Alex Alsup
@zugislander.bsky.social
Parcels & property taxes. Research & Development at Regrid.com
Substack: http://detroit.substack.com
Substack: http://detroit.substack.com
Detroit has demolished its way into housing scarcity. Just stunning stuff. Like being next to plentiful fresh water in the midst of a drought and deciding to just boil it all off. I guess we still have time to do that, too, though.
May 15, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Detroit has demolished its way into housing scarcity. Just stunning stuff. Like being next to plentiful fresh water in the midst of a drought and deciding to just boil it all off. I guess we still have time to do that, too, though.
As Detroit government officials deal with the deaths of two children who froze in their mother’s van because the family was homeless, they are ignoring the imminent expiration of a critical tool that’s helped end homeowner displacement from tax foreclosure:
detroit.substack.com/p/how-to-res...
detroit.substack.com/p/how-to-res...
March 5, 2025 at 8:43 PM
As Detroit government officials deal with the deaths of two children who froze in their mother’s van because the family was homeless, they are ignoring the imminent expiration of a critical tool that’s helped end homeowner displacement from tax foreclosure:
detroit.substack.com/p/how-to-res...
detroit.substack.com/p/how-to-res...
Today @ 12:30 EST: I'll be talking about the state of tax foreclosure risk & the windfall profit recovery efforts in Detroit alongside folks from Outlier Media & Detroit Justice Center. Timely, as Detroit homeowner tax delinquency reversing years of declines. Will explain why.
February 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Today @ 12:30 EST: I'll be talking about the state of tax foreclosure risk & the windfall profit recovery efforts in Detroit alongside folks from Outlier Media & Detroit Justice Center. Timely, as Detroit homeowner tax delinquency reversing years of declines. Will explain why.
This map uses tax bill mailing address data from Regrid (www.regrid.com) to identify all single family homes in Muscogee County, GA where the tax bill is mailed to an address >50 miles away from the home itself.
regrid.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant...
regrid.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant...
February 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
This map uses tax bill mailing address data from Regrid (www.regrid.com) to identify all single family homes in Muscogee County, GA where the tax bill is mailed to an address >50 miles away from the home itself.
regrid.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant...
regrid.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant...
You can see this in Campbell's embrace of Taleb’s antifragility:
In a system where everyone else is optimized to the rules, other teams are fragile to chaos (going for it on 4th down with the score tied, in field goal range, w/ <1min).
The Lions weaponize that, get stronger from the disorder.
In a system where everyone else is optimized to the rules, other teams are fragile to chaos (going for it on 4th down with the score tied, in field goal range, w/ <1min).
The Lions weaponize that, get stronger from the disorder.
December 6, 2024 at 8:15 PM
You can see this in Campbell's embrace of Taleb’s antifragility:
In a system where everyone else is optimized to the rules, other teams are fragile to chaos (going for it on 4th down with the score tied, in field goal range, w/ <1min).
The Lions weaponize that, get stronger from the disorder.
In a system where everyone else is optimized to the rules, other teams are fragile to chaos (going for it on 4th down with the score tied, in field goal range, w/ <1min).
The Lions weaponize that, get stronger from the disorder.
You’re optimizing based on the rules' weaknesses, which leads to a narrowing of outcomes and gameplay.
The Lions do this too, I'm sure, but what's great about Dan Campbell is that he clearly still wants to play the game: "I like going for it on 4th down because it scares the other sideline."
The Lions do this too, I'm sure, but what's great about Dan Campbell is that he clearly still wants to play the game: "I like going for it on 4th down because it scares the other sideline."
December 6, 2024 at 8:15 PM
You’re optimizing based on the rules' weaknesses, which leads to a narrowing of outcomes and gameplay.
The Lions do this too, I'm sure, but what's great about Dan Campbell is that he clearly still wants to play the game: "I like going for it on 4th down because it scares the other sideline."
The Lions do this too, I'm sure, but what's great about Dan Campbell is that he clearly still wants to play the game: "I like going for it on 4th down because it scares the other sideline."
