People Who Live In Suburbs: Classy, Icky, or Dudes?

while he's right that much of the new public transit in america isn't aimed at lower-income people, that alone doesn't discount public transit as 'probably the answer to the problem' - things like giving buses and bikes their own lanes + finding ways to disincentivize driving can increase alt transit options on a small budget. but that requires people willing to give up certain conveniences.

I lead my eighth graders in a discussion about assumptions society has about people in urban, rural, and suburban settings. Part of me thought it would be a redux of this thread but it turned out most of them don't even know what the suburbs are. And bcz this is lol Arizona they finally defined the suburbs as "where all the old people move to."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/us/suburban-poverty-surge-challenges-communities.html

hey NYT stop reading ILX

As a result, suburban municipalities — once concerned with policing, putting out fires and repairing roads — are confronting a new set of issues, namely how to help poor residents without the array of social programs that cities have, and how to get those residents to services without public transportation. Many suburbs are facing these challenges with the tightest budgets in years.

maybe people who need centralized services / can't afford to throw away their paycheck on ever-increasing transportation costs shouldn't be forced into ~the american dream~

things haven't gotten nearly as bad as they're gonna get

Tildes around The American Dream is symbolic of immigrants' threat to our way of life.

We linked that article about suburbs being a ponzi scheme, right?

I have a little mini-rant about a particular suburb in my area that I've been forming but I'm not ready to blurt it all out yet

why are you forming suburbs?

*bites nails* xp

http://thenewinquiry.com/post/11992813690/the-geography-of-failed-revolt

turns out mitt romney hated suburbs too http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/magazine/97226/romney-massachusetts-chauvinism-liberal

Romney and [his transportation guru Douglas] Foy wasted little time in putting smart-growth policies to work. The state, they declared, would take a “fix-it-first” approach to highway spending—repairing existing roads instead of building new ones. They also pledged to cut the number of SUVs in the state fleet. In addition, the state put out a new highway-design manual intended to make towns more pedestrian-friendly, with narrower streets designed for slower driving speeds.

“It was all really woolly, totally green, new-urbanist stuff—and it was state policy,” says Anthony Flint, who covered land-use issues for The Boston Globe and went on to join Foy’s office in 2005. The biggest move came in 2004, when Romney signed legislation, dubbed Chapter 40R, providing funds to towns and cities that agreed to allow more high-density, multi-family housing. “It was fundamentally anti-sprawl. It was saying that the days of having a developer buy a Christmas tree farm and throw up a bunch of single-family homes on half-acre lots were over,” Flint recalls. “It was a real awakening.”

why is he running as a republican again

it sorta makes sense, he prob looks at this the same way bloomberg does, consultant-style urbanism 'what is the most efficient way of using the resources I have' not cause they love trees or anything just cause it's super financially rational to *not build new freeways*

also kind of an "easy" way to appease the largely democratic electorate in MA so they might re-elect him

He didn't even run for reelection, though. He had his eyes on bigger things.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smart-way-to-play-god-with-limited-land&print=true

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/activists-fight-green-projects-seeing-un-plot.html

man remind me again why i believe in democracy *imposes UN martial law on tea party, build subway track around a wal mart that does abortions in one car and labial piercings in another, runs on beet juice and the burning ashes of the constititution*

attn iatee

http://i40.tinypic.com/fk47z8.jpg

That NYT photo can be summed up with "lol old whites!". Luckily, they'll die off soon.

both otm

i'm sure other stupid ppl will fill their shoes

Yes, it's not like the world is going to run out of stupid people, but they'll be afraid of slightly different things, allowing the rest of the world to make an end-run around their particular hang-ups. And so on, and so on. I think this is how "progress" happens?

I literally cannot deal with that NYT article

haha there was a nyt article about how hard it is to find parking these days in manhattan cause they tragically keep replacing parking lots with ~actual buildings~ and it is hard to express how hard I was trying to will a comments section into existence

In fairness to everyone Agenda 21 is a pretty evil name

haha tru

http://grist.org/list/america-has-40-million-big-houses-that-no-one-wants/

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/02/have-americans-given-mcmansions/1184/

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46216000/gif/_46216562_houses_466_4.gif

of course these people are kind of right if you cross out "the UN" and replace with "people concerned about density/sustainability/planning issues."
more appealing to say that "x is a plot orchestrated by the UN" than "x is a plot orchestrated by some other people who live here and want to make some changes" I guess

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/the-end-of-ownership-why-arent-young-people-buying-more-houses/253750/

think it's time to buy houses to rent to young people

Did not read the article, but...

We just went through a massive housing bubble and bust that extended over several continents, and we are presently in a very weak recovery from the worst recession since 1929. Moreover, house prices continue to drop in the USA, according to the numbers that just came out yesterday. And someone thinks they have to explain why young people aren't buying more houses?

well maybe you shoulda read the article, cause it's about how kanye west and MIA have turned a generation against home ownership via music

I thought it was about that new Beyonce song "All the Single Renters"

Old houses have the stigma of ickyness, new houses look like crap

I'd like to hear some analysis on wtf is happening in this picture

http://info.51.ca/uploads/userup/6/4/8/3/8/200903/64838_2340163V9_0.jpg

Well, on the bright side her job doesn't require a goofy costume. She seems to be very enthusiastic about waving that sign.

Impressive considering it must be a very difficult position to hold over an extended period of time.

You know, you just made it clear to me that she's the one holding the sign and not vice-versa.

I saw this version first and it looks more like she's hanging from it.

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/615%20young%20housing%20.jpg

And I couldn't get that part out of my head.

I've been all "did they photoshop the shadow on the ground?"

also, breasts.

bubble and bust that extended over several continents

Watch China for example...

"bust that extended over several continents" great description of those breasts.

bout to buy a house in the burbs in the next 6 mos. take that "the atlantic"

Old houses have the stigma of ickyness

??

mold and lead for one, if not simply "lived in by disgusting savages".

I live in a 2,000 square foot house that may be upgraded to 3,000 to accomodate family plus guests. This house is more than big enough for three people RIGHT NOW. It is more than eighty years old.

I just can't imagine living in a 4,000 square foot space with only a family of four and maybe some pets. I think that kind of thing is for management types, people who entertain a lot or who have a lot of guests. But a lot of people in the US think that is the "goal", a mark of success.

I was mocking people who always live in brand new places. My house was built in 1915. Sheesh.

The last house I lived in was built in 1941. I can't fathom ever living in a house older than 10 years again (depending).

We had the little round fuses for the circuit breaker. Once got up in a light fixture and the cords inside looked like they were made from twine. Couldn't ever find vent covers that were the right size. State Farm even turned us down to insure the house!

Those were just a few tiny things. I can't stress enough how nice it is to finally live in a house with three-pronged outlets.

Also, the guy who was here first designed the house in the late 90s, so every room has a phone jack next to the cable outlet for dial-up.

I think you can find examples of houses older than 10 years that have three-pronged outlets and light-fixtures that aren't twine based...