The Importance of Design in Affordable Housing: Lessons From Mutual Self-Help Housing in California

We focus on three nonprofit organizations developing mutual self-help housing and analyze their projects to examine how they are addressing cost increases. We find that instead of using simpler designs, they are developing more elaborate homes through intricate financing. We are critical of this evolution. First, we suggest that the original modest house design of mutual self-help housing allowed for more affordable housing through post-occupancy improvements and de facto incremental development. Second, after the modest design was replaced with a larger model, development costs increased. Despite financial innovations, including longer loan terms and secondary financing, participation by poor households dropped. Third, we urge a return to the modest housing idea. Fourth, we call for policymakers to better integrate design-based thinking in housing policy.     

The Geography of the Recent Housing Crisis: The Role of Urban Form

This study maps the geography of the recent housing crisis within and across American metropolitan areas, and evaluates how it is related to a series of spatial and socioeconomic variables at neighborhood and metropolitan levels. It finds that the spatial patterns of housing recessions vary widely by region. In general, fast-growing metropolitan areas in the Southwest and Florida experienced not only deeper but also longer housing recessions. In contrast, metropolitan areas in the South (except in Florida) saw shallower and shorter housing recessions. Metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Northeast had fewer price declines in the crisis, but their housing recessions tended to be longer. Housing recessions tend to be deeper and longer in larger metropolitan areas. Neighborhoods located closer to city centers experienced shallower and shorter recessions compared with those in fringe areas. Even after controlling for many other variables, automobile dependency is still a strong and positive predictor of housing recession depth and duration. The effects of other urban form variables, such as land-use density and mixed use, are mixed and vary by region. The significance of the effects of neighborhood demographic variables on recession depth is highly dependent on the inclusion of high-risk loan in the model, suggesting that predatory and high-risk lending is one major reason why lower income and minority neighborhoods were hit harder by the recent housing crisis. The effects of high-risk loan and neighborhood demographic variables on housing recession duration, however, are rather weak.     

汉字形体美学初论

汉字美学研究,应以汉字在现代和当代的发展以及受众的切实文化需求为背景,汉字美学的对象应该是汉字形体生成及其具体应用之美的所有主要方面,包括汉字作为书法艺术作品的美和汉字在具体生活应用中适应各种目的和场合,运用各种材料、工具、方法和手段而生成和呈现出来的各种形式之美,而不仅仅是传统书法艺术所论述的汉字书写的美。     

世界历史性视阈中的中国传统文化及其转型

传统文化的原生形态大都形成于相对比较封闭、狭隘的民族性历史时代,其次生形态、再生形态的形成则离不开与其他民族文化的相互沟通和交流。在当代,遏制传统文化中的消极和保守的因素,赋予传统文化以新的时代价值和意义,并在与不同文化的沟通交流中促进传统文化的再生形态的形成,实现中国传统文化的世界性转型。     

智能化体育产业法律规制问题与策略

智能化体育产业需要进行必要的法律规制,以实现体育产业的有序发展。随着我国人工智能、大数据和互联网等相关技术的快速发展,体育产业呈现出多维度泛在智能化趋向。在智能化体育产业法律规制方面,《体育法》存在明显的缺位,体育行政法规和部门规章也存在规制的不足,而《新一代人工智能发展规划》对智能化体育产业并未予以适当关注。因此,在对智能化体育产业的法律规制策略方面,应选择在《体育法》中进行总则概括规定、分章明确细化规定、在行政法规和部门规章中进行适当体现、由行业协会进行重点监管的法律规制路径。     

我国非政府组织发展的困境与对策——以法制为视角

改革开放以来,我国非政府组织得到了快速的发展,逐渐成为法学上的一个新兴概念,然而关于非政府组织调整的法律与管理机制还存在一定的滞后性,影响了非政府组织功能的发挥。从法治的视角对现行有关非政府组织调整的法律与管理体制进行分析,可以看出,相关制度的重构主要包括非政府组织的准入制度与管理制度、政府对非政府组织扶持措施以及加强非政府组织的自身建设等。     

中国化马克思主义是中国形态哲学社会科学成就的典范

各国的哲学社会科学研究都会智慧地从自己国家的社会形态出发,并以解决本国问题为目的。中国共产党对建构和发展中国形态哲学社会科学的探索,自建党以来取得了一系列典型成就。本文主要阐述了中国形态的哲学社会科学及其层次、中国化马克思主义是中国形态哲学社会科学成就的典范、中国共产党探索建构和发展中国形态哲学社会科学把握了科学的原则等问题。     

论经济法对格式合同的规制

格式合同作为经济社会发展到一定阶段的特殊合同形态,具有节约交易成本和减损相对人权益的两面性。因此,必须强化法律对格式合同的规制。但是,民法规制格式合同具有一定的局限性,理应对经济法规制格式合同的具体方式进行积极探索,以不断完善经济法对格式合同的规制。     

论单位犯罪罪过形式

近年来不少学者就单位犯罪罪过形式提出了不同于以往主流观点的新主张,从而掀起了法学界关于单位犯罪罪过形式的激烈争论。在分析各种观点的基础上,结合共同犯罪的理论,文章详细分析了单位犯罪的主观构成条件,认为单位犯罪在本质上是一种共同犯罪,其与一般共同犯罪及犯罪集团的区别在于单位是合法成立的组织,它只能由故意构成,单位犯罪的罪过形式不应包括过失。     

我国仲裁协议效力认定的新发展——评《最高人民法院关于适用《中华人民共和国仲裁法》若干问题的解释》相关规定

《最高人民法院关于适用〈中华人民共和国仲裁法〉若干问题的解释》对仲裁协议的"书面形式"、仲裁事项所包含的内容、瑕疵仲裁协议效力的认定、仲裁当事人变更或者债权债务转让时仲裁协议对权利义务继受者的效力问题、仲裁协议的独立性、仲裁协议效力争议案件的管辖及程序要求、当事人对仲裁协议效力异议的放弃、涉外仲裁协议效力审查法律适用等诸多问题作出了明确解释。该司法解释限制了仲裁协议无效的情形,规范了法院审查仲裁协议效力的程序,明确了涉外仲裁协议效力法律适用等问题,反映了我国仲裁协议效力认定的最新发展。