8 ms·
There is a perfectly valid reason for this: overdevelopment, particularly in the Californian style of "chew up green space for tract homes", sucks. There was a
by carsongross 11y ago
There is a perfectly valid reason for this: overdevelopment, particularly in the Californian style of "chew up green space for tract homes", sucks.
There was a time when new development was viewed as a good thing. We built high quality buildings and established new towns. Now we chew up land to produce this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/2643280748_7799215dc3.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/2643280748_7799215dc3.jp...
What human can look at that, even if they are forced by circumstances to live in it, and not want to hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats?
- johnchristopher 11y agowhere is that neighbourhood located ?
- davidw 11y agoYou could always do density. It works pretty well for Europe.
- api 11y agoThat requires transit infrastructure, which most Americans (even some to the left) steadfastly oppose.
- davidw 11y agoThe two things go hand in hand. Start allowing density, and then you start doing transit as needs be.
- noir_lord 11y agoThat sorta works but some planning about how to grow transit down the line ahead of time makes sense, if for no other reason than reserving space for light rail etc later. Otherwise putting a transit system in as a retro-fit becomes very expensive.
- api 11y agoSouthern California passed this point long ago and nope. LA traffic is torture but look into all the anti-Metro sentiment and NIMBYism. They're building it anyway because LA literally can't grow anymore but the opposition is strong.
- AnimalMuppet 11y agoIf we had density, though, transit would be a lot more viable. Most of our cities are too spread out (not dense enough) for transit to work very well.
- a_small_island 11y ago> not want to hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats? Slitting throats? Really? Not me.
- pacala 11y agoThere is no "green space" in Southern California. The only green there is, is supported by sprinklers watering tract home lawns.
- 91bananas 11y agoCompletely untrue.
- briffle 11y agoMany places (especially in Silicon valley) restrict the height of buildings, and the number of apartments, etc. When you can't build up, you have to build out.
- cbhl 11y agoBut you can build a community where the houses aren't all identical to each other. With cul-de-sacs and winding roads and trees lining the street, and little boxes every couple of feet for FTTN or FTTP internet, and wide sidewalks where kids feel comfortable walking to school.
- briffle 11y agoVery true.. And they do build, but they cost more.. LOTS more.. you can build a neighborhood of 500 homes with 5 plans, and a few tweaks here and there (maybe put the garage on the other side on some houses based on plan A). For a developer, you can now order 100 of each type of front door, X number of truckloads of timber, roofing shingles, can lights, etc. that is known and planned ahead of time. Each bit of customization adds time to plan and build, and special orders that cost more.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]