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MEDIA RELEASE: Voting for the CAA Manitoba Worst Roads campaign is now open to all Manitobans featured image

MEDIA RELEASE: Voting for the CAA Manitoba Worst Roads campaign is now open to all Manitobans

Winnipeg, MB, March 9, 2022 – After a winter of straddling icy ruts, Manitobans will soon be playing ‘dodge the potholes’ this spring. Worried about your safety as a cyclist or pedestrian? Think a roadway is poorly designed? Voting is now open for the annual CAA Worst Roads campaign and CAA Manitoba is giving everyone the opportunity to voice their concerns about the bad roads in their community. “We are very proud to say that this annual advocacy campaign has influenced change for 10 years,” said Heather Mack, Manager, Government and Community Relations at CAA Manitoba. “As we kick off another year of the campaign, we are calling on all Manitobans to vote for their Worst Roads today and join the community of drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians committed to improving our roads.” The campaign informs all levels of government which roadway improvements are top of mind for Manitobans, and where improvements could be prioritized. Manitobans can vote on issues ranging from congestion, potholes, poor road signs and the timing of traffic lights to pedestrian and cycling safety. In 2021, four of the Top 5 Worst Roads were outside of Winnipeg, including Provincial Roads 307, 250, 450 and Trunk Highway 34. “The key to economic recovery is the investment in roads and supporting infrastructure because when we invest in our roads, we also create jobs,” said Mack. “Throughout the pandemic, our roads have been the arteries used every day to keep essential workers, goods and services flowing. Now more than ever, funding for roadway improvements and proper infrastructure needs to be consistent to ensure that quality and safety is maintained for everyone.” Potholes and poor road conditions are often the most common issues noted by road users and can cost motorists thousands of dollars in repairs when damage to vehicles is caused. The average cost of repairing pothole damage to a vehicle is more than $300, with some fixes topping $6,000 depending on the make and model of the car. According to the 2019 Canadian Infrastructure Report Card Spending, one dollar on pavement preservation may eliminate or delay spending $6-$10 on costly repairs later. “As the inventory of vehicles continues to remain scarce due to the global semiconductor chip shortage, more people are now trying to hold on to their cars for longer. Not only can poor roads cause damage to vehicles but they also heavily contribute to the wear and tear of tires and increased fuel consumption which is why the maintenance and quality of our roadways is even more important than ever.” Success stories over the last 10 years are a result of governments prioritizing infrastructure through multi-year capital investments. Some examples include: Empress Street, Winnipeg Empress Street was long in the top 10 for worst roads in Winnipeg, last appearing in 2019. In 2021, the City of Winnipeg’s improvements for Empress Avenue were completed, including new pedestrian ramps on Portage Avenue and Empress, and a new bi-directional bike path stemming from the Assiniboine River. St. James Coun. Scott Gillingham said he has wanted to see this project completed since he was first elected in 2014, saying “the residents told me many times that roads were the number one issue, specifically around the Polo Park area, so I'm glad to see this project completed.” St. James Street, Winnipeg St. James Street was often referred to as “driving on the moon” thanks to numerous potholes and poor patching jobs that rarely survived a season. Add general congestion due to its proximity to Polo Park, and St. James Street also appeared several times on our list, last appearing as No. 6 in 2019. Since 2017, major rehabilitation of St. James Street has been underway, including complete removal of some sections and intersections to be fully replaced. The work is expected to continue for 2022. Nominations for CAA’s Worst Roads can be cast at caaworstroads.com until April 6. To encourage participants to act on their concerns, they will be entered to win a Grand Prize of a $500 Best Western gift card and $200 Ultimate Dining card; secondary prize of a $500 Olympia Ski and Cycle gift card, along with weekly draws for $50 Ultimate Dining cards. Once voting is closed, CAA will compile a list of the 10 Worst Roads in Manitoba, along with the Worst Roads in regions across the province. The regional top five lists will help shine further light on the state of local roads in municipalities across Manitoba.    CAA will present the list of 2022 Worst Roads to local and provincial officials to help inform future funding and planning decisions.  The top 10 CAA Worst Roads in Manitoba in 2021 were:   1. Taylor Avenue, Winnipeg 2. Provincial Road 307 3. Provincial road 250 4. Provincial Road 450 5. Trunk Highway 34 6. Saskatchewan Avenue, Winnipeg 7. St. James Street, Winnipeg 8. Sherwin Road, Winnipeg 9. Waller Avenue, Winnipeg 10. Empress Street, Winnipeg

