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Well lots of people can barely afford a home let alone try and get a home with a garage or driveway. In addition how do home owners anticipate that some nearby

Well lots of people can barely afford a home let alone try and get a home with a garage or driveway. In addition how do home owners anticipate that some nearby development, 5 or 10 years later, is going to go in without parking? Especially since the city council on several occasions has promised to require a reasonable amount of parking for new buildings.

twblalock 10y ago
> In addition how do home owners anticipate that some nearby development, 5 or 10 years later, is going to go in without parking? You can't anticipate it, which is why you should never view street parking as a guaranteed feature of your home. People who can't afford homes with garages or driveways just need to be realistic about the fact that the parking situation on their street might change in the future. Similarly, all homeowners, whether they have garages and driveways or not, need to be realistic about the fact that many things in their neighborhood might change, including density and traffic. That's just life. You can't fully control what happens on land you don't own.
- nitrogen 10y ago
  As someone who grew up in a low density area this just seems bizarre to me, the idea that an outsider might have more right than you to the curb that is maintained with your property taxes. Almost as bizarre is the idea of houses without driveways.
  - twblalock 10y ago
    > the idea that an outsider might have more right than you to the curb that is maintained with your property taxes What makes you think someone parking on your street is an outsider, rather than a neighbor, or a guest of a neighbor who might very well pay property taxes in the same city you do?
    - vorotato 10y ago
      When you live in a rural area, anyone parking near you is an outsider.
    - nitrogen 10y ago
      Some cities charge taxes based on the number of feet of street connected to someone's yard. It seems perfectly logical that in such a city, the "right" to park should be greatest at one's own house, and fade with distance. So anyone from an apartment complex outside the neighborhood is an outsider, and should have less claim to the spot in front of a house than the house's owner. I also find it bizarre that some HN users (not you obviously since you can't downvote a direct reply) frequently downvote comments that provide a differing perspective from the anti-suburban anti-car view.
- planteen 10y ago
  This is true. Dealing with a crappy parking situation when I was younger taught me that I never want to deal with it again. It's not fun having to park far away when you have a load of groceries in the snow.
davidw 10y ago
Part of the reason housing is so expensive is because of all the zoning meaning you can't build up, or otherwise create denser housing. Supply is not meeting demand.
Kalium 10y ago
I believe the canonically correct approach is to ensure up-front that your needs are covered rather than assuming your current convenient and non-guaranteed environment will persist. If you can't afford this, then you couldn't really afford the home you thought you could barely afford. I'm sorry to say it so bluntly, I understand how important homeownership is to so many people. Certainly imposing on everyone else by forcing them to cover the costs of your personal needs is somewhat sub-optimal.
- Klinky 10y ago
  Perhaps the same reasoning applies to the developer who can't afford to build suitable parking for the residents of their new building? Can't afford to build suitable parking? Then you really can't afford to build it at all. Business also needs to learn to live within its means, as blunt as that is.
  - davidw 10y ago
    Here's how things would play out in a relatively free market: If you build housing with no parking attached to it, you won't be able to sell it for as much money. If people really care a lot about parking, that housing will have to be a lot cheaper to attract buyers. Perhaps so cheap that the developers won't make a profit on it and no one will build that kind of housing. As elsewhere "what is the correct amount of parking for a given unit of housing" is basically impossible to solve at a citywide level and is a perfect example of this, posted elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem Most likely there are different kinds of people - some who care a lot about parking, and others who ride their bikes all the time or something. By providing diverse amounts of parking, people will sort out into different places that most suit their needs.
    - Klinky 10y ago
      People buy shoddy shit and make poor purchasing choices all the time, e.g. fast food leading to obesity and an unhealthy populace. Just because someone will pay for it, doesn't mean it's a good idea, or that they've made a fully informed decision, or that a fully informed decision is possible due to information asymmetry. Maybe bathrooms should be optional? Some people may prefer to shit out the window or use the local YMCA to shower? Yeah that's a sanitation concern, but parking is a transit concern, both are major issues in cities. There needs to be some forethought into how the new residents are going to get into and out of the city. Simply leaving it up to profit seeking businesses to sort out doesn't mean a functional solution will actually be found.

