[Growwine] BOOM / crash

[peter salonius]

My reading of the history of the human race suggests that every civilization has pushed the LIMITS TO GROWTH and collapsed --- since the abandonment of hunter gathering (whose practicioners starved when they overtaxed their supporting ecosystems).
 
The proponents and admirerers of population, economic, housing, etc GROWTH are always at a loss to explain when there may be too much of a good thing:
 
? possibly when the predominant vegetation in the country is lawn grass?
? possibly when pressures on ag land from grain/ethanol increase wheat from $3 to $500 (now $25)?
? possibly when the predominant trees in the country are pollution resistant, urban street exotics?
? possibly when wildlife enhancement means greater numbers of urban rats, racoons and rock doves?
? possibly when every city is large enough to support a stadium with a retractable roof?
? possibly when the weather report will always report the expected colour of the air for the next 24 hours?
? possibly when farmers have become so outnumbered that they will have no political clout?? possibly when all the land available for growing grapes has been paved?
 
Peter Salonius
 
Eat drink and be merry; we have sidestepped LIMITS TO GROWTH for a long time / why not for ever?
================================================================================> From: canadavintage at hotmail.com> To: growwine at littlefatwino.com> Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 19:40:20 -0800> Subject: [Growwine] Peterborough enjoying building boom> > > Peterborough enjoying building boom> Posted By BRENDAN WEDLEY/Examiner Municipal Writer> Posted 1 hour ago> Peterborough experienced a building bonanza in the first two months of the> year, bucking a national trend of decreasing construction value of permits> issued by municipalities.> > The value of building permits issued by the city increased to $9,729,300> last month from $7,724,355 in January and $2,455,095 in December.> > Those figures follow a near-record year for construction in the city. The> value of construction hit $120 million in 2007, nearly reaching the record> $125-million mark from 1988.> > Construction volume has stalled or started to decline in other parts of the> province and across the country.> > “Perhaps Peterborough has an economy of its own that’s influenced by other> factors," city chief building official Bob Waldron said.> > “I’m at a loss to explain why our construction seems to be booming and not> following the provincial and national trend. I guess everybody just wants to> be in Peterborough.”> > Peterborough and The Kawarthas Home Builders Association president Paul> Dietrich could not be reached for comment.> > Countrywide, the value of building permits in January dropped to less than> $6 billion for the first time since April 2007, Statistics Canada states in> a release. Municipalities issued $5.9 billion worth of building permits,> down 2.9 per cent from the December 2007 value of $6 billion.> > The value of building permits issued countrywide decreased for three> consecutive months from November through January.> > Despite the recent declines, Statistics Canada states, building sites should> remain busy in the first part of this year since construction intentions> were strong in 2007.> > Building permits are a leading indicator for construction activity,> Statistics Canada states.> > The Statistics Canada building permits survey covers 2,400 municipalities> representing 95 per cent of the population.> The City of Peterborough issued 145 building permits, including 21 permits> for single-family dwellings, as of the end of last month.> > At the end of February last year, the city had issued 99 building permits> for the calendar year, including four permits for single-family dwellings.> > Waldron is hesitant to predict construction in the city this year will match> the near-record level last year.> > “Last year was a surprisingly good year, and this year seems to be following> that same upward trend," he said. “It’s difficult to forecast what the> statistics are going to be for the year based on the trends that we’ve> observed for just the first two months.”> > The value of building permit fees issued by the city increased despite a fee> hike.> > City council increased building permit fees as of Jan. 1 to cover the cost> of running the city's building division, which ensures construction meets> Building Code requirements.> > Building permit fees will increase by about 20 per cent annually for the> next three years. Before Jan. 1, the last fee increase was in 1991.> > In Ontario, municipalities approved $2.4 billion worth of permits in> January. A 68.8-per-cent increase in the value of non-residential permits> more than offset a 29.1-per-cent decrease in residential permits.> > Four provinces experienced a downturn in the value of construction permits> issued between December and January. Ontario had modest growth of 5.5 per> cent.> > While Waldron isn't prepared to say Peterborough's strong showing in the> first two months of the year will continue, he is optimistic about the> construction industry in the city.> > “We are in for another healthy year of construction," he said.> > _______________________________________________> Growwine mailing list> Growwine at littlefatwino.com> http://lists.littlefatwino.com/mailman/listinfo/growwine
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