4 min. read
MEDIA RELEASE: Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg voted Manitoba’s Worst Road featured image

MEDIA RELEASE: Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg voted Manitoba’s Worst Road

Winnipeg, MB, June 3, 2021 – The votes have been tabulated and the CAA Manitoba Worst Road for 2021 is Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg, making it’s debut on the Top 10 list due to potholes and crumbling infrastructure. Taking the second spot is Provincial Road 307 and another debut in third spot is Provincial Road 250. “Everyone is affected by the quality of our roadways. Potholes and crumbling pavement continue to be the most critical issue identified by Manitoba motorists, followed by traffic congestion, ” says Heather Mack, government and community relations manager, CAA Manitoba. “Cyclists and pedestrians accounted for 10% of the votes and pointed to potholes, poor cycling infrastructure, and sidewalk obstructions as top concerns.” This year’s top 10 list had a significant turnover with more provincial highways topping the list and Winnipeg streets falling off the list due to the City of Winnipeg significantly investing in road renewal since 2015. There were nearly 3000 votes cast in the 2021 CAA Manitoba Worst Roads campaign. A total of 421 roads were nominated spanning 55 municipalities across Manitoba. The CAA Worst Roads campaign is a platform for Manitobans to make roads safer by helping municipal and provincial governments understand what roadway improvements are important to citizens, and where they need to be made. For the full list of the 2021 Worst Roads, please visit caaworstroads.com. The top 10 CAA Worst Roads in Manitoba this year are: Taylor Avenue, Winnipeg Provincial Road 307 Provincial Road 250 Provincial Road 450 Trunk Highway 34 Saskatchewan Avenue, Winnipeg St. James Street, Winnipeg Sherwin Road, Winnipeg Waller Ave, Winnipeg Empress Street, Winnipeg

2 min. read
MEDIA RELEASE: Manitobans can drive change by voting for Worst Roads in province featured image

MEDIA RELEASE: Manitobans can drive change by voting for Worst Roads in province

WINNIPEG, March 23, 2021 – Following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, CAA’s Worst Roads campaign is back and ready to give Manitobans their say on the province’s road conditions. For 9 years, CAA Manitoba’s annual Worst Roads campaign has influenced change by giving road users the unique opportunity to highlight what roadway improvements are top of mind and where they need to be prioritized by various levels of government. As Manitobans use the roads each and every day to reach their destinations, maintaining the quality of our roads is important in keeping essential workers, goods and services flowing and our communities safe. “Nobody enjoys a bumpy commute or getting stuck in traffic. Whether you are a driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian—these road conditions affect everyone,” says Heather Mack, government and community relations manager for CAA Manitoba. “Now is your chance to take action and help decision-makers understand what challenges you are facing on Manitoba roads.” Crumbling pavement and potholes continue to be the most critical concerns identified by motorists, followed by traffic congestion. Other common issues also include poor road signage and limited or non-existent cycling or walking infrastructure. “As people are encouraged to stay home and telework during the pandemic, we should take advantage of lighter traffic patterns as an opportunity for road repair,” adds Mack. CAA Manitoba continues to advocate longer-term, dedicated infrastructure funding which helps municipalities prepare, plan, budget and execute on repair backlogs and capital projects. These investments aim to reduce the wear and tear on Manitoba’s infrastructure and taxpayer expenses paving the way for safer travels and a healthy economy.   Past success stories from this campaign include the new Empress Overpass constructed after taking the list’s top spot in 2018 and 2019, and the reconstruction of Victoria Ave., in Brandon, MB, which is now one of the most improved roads after taking the list’s top spot in 2013. CAA Manitoba is calling on drivers, cyclists, transit users and pedestrians to voice their concerns and participate in this campaign dedicated to improving the province’s roads. Nominations for CAA’s Worst Roads are open today and can be cast at caaworstroads.com until April 18, 2021. To encourage participants to act on their concerns, they will be entered into a grand prize draw to win a $100 CAD gas certificate, an Evercraft® Pressure Washer, a CAA Deluxe emergency car kit, three (3) piece Atlantic luggage set, a NAPA® car detailing kit and a CAA branded water bottle. Once voting closes, CAA will compile a list of the 10 worst roads in Manitoba. CAA Manitoba will present the list of 2021 Worst Roads to local and provincial officials to help inform future funding and planning decisions. 

