Communal space in Hong Kong. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1974. / Typescript.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986. / Photocopy of typscript.

Thesis (M.U.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-75).

The United States is in the midst of a rather severe housing crisis. Home prices have declined and foreclosures have increased in cities all over the country. The crisis began in 2007 and has continued into the fourth quarter of 2008. Some cities have been severely affected by the housing crisis while others have been able to maintain relatively healthy housing markets. This paper demonstrates the local nature of housing markets and the factors which shape them. Analyses of the local housing markets of Austin, TX, Atlanta, GA and Miami, FL comprise the bulk of this paper and demonstrate the broad spectrum of housing market conditions that exist today. The lessons learned from the three case studies finally lead to some recommendations for local planners which could prove effective for creating and maintaining healthy local housing markets. / text

CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) is undergoing a revision of the regional transportation plan for Central Texas. The key goal of the plan is achieving sustainable development through integrating a multimodal transportation system with dense mixed land use. The CAMPO Plan has incorporated the growth management tool of jobs-housing balance to guide future land use development. To improve jobs-housing proximity and encourage compact growth, the concept of an activity center connected by high capacity transit corridors was employed in the plan, targeting the accommodation of 31 percent of the population and 38 percent of employment in Central Texas by 2035 (CAMPO 2035 Plan 2010). At the time when CAMPO was attempting to define appropriate ratios of jobs-housing balance for the activity centers, critical questions arose: what is a good ratio? Further, how should jobs-housing balance be quantified for guiding land use development? And to what extent could jobs-housing ratio be effectively used as an intervention instrument? This report attempts to provide theoretical and empirical evidence of jobs-housing balance and examine the applicability of jobs-housing balance ratio for different planning purpose in local context. Based on a rich literature review, the report removed the "deceptive simple concept" (Cervero 1991, p. 10) of jobs-housing balance on the surface and gathered insights on jobs-housing balance from existing exemplary studies. Absent a single consensus of a good jobs-housing balance ratio, the goal of this report is to present the possible ways of measuring and defining jobs-housing balance in complex urban development. This report analyzed existing jobs-housing balance of the Austin Region, presenting the truth of commute distance and jobs-housing balance ratio. Local municipalities might consider more factors in terms of the application of jobs-housing balance ratio in local context. / text