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Re: WSJ Sees Future, Cringes [housing]

Unread postPosted: Mon 09 Apr 2012, 17:02:38
by Plantagenet
Timo wrote:... i'm not overly optimistic in the intellectual capacity of mankind to do the right things in order to ensure our collective survival.


Well of course not.

Depending on man's higher nature to do what is right almost always leads to disappointment.

Urban planning, higher density housing, urban mass transit, and restrictive rural zoning are going to gain in popularity not because they are "intellectually" the right thing to do, but because there will be no alternative.

We're going to have more urban planning in California and the rest of the US because we will be forced into it by peak oil and higher gasoline prices. People are going to have to get out of their cars because it will be too expensive to commute. When people start demanding mass transit, we will build it, and building more subways and electric trolleys and commuter transit will, by their very nature, impose long term planning on cities and regions. 8)

Re: WSJ Sees Future, Cringes [housing]

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Apr 2012, 11:54:47
by ritter
Plantagenet wrote:Thanks to peak oil, the US will be dragged kicking and screaming along the same path towards smarter energy use and better urban planning that Europe took decades ago---.


Not.... enough..... time..... [/gasp] [smilie=5squeeze.gif]

Time to get the [smilie=new_popcornsmiley.gif] and start [smilie=new_all_coholic.gif]
The [smilie=5zombie.gif] are coming.

Re: WSJ Sees Future, Cringes [housing]

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Apr 2012, 19:07:05
by Cog
If you want to walk around at night in most urban settings, you better be packing some heat.

Re: WSJ Sees Future, Cringes [housing]

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Apr 2012, 19:34:09
by Plantagenet
ritter wrote:Not.... enough..... time..... [/gasp] [smilie=5squeeze.gif]

Time to get the [smilie=new_popcornsmiley.gif] and start [smilie=new_all_coholic.gif]
The [smilie=5zombie.gif] are coming.


I nominate your post for clever post of the year.

You might enjoy: post-carbon comicx presents: BICYCLE ZOMBIE SLAYERS

Re: WSJ Sees Future, Cringes [housing]

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Apr 2012, 21:35:40
by Pops
Thanks timo, I had the idea you were on the owner/manager side for some reason.

20 or more years ago in Modesto CA, one of the small towns in the way of the Bay Area out-migration, the city came up with the idea of "urban villages" as the model of their brand of sprawl. New developments were to be multi-use, include single family, multi family, even office/light industrial along with retail, all on a grid based layout to facilitate transit, if not pedestrians. I always hated 'burbs and even back then I thought it was a great idea.

I think it made it 'till about the second planning commission meeting when the big developers made their presentations.

Re: WSJ Sees Future, Cringes [housing]

Unread postPosted: Wed 11 Apr 2012, 11:46:17
by ritter
Pops wrote:Thanks timo, I had the idea you were on the owner/manager side for some reason.

20 or more years ago in Modesto CA, .....


One little town around here (Windsor) actually created a new downtown/city center. It was a live/work deal, three story buildings fronting the sidewalks with the two top floors as living space and the bottom floor commercial. It was constructed within easy walking distance of a transit hub that would include (someday, maybe) rail service serving the Sonoma/Marin County corridors (SMART rail). It was doing really quite well. Then the real estate boom collapsed. Then the recession. Now there is a lot of turnover in the commercial spaces and vacancies. And there's still no fuck!n rail service. Speaking of rail service, the people that planned the stops somehow neglected to include one in the biggest employment center in the county which would also have served the County airport. SMART planning, eh? :(

@Plant: glad I could amuse! Got to laugh when you can.