2 min. read
MEDIA RELEASE: Empress Street tops list for second year running 
 featured image

MEDIA RELEASE: Empress Street tops list for second year running

WINNIPEG, May 8, 2019 – The votes are in, and Manitoba’s Worst Road for 2019 is Empress Street in Winnipeg for the second consecutive year. “Manitoba’s Worst Roads campaign is about uniting the public in sharing their views,” says Tim Scott, president of CAA Manitoba. “Even with construction taking place on Empress Street at this moment, voters identified it as the Worst Road once again. Empress is a major arterial road that many Winnipeggers rely on to get where they are going. Properly maintained roads lead to safer travels and a healthy economy, but the public understands that further delay leads to a direct financial impact on them. We’re proud to give a voice to Manitobans who want to pave the way for better roads in the province.” Over 2,700 votes were cast for more than 400 roads. Road users of all types voted for the streets they wanted to focus on. Potholes and crumbling pavement continue to be the most critical issue identified by motorists, followed by traffic congestion. Cyclists pointed to potholes and poor cycling infrastructure as their top gripes, while pedestrians cited inadequate walking infrastructure as their biggest problem. Seven of the top ten Worst Roads are in Winnipeg, while three are rural roads. In second place is Provincial Trunk Highway 34 found in western Manitoba near Austin. Eighth place is Provincial Trunk Highway 23, which passes through numerous communities in southern Manitoba, and tenth is Provincial Trunk Highway 32 by Winkler. Some of the Winnipeg roads that have appeared on the Worst Roads list in previous years include Saskatchewan Avenue, Sherwin Road and St. James Street. Earlier this year, both the federal and provincial governments announced that a combined total of approximately $300 million will be spent to improve 350 kilometers of the highway network across Manitoba, and the City of Winnipeg recently announced that one-time federal gas tax funding will be spent on road repairs, road safety initiatives and the promotion of active transportation. “We know that CAA’s ongoing advocacy efforts are working and that governments are listening,” says Scott. “CAA will continue to bring the voice of Worst Roads voters to government and work with stakeholders on how to create infrastructure and transportation that we can all be proud of.”

2 min. read
MEDIA RELEASE: Manitobans can vote on Worst Roads in province featured image

MEDIA RELEASE: Manitobans can vote on Worst Roads in province

WINNIPEG, March 20, 2019 – Manitobans from across the Province rely on the existing road network to travel each and every day. Whether you are driving, cycling, walking or taking public transit, many of these roads are in a state of disrepair. Today, representatives from Bike Winnipeg join CAA Manitoba in encouraging all road users to focus on safety and infrastructure challenges when they vote on their Worst Roads for 2019. “Everyone has a role to play in making our roads safer, and that’s why we want to hear from all Manitobans about their concerns,” says CAA Manitoba president Tim Scott. “Our annual CAA Worst Roads campaign has influenced change for over seven years by taking input and bridging the public’s interest in the state of good repair of our roads and bridges. In fact, a recent survey of CAA Manitoba members showed that 90 per cent of respondents were concerned about the state of Manitoba’s roads. Moreover, nearly 75 per cent of CAA Members believe that not enough is being done to maintain roads, and that repairs are not occurring in a timely fashion.” Best in class asset management includes prioritizing connectivity for commuters, fixing infrastructure, focusing on safer roads, and includes cycling lanes and increasing transit options. A well-balanced road user program will reduce the wear and tear on Manitoba’s infrastructure and taxpayers’ pocketbooks. “Properly maintained roads and a healthy transportation system translates into safer travels, a healthier economy, and efficient delivery of goods and services,” says Raymond Chan, Government Relations, CCG Club Group. “From our analysis, further delay in road repairs leads to greater costs for governments and has a direct financial impact to the public.” Worst Roads are classified as having potholes, crumbling pavement, poor road signage, limited or nonexistent cycling or walking infrastructure, traffic congestion, or limited crossing opportunities. Mark Cohoe, Executive Director of Bike Winnipeg, sees a variety of issues that need attention. “When people vote in the CAA Worst Roads campaign, they should think of how the roads affect people walking and cycling along our streets as well as those driving along them. Potholes are very dangerous for someone on a bike, and new bike facilities provide a tremendous improvement in safety, comfort, and connectivity. That’s where CAA’s Worst Roads campaign comes in – people on bikes can have their voice heard on infrastructure safety by nominating roads,” says Cohoe. Voting runs until midnight on April 16, 2019. Manitobans can nominate their Worst Road online at caaworstroads.com or through the CAA app. Voters can identify themselves as motorists, cyclists, pedestrians or transit riders and pinpoint a particular stretch of the road for crumbling infrastructure, safety and congestion.