twblalock 10y ago

> In addition how do home owners anticipate that some nearby development, 5 or 10 years later, is going to go in without parking? You can't anticipate it, which is why you should never view street parking as a guaranteed feature of your home. People who can't afford homes with garages or driveways just need to be realistic about the fact that the parking situation on their street might change in the future. Similarly, all homeowners, whether they have garages and driveways or not, need to be realistic about the fact that many things in their neighborhood might change, including density and traffic. That's just life. You can't fully control what happens on land you don't own.

nitrogen 10y ago
As someone who grew up in a low density area this just seems bizarre to me, the idea that an outsider might have more right than you to the curb that is maintained with your property taxes. Almost as bizarre is the idea of houses without driveways.
- twblalock 10y ago
  > the idea that an outsider might have more right than you to the curb that is maintained with your property taxes What makes you think someone parking on your street is an outsider, rather than a neighbor, or a guest of a neighbor who might very well pay property taxes in the same city you do?
  - vorotato 10y ago
    When you live in a rural area, anyone parking near you is an outsider.
  - nitrogen 10y ago
    Some cities charge taxes based on the number of feet of street connected to someone's yard. It seems perfectly logical that in such a city, the "right" to park should be greatest at one's own house, and fade with distance. So anyone from an apartment complex outside the neighborhood is an outsider, and should have less claim to the spot in front of a house than the house's owner. I also find it bizarre that some HN users (not you obviously since you can't downvote a direct reply) frequently downvote comments that provide a differing perspective from the anti-suburban anti-car view.
planteen 10y ago
This is true. Dealing with a crappy parking situation when I was younger taught me that I never want to deal with it again. It's not fun having to park far away when you have a load of groceries in the snow.

davidw 10y ago

Part of the reason housing is so expensive is because of all the zoning meaning you can't build up, or otherwise create denser housing. Supply is not meeting demand.

Kalium 10y ago

I believe the canonically correct approach is to ensure up-front that your needs are covered rather than assuming your current convenient and non-guaranteed environment will persist. If you can't afford this, then you couldn't really afford the home you thought you could barely afford. I'm sorry to say it so bluntly, I understand how important homeownership is to so many people. Certainly imposing on everyone else by forcing them to cover the costs of your personal needs is somewhat sub-optimal.

Klinky 10y ago
Perhaps the same reasoning applies to the developer who can't afford to build suitable parking for the residents of their new building? Can't afford to build suitable parking? Then you really can't afford to build it at all. Business also needs to learn to live within its means, as blunt as that is.
- davidw 10y ago
  Here's how things would play out in a relatively free market: If you build housing with no parking attached to it, you won't be able to sell it for as much money. If people really care a lot about parking, that housing will have to be a lot cheaper to attract buyers. Perhaps so cheap that the developers won't make a profit on it and no one will build that kind of housing. As elsewhere "what is the correct amount of parking for a given unit of housing" is basically impossible to solve at a citywide level and is a perfect example of this, posted elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem Most likely there are different kinds of people - some who care a lot about parking, and others who ride their bikes all the time or something. By providing diverse amounts of parking, people will sort out into different places that most suit their needs.
  - Klinky 10y ago
    People buy shoddy shit and make poor purchasing choices all the time, e.g. fast food leading to obesity and an unhealthy populace. Just because someone will pay for it, doesn't mean it's a good idea, or that they've made a fully informed decision, or that a fully informed decision is possible due to information asymmetry. Maybe bathrooms should be optional? Some people may prefer to shit out the window or use the local YMCA to shower? Yeah that's a sanitation concern, but parking is a transit concern, both are major issues in cities. There needs to be some forethought into how the new residents are going to get into and out of the city. Simply leaving it up to profit seeking businesses to sort out doesn't mean a functional solution will actually be found.