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> Our problem is not that we can't make enough stuff for everyone to be happy, it's that we're still acting like that is the case. The real issue is that the r

> Our problem is not that we can't make enough stuff for everyone to be happy, it's that we're still acting like that is the case. The real issue is that the ruling class makes their money off capital. That's why Tiny Houses are banned in San Francisco and elsewhere. Because no one really needs more than 400 square feet of (well-designed) living space, but if people were allowed to buy houses and apartments that small then they wouldn't need to go into debt. If the basic necessities of life become free then capital itself becomes devalued, so don't expect it to be an easy fight.

mahyarm 10y ago
It's called the studio apartment :D NIMBY has many reasons behind it, and one of them is trying to increase housing values. Other things are guarding precious "free" parking spaces, being old and not liking change, or being afraid of changes effecting the quality of your children's school and other things.
- shados 10y ago
  the parking spot issue is real (I don't drive, but I can see people struggling with that every day). Adding too many units in an area plagued by grid lock can also be problematic and you have to add public transportation first. My personal reason for being NIMBY is pretty simple though: I just want to sleep at night. and since municipal rules are hardly ever enforced in high density areas, I'll have to deal with kids screaming, idiot drunks trashing the place at 3 am, graffiti and people having parties at all hours of the night and day with the cops telling me to just deal with it because I live in a high density area. So when they try to build more on top, I'm like "Err, no". I literally dont care if my property value dropped to zero, as long as I can sleep without needing earplugs. I already have to run the A/C or heat twice as much as I should because I can't open the windows without "enjoying" whatever activity my neighbors are doing that involve screaming on top of their lungs. Besides, I live in one of the top 10 most densely populated neighborhoods in the country, and then people want to add more. ::shrugs:: In my home country this was not an issue because people could respect each other, and rules were enforced. In that case, build as much as you want in my backyard.
  - Grishnakh 10y ago
    >In my home country this was not an issue because people could respect each other, and rules were enforced. It sounds like you came from a nice, civilized country. Why then did you move to whatever 3rd-world hellhole you currently live in? It sounds like you'd be happier going back home.
    - shados 10y ago
      I did not know this when I originally moved, and now I managed to find a decent spot in the hellhole. When its harder to keep it nice than to move back, I will.
closeparen 10y ago
Uh, there are plenty of ways to get 400sqft or less living spaces in SF, just not as a freestanding structure (and tiny houses are kind of a waste when we could be building more tall stacks of several adjacent tiny apartments).
majormajor 10y ago
I lived in new, modern, fairly-well-layed-out 330sqft and 450sqft apartments for four years, and you know what? It was fine, but you definitely get tired of it. I will gladly pay more to get more space. Things that can quickly make this even more urgent: pets, relationships, children, certain hobbies, a social circle that enjoys private get-togethers, working from home, etc. I also find stuff makes me happier than experiences, so I realize I'm not representative of current fashionable lifestyles, but pretending everyone's the same or telling people "you shouldn't want that" isn't a practical policy solution. (Or let's talk about medicine. Can we grow new livers, kidneys, etc, yet? How about when can we do it cheaply enough to easily be able to afford one for everyone who needs one?)
- justinator 10y ago
  I also find stuff makes me happier than experiences, so I realize I'm not representative of current fashionable lifestyles, Current fashionable lifestyles? The idea of earthly possessions not being the source of true happiness (and really being the reason for suffering) is as old as at least Buddhism. If you want just an American source, we're still talking Thoreau, here.
  - eloisant 10y ago
    It might be old but it's more trendy than it used to be. In the 80's it was considered normal to want to get a big house with a big backyard, big car, etc.
  - rimantas 10y ago
    The idea may be old, that does not make it true.
    - Retric 10y ago
      It is backed up by scientific research. With the exception that stuff which enables you to do something has a lot of value, however your 5th car is almost meaningless in terms of happyness. What's easy to forget is advertising is designed to push past that minimal stuff threshold. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/04/10/5-reliable-findings-from-happiness-research/ http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/04/10/5-reliable-...
oldmanjay 10y ago
I'm sure the utopia of 400 sq ft filing cabinets will have us all looking back on these foolish times and wondering how we could be so blind.