2 min. read
Tokyo International Conference on African Development featured image

Tokyo International Conference on African Development

Aston University co-hosted parts of the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8). There was a total of six talks hosted by the University, five of which are available to catch up on below. TICAD8 is the eighth event of TICAD, having been initiated by Japan in 1932. The conference brings together international organisations and business representatives from African countries and Japan to promote the digitalisation of African nations to keep pace with other leading economies. Cyber security and data privacy were two of the main topics up for discussion as well as central bank digital currencies (CBDC). CBDC is a government-issued fiat currency, that is, a currency not backed by a commodity such as gold. The use of an ideal CBDC will eliminate over 100,000 armoured cars carrying cash for ATM machines all over the world, reducing CO² emissions. Experts say transitioning to fiat currency requires the highest level of cyber security. The digitalisation of the healthcare sector in Africa Professor Georg Holländer of Oxford University speaks with Aston University visiting professor - and GVE founder - Koji Fusa. The discussion focuses on the benefits of an electronic health record for both an individual and the health care provider but will also relate these benefits to issues of public health and research. The technical challenges of providing the conventional infrastructure to establish health care records will be touched on with a focus placed on data security. Reasons will be pointed out that impede the uptake of electronic health records, especially in low and middle income countries, and possible solutions are presented to overcome this problem. CBDC and private sector digital currency will facilitate the digitalisation of nations of African countries CBDC will require the highest security and privacy protection. Professor Koji Fusa, Cyber Security Innovation Centre, Aston University, CEO of GVE Ltd discusses the benefits of a comprehensive digitalisation of fiat currency. This will become a powerful digital infrastructure which could expand into other areas like healthcare. The cyber security issue pointed by the US NIST in 2016 could be solved by having a different set of systems which could reduce the risks being presented by international hacking groups having quantum computers in the future. The World Bank's support for digitalisation of Africa Takashi Miyahara, the Executive Director of the World Bank Group, presents this talk in his personal capacity. Mr. Miyahara introduces the World Bank’s contribution to date, and Japan’s collaboration with the Bank, for digital development of Africa. Mr. Miyahara worked for the Ministry of Finance of Japan since 1986 before he took the current position in January 2021. Vaccine and climate transition in Africa René Karsenti, senior adviser and honorary president of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), former board chair of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), honorary director general of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and member of the Global Advisory Board of GVE Ltd, talks to Aston University's Koji Fusa about vaccine and climate transition in Africa: two major challenges, lessons from innovative ESG financing and future endeavours. Health and vaccine finance, climate transition and sustainable finance have sparked a revolution in thinking about innovative solutions leading to implementing successfully new humanitarian finance such as IFFIm, financing GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as other new ESG investments to achieve a positive impact. He says: "Needs remain huge in Africa. "We are now at a decisive moment in such ESG investments. We have evolved in a few years from a situation where investors knew - and cared - little about what their investments were supporting, to one where purpose matters more than ever. "But only by recognizing the urgency for action particularly in Africa and the power of ESG investment, collaboration, technology and innovation would get us there." Cyber security, financial integrity and developments Professor George Feiger is the executive dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University. He suggests truly secure data transfer has the capability to transform more than medicine and finance in the efficiency sense and also holds out the promise of helping to clean up the even more consequential problem of looting of the state.

3 min. read
988: What is it and who will it help? featured image

988: What is it and who will it help?

