From the inbox:
Awhile back, you (or maybe John) [ed note--it was Tim] mentioned a call from NPR about the environmental economics of the foreclosure crisis. At that time, you didn't have any examples of obvious externalities from foreclosures. Well, I just stumbled on a microbiological one: West Nile virus. As foreclosed homes with swimming pools sit abandoned, the unmaintained pools become huge mosquito nurseries. The mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus seem particularly good at breeding in these artificial ecosystems, and this has caused a significant spike in cases of the disease in parts of California. You can read the CDC's report here:
http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/11/pdfs/08-0719.pdf
Looks like an interesting intersection of real estate, environmental economics, and health economics. Enjoy.
Thanks Alan. You saved me some work on Friday morning.