On Dan Campbell after last night’s Lions game:
I think you can sum up refinement culture in sports by saying it's about "playing the rules, not the game.”
Which is to say, you're not just (or maybe even foremost) playing your opponent, you're playing against the rules of the sport itself.
Hence:
I think you can sum up refinement culture in sports by saying it's about "playing the rules, not the game.”
Which is to say, you're not just (or maybe even foremost) playing your opponent, you're playing against the rules of the sport itself.
Hence:
December 6, 2024 at 8:15 PM
On Dan Campbell after last night’s Lions game:
I think you can sum up refinement culture in sports by saying it's about "playing the rules, not the game.”
Which is to say, you're not just (or maybe even foremost) playing your opponent, you're playing against the rules of the sport itself.
Hence:
I think you can sum up refinement culture in sports by saying it's about "playing the rules, not the game.”
Which is to say, you're not just (or maybe even foremost) playing your opponent, you're playing against the rules of the sport itself.
Hence:
Great piece from Chuck Marohn on Substack today. He's exactly right about Detroit in the excerpts below.
clmarohn.substack.com/p/how-fannie...
clmarohn.substack.com/p/how-fannie...
November 20, 2024 at 5:29 PM
Great piece from Chuck Marohn on Substack today. He's exactly right about Detroit in the excerpts below.
clmarohn.substack.com/p/how-fannie...
clmarohn.substack.com/p/how-fannie...
Oh, and of course: The demolitions. 50+ demolitions in this part of Midwest between 2014 - 2020 and the number of vacant homes went UP. Why? Because 250 occupied homes went through tax foreclosure in the same period.
October 1, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Oh, and of course: The demolitions. 50+ demolitions in this part of Midwest between 2014 - 2020 and the number of vacant homes went UP. Why? Because 250 occupied homes went through tax foreclosure in the same period.
As I pointed out recently: While the City of Detroit talks about $1B in affordable housing that produced 4,600 units in 5 years, stories like this one in Midwest are unfolding to no fanfare & contributing to a wave of housing rehab far outproducing City-backed housing numbers.
October 1, 2024 at 5:29 PM
As I pointed out recently: While the City of Detroit talks about $1B in affordable housing that produced 4,600 units in 5 years, stories like this one in Midwest are unfolding to no fanfare & contributing to a wave of housing rehab far outproducing City-backed housing numbers.
Vacant homes in this part of Midwest are down 70% since 2019, and it's largely just in the last three years that rehab activity in the neighborhood has taken off (which we were able to capture looking at year-to-year change in housing conditions via Mapillary imagery).
October 1, 2024 at 5:29 PM
Vacant homes in this part of Midwest are down 70% since 2019, and it's largely just in the last three years that rehab activity in the neighborhood has taken off (which we were able to capture looking at year-to-year change in housing conditions via Mapillary imagery).
What caught my eye about this corner of Detroit was both the density of homes that have been re-occupied there and the fact it sits on top of Detroit's Chadsey Condon neighborhood -- an immigrant enclave that is now actively and successfully rehabbing homes in Midwest.
October 1, 2024 at 5:28 PM
What caught my eye about this corner of Detroit was both the density of homes that have been re-occupied there and the fact it sits on top of Detroit's Chadsey Condon neighborhood -- an immigrant enclave that is now actively and successfully rehabbing homes in Midwest.
I teamed up with a friend to do deep research into part of Detroit's Midwest neighborhood where 150+ housing units have been re-occupied in the last five years.
We surveyed all 1,000+ homes via Google Street View and Mapillary in each year from 2019-2024 to capture how the neighborhood has changed.
We surveyed all 1,000+ homes via Google Street View and Mapillary in each year from 2019-2024 to capture how the neighborhood has changed.
October 1, 2024 at 5:28 PM
I teamed up with a friend to do deep research into part of Detroit's Midwest neighborhood where 150+ housing units have been re-occupied in the last five years.
We surveyed all 1,000+ homes via Google Street View and Mapillary in each year from 2019-2024 to capture how the neighborhood has changed.
We surveyed all 1,000+ homes via Google Street View and Mapillary in each year from 2019-2024 to capture how the neighborhood has changed.
Sorry, are we talking about some other city here?
Tax foreclosure and eviction displaced tens of thousands of low and moderate income Detroiters from 2008-2019. The displacement of low income Detroiters already happened.
www.freep.com/story/news/l...
Tax foreclosure and eviction displaced tens of thousands of low and moderate income Detroiters from 2008-2019. The displacement of low income Detroiters already happened.
www.freep.com/story/news/l...
September 23, 2024 at 9:40 PM
Sorry, are we talking about some other city here?
Tax foreclosure and eviction displaced tens of thousands of low and moderate income Detroiters from 2008-2019. The displacement of low income Detroiters already happened.
www.freep.com/story/news/l...
Tax foreclosure and eviction displaced tens of thousands of low and moderate income Detroiters from 2008-2019. The displacement of low income Detroiters already happened.
www.freep.com/story/news/l...
The City drives its own street view car since 2019 or so, uploads all imagery to Mapillary. Super cool — they drive it every year, whole city. Looks like 95 was demo’d in 2022.
September 10, 2024 at 1:36 PM
The City drives its own street view car since 2019 or so, uploads all imagery to Mapillary. Super cool — they drive it every year, whole city. Looks like 95 was demo’d in 2022.
Detroit vs Everybody isn’t a t-shirt — it’s this.
September 10, 2024 at 1:20 PM
Detroit vs Everybody isn’t a t-shirt — it’s this.
The rehab & re-occupancy is concentrated in many neighborhoods where this sort of investment would have been nearly unheard of in the 2010s.
September 9, 2024 at 6:34 PM
The rehab & re-occupancy is concentrated in many neighborhoods where this sort of investment would have been nearly unheard of in the 2010s.
Amongst re-occupied homes since 2019, ownership of at least 55% (~9,300 homes) sits in Detroit hands, either as homeowners or local landlords.
It's on the newly vacant side of the ledger that most outside owners are found.
It's on the newly vacant side of the ledger that most outside owners are found.
September 9, 2024 at 6:33 PM
Amongst re-occupied homes since 2019, ownership of at least 55% (~9,300 homes) sits in Detroit hands, either as homeowners or local landlords.
It's on the newly vacant side of the ledger that most outside owners are found.
It's on the newly vacant side of the ledger that most outside owners are found.
Vacant homes are still being generated, but they are outpaced by re-occupancy and rehab for the first time in many, many years, per USPS data from Regrid.
September 9, 2024 at 6:33 PM
Vacant homes are still being generated, but they are outpaced by re-occupancy and rehab for the first time in many, many years, per USPS data from Regrid.
And here’s the Income & Ownership Index around Chicago, showing high income, high local control of housing stock (blue) and low income, low local control of housing stock (red).
March 13, 2024 at 7:53 PM
And here’s the Income & Ownership Index around Chicago, showing high income, high local control of housing stock (blue) and low income, low local control of housing stock (red).
Here’s out of state ownership, by census tract, for the Charlotte, NC area. Darker red -> higher % of housing stock owned out of state.
March 13, 2024 at 7:52 PM
Here’s out of state ownership, by census tract, for the Charlotte, NC area. Darker red -> higher % of housing stock owned out of state.
Perhaps not surprising, but quite dramatic, is the relationship between household income and local control of housing stock.
The bottom 10% of census tracts by income have, on average, 42% of their housing stock owned in a different state or zip code. The top 10% by income, just 16%, on average.
The bottom 10% of census tracts by income have, on average, 42% of their housing stock owned in a different state or zip code. The top 10% by income, just 16%, on average.
March 13, 2024 at 7:50 PM
Perhaps not surprising, but quite dramatic, is the relationship between household income and local control of housing stock.
The bottom 10% of census tracts by income have, on average, 42% of their housing stock owned in a different state or zip code. The top 10% by income, just 16%, on average.
The bottom 10% of census tracts by income have, on average, 42% of their housing stock owned in a different state or zip code. The top 10% by income, just 16%, on average.