Starting July 16, anyone experiencing substance use issues, a suicidal crisis, or mental health-related distress and seeking support can now simply dial “988” and connect directly with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 988’s implementation will strengthen and expand the current lifeline call-center infrastructure and capacity to ensure that trained crisis counselors are available via call, text, and chat 24 hours a day. CARF proudly joins the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and more than 250 partner organizations collaborating as promoters of the 988 Messaging Framework. About 988 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365, connecting those experiencing a crisis with a network of trained crisis counselors located throughout the U.S. Access is available through every landline, cell phone, and voice-over-internet device in the nation. 988 call services are available in Spanish, along with interpretation services in multiple languages. Text and chat are currently available in English only. A long-term goal of 988 is building a robust nationwide crisis response system that links callers to community-based providers that can deliver a full range of crisis care services (e.g., mobile crisis teams or stabilization centers), if needed. And if you're a reporter looking to know more about the new 988 call services, or the role CARF and other organizations are playing in this nationwide effort, let us help with your questions and coverage. Michael Johnson is Senior Managing Director of Behavioral Health at CARF and is an expert in treatment strategies for mental health and substance use disorders. Michael is available to speak with media regarding this topic; simply click on his expert icon to arrange an interview today.

Michael W. Johnson, MA, CAP profile photo
2 min. read
Critical Infrastructure in the UK & a Fragile Climate featured image

Critical Infrastructure in the UK & a Fragile Climate

Listen below to Dr Kiran Tota-Maharaj, from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University, talking on 630 CHED in Canada about the UK's infrastructure in the scorching heat. Dr Tota-Maharaj has also written in The Conversation about why Britain isn’t built to withstand 40°C – and where infrastructure is most likely to fail. If you wish to talk to Dr Tota-Maharaj, or any of Aston University's experts, you can email PR@aston.ac.uk

1 min. read
The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement is costly, what does the UK need to do? | Aston Angle featured image

The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement is costly, what does the UK need to do? | Aston Angle

As far as trade is concerned, the EU exit has been rather costly to the UK. At the Centre for Business Prosperity, we have been tracking the performance of UK trade in recent years. The UK’s trade dropped sharply during COVID. Like other nations, this was due to the global recession and supply chain disruptions. However, the UK failed to recover and enjoy the boom, despite the tariff-free terms of trade in goods set out in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The UK now trades less with the EU, its largest trading partner, than in 2019. During the same period, Germany and the Netherlands grew trade with the EU by nearly a quarter, and US trade with the EU has also grown considerably. Reports suggest, including those from the British Chambers of Commerce, that exporting to the EU has become much more costly and in some cases, unviable. It appears that the “certainty” provided by the TCA has not reversed the declining trend of the UK-EU trade so far. Our new paper for the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) has found that UK exports experienced a large, negative, statistically significant decline in 2021 at the end of the transition after the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was put into force. We estimate that this amounts to a 22% reduction in exports to the EU and a 26% reduction in imports from the EU over the first half of 2021, relative to the counterfactual scenario of the UK remaining in the EU. How did this happen? After all, the TCA ensures that goods moving between the UK and the EU have no tariffs or quotas, so long as the rules of origin are complied with. Rules of origin help you work out where your goods originate from and which goods are covered in trade agreements. Our research found that non-tariff measures (NTMs) were responsible for the adverse TCA effect on UK trade with the EU and that the magnitude of loss was significant. It was equivalent to a reduction of £12.4 billion in UK exports over the first six months period of 2021. This equals 16% of UK total exports in the first half of 2019 and 70% of the documented total reduction in the EU exports in the same period. A number of factors can be attributed to the decline of UK exports to the EU. In particular, the increased trade frictions that occurred mainly due to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) as a result of entering the TCA. Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures refer to the EU controls to protect animal, plant or public health. And technical barriers to trade (TBT) refers to mandatory technical regulations and voluntary standards that define specific characteristics that a product should have, such as its size, shape, design, labelling/marking/packaging, functionality or performance. On average, for the first six months of 2021, a 1% increase in SPS resulted in a 13–15% reduction in exports to the EU, most notably in the food and drink, wood and chemicals sectors. Furthermore, a 1% increase in TBT led to a 2–3% reduction in exports, especially in metals, equipment, machines and miscellaneous industrial products. What next? Since the post-Brexit dysfunctions are now diagnosed, in theory we could move on. The UK can directly tackle the trade challenges, so long as other things, such as politics, do not stand in the way. Fundamentally, what needs to happen is the removal or relief of the root causes coded by the TCA – the trade barriers newly erected. This is a key task; it is challenging but not impossible. Trade frictions due to the SPS measures are an acute problem of Brexit. Reducing some of the non-tariff measures between the EU-UK would help by exploring other mechanisms such as equivalent SPS measures or other ways to reduce businesses burden to a minimum. The technical barriers to trade are more complicated and challenging and they could potentially cause significant damage to the UK economy. Despite its limitation, maintaining and broadening the established arrangements of the current TCA provision, through some form of mutual recognition of specific practices or international regulations for selected sectors, should be the ambition of UK government to help ease the TBT trade barriers. Future EU-UK co-operation is critical and mutually beneficial but requires political will and strong leadership. In the short and medium term, supporting firms should be the priority, especially small- and medium-sized firms that are productive enough to have exported to the EU in the past, but now face hurdles to continue exporting. These firms tend to be limited on resource but have the infrastructure and ambition to internationalise. Targeted support for specific challenges could be also fruitful. The UK Department for International Trade Export Support Service, the British Chambers of Commerce and local growth hubs have the expertise and experience to help firms export. Therefore, resources should be made available to allow for customised and responsive support with exports, as well as taking advantage of technologies that can identify and reach businesses who require support. Provision should also be made to collect feedback on the quality of the support provided, to enable further improvement. Helping businesses continue to access EU markets, while enabling the economy to take advantage of welfare-enhancing benefits from trade, remains imperative. Given the economic benefits of the roll-out, the new free trade agreements are expected to be limited and effective only in the long term. UK domestic policies should be the focus to improve the competitiveness of exporters and their ecosystem. By Professor Jun Du Director of the Centre for Business Prosperity Professor of Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship, Aston Business School Lecturer in Politics and International Relations School of Social Science and Humanities Dr Oleksandr Shepotylo Senior Lecturer, Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship, Aston Business School

