Looped In

As March turned into April and the Houston stay-at-home order was extended to the start of May, renters who found themselves suddenly unemployed by the coronavirus outbreak have been left to wonder how they will pay for housing. Landlords have their own concerns: without the expected rent revenue, how will they be able to pay their own bills? Some states — including Texas — have temporarily stopped evictions from going forward in court. But what does that order really mean? Reporter Sarah Smith, who covers housing, homelessness and poverty for the Houston Chronicle, joins host Ferrill Gibbs to discuss the dilemma facing tenants and property owners alike.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Houston Chronicle executive editor Steve Riley said recently in a letter to readers: Quite suddenly, your lives have changed. Your health, or the health of someone you love, could be at risk. Your job seems shakier than just days ago. Your church isn’t having services, your favorite bar has closed, and the gym has locked its doors. And there’s no baseball, no March Madness. At the Houston Chronicle, we feel it, too. So as an introduction to our new daily podcast, host Ferrill Gibbs talks to Riley about the differences between the coronavirus crisis and other recent catastrophes, and about the unique challenge that covering it presents to local newsrooms.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board's impassioned plea to Houstonians coping with the coronavirus -- "Stay home!" -- as expressed by editorial board member Monica Rohr.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In many ways, Houston’s Chinatown — with its restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, banks and travel agencies — is a microcosm of the city as a whole. So when foot traffic suddenly diminished at the end of January following false rumors of coronavirus in the neighborhood, the economic strain felt by Chinatown businesses foreshadowed some of the tough decisions restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses are now facing throughout the city. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

iBuyers are gaining market share, but are they making money? And John Daugherty has been a fixture in Houston’s high-end housing market. His real estate company is now in bankruptcy. Nancy and Rebecca explain.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Houston Chronicle retail reporter, Paul Takahashi, is moving on to cover the energy industry. But first, he is covering how the coronavirus is impacting retailers, from pharmacies to grocery stores. He also discusses the major trends he has seen in the retail industry, from experience-based shopping to what’s up with Houston malls.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The embrace of online shipping has driven a rush of warehouse space and logistics services. One Houston Chronicle employee ordered upwards of 800 packages in 2019 alone. But one link of the e-commerce supply chain remains in short supply: temperature-controlled warehouses, known as cold storage, necessary for storing and shipping groceries, meal prep kits, cold-pressed juice cleanses, dog stem cells — the list goes on.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ding ding ding! The votes have been tallied and the winners are in! For Looped In's third-annual Loopie Awards for the best and worst of Houston real estate, the Chronicle's real estate editor reveals his picks for eight categories, including "Trendiest Development Trend," "Saddest Demise" and "Highest Gentrification Threat." The episode is part game show, part Rotten Tomatoes review. Listen along and congrats to all the winners!

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Houston Housing Authority’s new approach to affordable housing involves building complexes with units reserved for families of different incomes.

These new apartments aim to both attract those who can afford the rising costs of living and protect low-earners in danger of being pushed out of their longtime neighborhoods, while also providing space for people who earn something in between. However, not everyone is on board, especially as many fear affordable housing could strain their neighborhood’s infrastructure and discourage investment in the neighborhood.

Erin Douglas, who reports on the economy for the Houston Chronicle, joins real estate reporters R.A. Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff to discuss mixed-use housing planned for the Fifth Ward, East End and Near Northside.

 

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new study from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University reveals how development and land use patterns have changed over time in neighborhoods near transit centers, park and ride lots and light rail stations. Kyle Shelton, the report's author, joins Nancy and Rebecca to talk about the benefits and the challenges of transit-oriented growth and the tools that could help prevent unintended consequences.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices