US practices report first growth in demand since 2008

[onq]

A potential bit of good news.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/5007569.article?origin=BDdaily

Unfortunately the list of previous BD Articles suggests this may be premature:

US survey shows hopes of recovery
25 May 2010

AIA survey suggests beginnings of a recovery
23 October 2009

US construction recovery stalls
3 July 2009

Every half year since this time last year we've had this, apparently.

[missarchi]

The real test will be feb-march

[wiseowl]

The US economy is still stuttering along and despite all the stimilus packages has not got going. Can't see anything happen until after these elections are over. It may see some changes in policies but with Unemployment staying stubbornly high its hard to see how there's going to be significnat shift there for some tme. If I was living in the US today, I'd head over the border into Canada for the next 3 years .

[PVC King]

It is certainly encouraging to see people actively pursuing projects to the point of paying architects; I totally agree with Wiseowl that the election is a key consideration as it is clearly preventing the administration from biting the bullet on issues such as Fannie & Freddie who are largely proping up resi demand at the expense of massive government borrowing.

My own view on the US is quite simple; the sun belt is dead and the fallout of localised land bank leveraged bubbles in places like New Mexico, Calafornia and Florida will continue to be felt for many years to come; conversely in cities like New York, Houston and Chicago you have a market that will stabalise and where well conceived schemes with clever design can deliver pretty healthy margins for those who can get the finance.

[onq]

(nods)

That's the rub - getting the finance, that's what's hlding Ireland's recover back too.

We really need to clean out the top tiers in the banks if they cannot accept that - having been part of the problem - they need to be part of the solution.

ONQ.