Jun Du profile photo
4 min. read
It Works on TV - Do Property Rehabs Drive Up Prices in Surrounding Neighborhoods? featured image

It Works on TV - Do Property Rehabs Drive Up Prices in Surrounding Neighborhoods?

When a house is distressed, the negative impact tends to ricochet around its surrounding neighborhood. Distressed homes (e.g. foreclosures) can significantly bring down the value of other homes in the area, as these properties are often poorly maintained and then typically sold at discounted prices In the past, and particularly in the wake of the 2008 subprime crisis, federal and local governments sought to mitigate this negative effect by incentivizing the rehabilitation of distressed properties through programs like the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Until now, there has been some skepticism as to whether or not these kinds of initiatives actually work. New research by Goizueta Foundation Term Associate Professor of Finance Gonzalo Maturana and Goizueta’s Assistant Professor of Finance Rohan Ganduri might change the narrative definitively. They have analyzed new data that shows that rehabilitation projects not only help to stabilize housing prices in affected neighborhoods but can also actually increase the value of neighboring properties by as much as four percentage points. Using highly robust, non-parametric statistical analysis methods, Maturana and Ganduri parsed more than 10 years of information on rehabilitated property transactions and real estate prices across the United States. The effect of renovating dilapidated or derelict houses in these areas pushes prices up between 2.3 and four percentage points in their surrounding blocks, they find. And that’s not all. While the average amount spent by authorities on these renovations comes in at roughly $36,000, their study estimates a societal welfare gain of $134,000 per rehabilitated property—almost four times the cost of the rehabilitation. These insights should provide interesting food for thought for the U.S. Congress and local governments, Maturana notes. After the housing crash in 2008, Congress allocated $6.9 billion in funding to the NSP to help stabilize communities affected by high vacancy and foreclosure rates, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development didn’t find any positive impact on local housing markets at the time. “Our findings suggest that rehabilitation projects do drive a positive uptick in prices that can help revitalize distressed neighborhoods,” says Maturana. “And they provide very timely support for policy interventions, such as President Biden’s infrastructure spending program which proposes an allocation of $20 billion to rehabilitate 500,000 single-family homes in low-income neighborhoods in the United States.” With the current economy facing some uncertain times - this is a topic that is important for everyone.  And if you're a reporter looking to know more then let us help. Gonzalo Maturana is an associate professor of finance at the Goizueta Business School. He is an expert in the areas of corporate, household and real estate finance. Rohan Ganduri's research interests include banking, credit risk, real estate, household finance, and corporate finance. Both Gonzalo and Rohan are available to speak to media regarding this topic – simply click on either icon now to arrange an interview today.