mahyarm 10y ago

It's called the studio apartment :D NIMBY has many reasons behind it, and one of them is trying to increase housing values. Other things are guarding precious "free" parking spaces, being old and not liking change, or being afraid of changes effecting the quality of your children's school and other things.

shados 10y ago
the parking spot issue is real (I don't drive, but I can see people struggling with that every day). Adding too many units in an area plagued by grid lock can also be problematic and you have to add public transportation first. My personal reason for being NIMBY is pretty simple though: I just want to sleep at night. and since municipal rules are hardly ever enforced in high density areas, I'll have to deal with kids screaming, idiot drunks trashing the place at 3 am, graffiti and people having parties at all hours of the night and day with the cops telling me to just deal with it because I live in a high density area. So when they try to build more on top, I'm like "Err, no". I literally dont care if my property value dropped to zero, as long as I can sleep without needing earplugs. I already have to run the A/C or heat twice as much as I should because I can't open the windows without "enjoying" whatever activity my neighbors are doing that involve screaming on top of their lungs. Besides, I live in one of the top 10 most densely populated neighborhoods in the country, and then people want to add more. ::shrugs:: In my home country this was not an issue because people could respect each other, and rules were enforced. In that case, build as much as you want in my backyard.
- Grishnakh 10y ago
  >In my home country this was not an issue because people could respect each other, and rules were enforced. It sounds like you came from a nice, civilized country. Why then did you move to whatever 3rd-world hellhole you currently live in? It sounds like you'd be happier going back home.
  - shados 10y ago
    I did not know this when I originally moved, and now I managed to find a decent spot in the hellhole. When its harder to keep it nice than to move back, I will.

closeparen 10y ago

Uh, there are plenty of ways to get 400sqft or less living spaces in SF, just not as a freestanding structure (and tiny houses are kind of a waste when we could be building more tall stacks of several adjacent tiny apartments).

majormajor 10y ago

I lived in new, modern, fairly-well-layed-out 330sqft and 450sqft apartments for four years, and you know what? It was fine, but you definitely get tired of it. I will gladly pay more to get more space. Things that can quickly make this even more urgent: pets, relationships, children, certain hobbies, a social circle that enjoys private get-togethers, working from home, etc. I also find stuff makes me happier than experiences, so I realize I'm not representative of current fashionable lifestyles, but pretending everyone's the same or telling people "you shouldn't want that" isn't a practical policy solution. (Or let's talk about medicine. Can we grow new livers, kidneys, etc, yet? How about when can we do it cheaply enough to easily be able to afford one for everyone who needs one?)

justinator 10y ago
I also find stuff makes me happier than experiences, so I realize I'm not representative of current fashionable lifestyles, Current fashionable lifestyles? The idea of earthly possessions not being the source of true happiness (and really being the reason for suffering) is as old as at least Buddhism. If you want just an American source, we're still talking Thoreau, here.
- eloisant 10y ago
  It might be old but it's more trendy than it used to be. In the 80's it was considered normal to want to get a big house with a big backyard, big car, etc.
- rimantas 10y ago
  The idea may be old, that does not make it true.
  - Retric 10y ago
    It is backed up by scientific research. With the exception that stuff which enables you to do something has a lot of value, however your 5th car is almost meaningless in terms of happyness. What's easy to forget is advertising is designed to push past that minimal stuff threshold. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/04/10/5-reliable-findings-from-happiness-research/ http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/04/10/5-reliable-...

oldmanjay 10y ago

I'm sure the utopia of 400 sq ft filing cabinets will have us all looking back on these foolish times and wondering how we could be so blind.