Author: Isaac Gendler

Why Inflation Makes it More Difficult for People to Become First-Time Homeowners

Why Inflation Makes it More Difficult for People to Become First-Time Homeowners

Why Inflation Makes it More Difficult for People to Become First-Time Homeowners

01/17/22

“Why does inflation make it more difficult to become a first-time homeowner?”

Becoming a first-time homeowner takes a lot of prep work. You have to have a relatively high credit score to qualify for a loan, a stable income to cover the mortgage, and enough money in the bank to make the downpayment. These factors all make inflation a more deadly force. To begin, governments usually make interest rates higher to take the steam out of inflation. This makes taking on a new mortgage loan more onerous and difficult to obtain. The price of land will also skyrocket while most people’s incomes stay flat, making the first move harder to make. Bank accounts may be drained to cover the increasing cost of daily life, hurting people’s potential for a solid down payment. This is Why Inflation Makes it More Difficult for People to Become First-Time Homeowners.

How Inflation Adds Stress to Rental Affordability

How Inflation Adds Stress to Rental Affordability

How Inflation Adds Stress to Housing Affordability

01/16/23

“How does inflation add stress to rental affordability?”

Inflation causes the value of a currency to lose value. Landlords will often compensate for this shrinkage of wealth by increasing their rental charges. However, workers may not receive a corresponding salary increase from their jobs. The result is that people will have to pay a greater share of their income on housing. It’s easy to see How Inflation Adds Stress to Housing Affordability. Policymakers will have to make decisions to help their constituents cope with this problem.

Why Urban Planners Have to Build Relations With Unhoused Communities

Why Urban Planners Have to Build Relations With Unhoused Communities

Why Urban Planners Have to Build Relations With Unhoused Communities

01/15/23

“Why do Urban Planners have to build relations with unhoused communities?”

With the global housing crisis becoming worse and worse every year, homelessness is becoming a more pressing issue. To illustrate, 70 percent of surveyed likely California voters agreed that homelessness was a big problem in their state. With all of the discussions around homelessness going on, the pressure to address it is skyrocketing. However, planners will need to keep make sure that they have the interests of the unhoused (homeless) community before prescribing solutions. The way to accomplish this is to steadily and authentically build relations with unhoused people and run actions by them. This is Why Urban Planners Have to Build Relations With Unhoused Communities.

How Storms Can Disrupt Train Travel

How Storms Can Disrupt Train Travel

How Storms Can Disrupt Train Travel

01/14/23

“How can storms disrupt train travel?”

Storms are incredibly disruptive forces. Train infrastructure is not invulnerable to them. There are obvious effects such as flooding rains that make tracks unusable. However, there are many more factors that can happen. Icing and snow can degrade tracks when temperatures drop below freezing. Electrical components and transmission lines may become exposed to the elements and blow out. These are just some of the ways How Storms Can Disrupt Train Travel.

How Rainwater May Become Too Contaminated for Drinking

How Rainwater May Become Too Contaminated for Drinking

How Rainwater May Become Too Contaminated for Drinking

01/13/23

“How may rainwater become too contaminated for drinking?”

Catching rainwater for later use is a commonly proposed solution for drought adaptation. But when adopting these systems, health and safety risks need to be understood. Contaminants such as viruses,, parasites, bacteria, and dust and smoke particles may find their way into the rainwater. If the rainwater is contained in an open roof system, then it can be exposed to bird waste and insects. An older building may have materials such as asbestos and lead that can poison the water. These are all reasons why adaptation planners will need to consider How Rainwater May Become Too Contaminated for Drinking.

How Storms Can Overwhelm Water Treatment Systems

How Storms Can Overwhelm Water Treatment Systems

How Storms Can Overwhelm Water Treatment Systems

01/12/23

“How can storms overwhelm water treatment systems?”

Sewage water treatment systems are designed to channel a certain amount of water. However, when storms happen, a gush of water can flood these sewage systems. If too much volume seeps in, then the system can become overwhelmed and spill out. This can lead to discharges which can pollute nearby streets and bodies of water. Holidays are especially strenuous since wastewater systems are operating far beyond average use. This is How Storms Can Overwhelm Water Treatment Systems.

Why California May Have to Dump Flood Water From its Reservoirs Despite the Drought

Why California May Have to Dump Flood Water From its Reservoirs Despite the Drought

Why California May Have to Dump Flood Water From its Reservoirs Despite the Drought

01/11/23

“Why may California have to dump flood water from its reservoirs despite the drought?”

California has been under an intense drought for many years now. The recent rainstorms are bringing some relief for this. However, the state’s physical reservoirs can only hold so much water at one time. If there’s too much mass to handle, then the reservoirs may have to release some water to prevent flooding. This is Why California May Have to Dump Flood Water From its Reservoirs Despite the Drought.

Long-Term Rainwater Storage for Droughts

Long-Term Rainwater Storage for Droughts

Long-Term Rainwater Storage for Droughts

01/10/23

“How can we use long-term rainwater storage for droughts?”

Places like California and Turkey can suffer revolving rounds of short, intense suffocating rains and long, parching droughts. This puts a strain on water resources, as infrastructure is either being destroyed or dry foliage leads to fires. However, can citizens and organizations take advantage of these patterns to build some adaptive capacity? Well, we know that we receive a plethora of rain during flooding season and a deluge during droughts. So what if we were to capture and store some of this water instead of letting it go to waste? By using Long Term Rainwater Storage for Droughts, we can make our communities more safe, resilient, and healthy.

Why Heavy Storm Water Can Damage Transmission Lines

Why Heavy Storm Water Can Damage Transmission Lines

Why Heavy Storm Water Can Damage Transmission Lines

01/09/23

“Why can heavy storm water damage transmission lines?”

Electrical transmission lines typically have water-resistant polymers coating their cables to protect them from water damage. But during heavy rain storms, some water may get through and enter. The presence of moisture can heavily speed up the current in the circuit, blowing the fuse and destroying current flow. If the grid system does not have sufficient redundancy, outages can ensure. This is Why Heavy Storm Water Can Damage Transmission Lines.