Loft conversions have long been the trend in London and New-York, but now they're the fashionable option in Sweden too. According to The Local - Sweden's news in English - a growing number of attics, shops, and other commercial premises are being converted into flats and apartments, particularly in Sweden's cities.
Around 4,365 such premises were converted into living spaces, in Sweden, last year, an increase of around 18% since 2003.
Find out more at www.thelocal.se.
Loft-style apartment trend hits Sweden
The Local – Sweden, 7 April
2005
A controversial new scheme aimed at increasing low-cost accommodation and averting a Sydney-style housing crisis in Melbourne has put some noses out of joint, reported The Age. Melbourne developers may soon put aside a proportion of new housing stock for low-cost homes, but not everyone is happy. The Opposition to the proposed scheme say they'll campaign against what they call tax on development.
Read more about this story at www.theage.com.au.
Developers may face low-cost housing levy
The Age, 11 April
2005
Cheap privately owned hotels, like the Paris-Opera, are being used by France's social services to place individuals and families with nowhere else to go, reported the BBC. Paris is suffering from a shortage of accommodation, and the authorities there are struggling to cope with demands for emergency housing. Critics of the system say living conditions at many of the hotels are appalling and the Paris Municipality is moving too slow on the issue.
Find this story at news.bbc.co.uk.
Cheap hotels ease Paris'
housing crisis
BBC News World Edition, 15 April 2005
Prime Minister P J Patterson made no apologies for the use of public funds to counter inner-city housing and employment problems, as he announced $4 billion worth of new schemes, reported the Jamaica Observer. Read more about PM Patterson's housing related social projects at www.jamaicaobserver.com.
PM rolls out the goodies
Jamaica Observer, 27 April 2005