7 ms·

This is precisely why the USA need to get on the HST gravy train. Fast, reliable trains provide a way for people who cannot afford living in the more densely po

This is precisely why the USA need to get on the HST gravy train. Fast, reliable trains provide a way for people who cannot afford living in the more densely populated area (or don't want to) a way to live in a huge house with a yard and a pool 100 miles from said populated area. You then have an hour long commute every day (door to door), which is quite long, sure, but bearable.

wbl 9y ago
The valley is not densely populated. It has acres of luxury zoned single family housing.
- akgerber 9y ago
  Neighboring Atherton has a land use goal of 'preserv[ing] the Town's character as a scenic, rural, thickly wooded residential area with abundant open space.'
  - sokoloff 9y ago
    Should the residents of the town of Atherton be able to vote and enact policies on how Atherton should evolve? I think they should.
    - wbl 9y ago
      When every city in the bay thinks that way we get a situation where only the lucky get to live here.
      - Danihan 9y ago
        And that's a bad thing why? Why shouldn't there be nice, exclusive areas to live in, just like there are exclusive schools to attend and exclusive companies to work for?
        wbl 9y ago
        It's one thing to have Central Park West. It's another to have an entire region whose service workers commute from 3 hours away, whose public schools are off-limits to the poor, whose landlords got rich off of others labor. I see we welcome immigrants sign on the homes of people who have driven out anyone making less then $100,000 a year. It's shocking to see so many want to slam the doors of opportunity and a better life in the face of the less fortunate. Go have your enclave, but don't ask the state to help pay for your schools, roads, and pension costs while higher education support is massively cut.
        Danihan 9y ago
        >I see we welcome immigrants sign on the homes of people who have driven out anyone making less then $100,000 a year. That is why so many working class people see "big city" liberals as hypocrites. >but don't ask the state to help pay for your schools, roads, and pension costs while higher education support is massively cut. I'm not seeing the connection here.
        wbl 9y ago
        Yes, Berkeley residents who downzone are hypocrits. That's the point I'm making. As for money if you live in CA you would know the UC system faces funding challenges while millions from the state to fund road maintenence in Marin and Atherton.
        akgerber 9y ago
        Because it's unjust, as these 'nice, exclusive areas' are the ones with the best access to employment and educational opportunities. And it creates an urban form that induces long, high-emission solo driver commutes and fewer residents in a part of the country that requires very little HVAC— both of which lead to a lot of climate change. And it maintains a segregated society, racially and otherwise, where the wealthy may ignore social problems. And it's likely a significant drag on American GDP. So, for all these reasons— it is an abuse of the a local government's police power to make it illegal to build apartment buildings.
ffumarola 9y ago
It's an hour door-to-door from Menlo Park/Palo Alto to SOMA using Caltrain. People do that every single day. So a 1 hour door to door commute that extends the radius to 100 miles would be phenomenal in terms of opening up supply.

wbl 9y ago

The valley is not densely populated. It has acres of luxury zoned single family housing.

akgerber 9y ago
Neighboring Atherton has a land use goal of 'preserv[ing] the Town's character as a scenic, rural, thickly wooded residential area with abundant open space.'
- sokoloff 9y ago
  Should the residents of the town of Atherton be able to vote and enact policies on how Atherton should evolve? I think they should.
  - wbl 9y ago
    When every city in the bay thinks that way we get a situation where only the lucky get to live here.
    - Danihan 9y ago
      And that's a bad thing why? Why shouldn't there be nice, exclusive areas to live in, just like there are exclusive schools to attend and exclusive companies to work for?
      - wbl 9y ago
        It's one thing to have Central Park West. It's another to have an entire region whose service workers commute from 3 hours away, whose public schools are off-limits to the poor, whose landlords got rich off of others labor. I see we welcome immigrants sign on the homes of people who have driven out anyone making less then $100,000 a year. It's shocking to see so many want to slam the doors of opportunity and a better life in the face of the less fortunate. Go have your enclave, but don't ask the state to help pay for your schools, roads, and pension costs while higher education support is massively cut.
        Danihan 9y ago
        >I see we welcome immigrants sign on the homes of people who have driven out anyone making less then $100,000 a year. That is why so many working class people see "big city" liberals as hypocrites. >but don't ask the state to help pay for your schools, roads, and pension costs while higher education support is massively cut. I'm not seeing the connection here.
        wbl 9y ago
        Yes, Berkeley residents who downzone are hypocrits. That's the point I'm making. As for money if you live in CA you would know the UC system faces funding challenges while millions from the state to fund road maintenence in Marin and Atherton.
      - akgerber 9y ago
        Because it's unjust, as these 'nice, exclusive areas' are the ones with the best access to employment and educational opportunities. And it creates an urban form that induces long, high-emission solo driver commutes and fewer residents in a part of the country that requires very little HVAC— both of which lead to a lot of climate change. And it maintains a segregated society, racially and otherwise, where the wealthy may ignore social problems. And it's likely a significant drag on American GDP. So, for all these reasons— it is an abuse of the a local government's police power to make it illegal to build apartment buildings.

ffumarola 9y ago

It's an hour door-to-door from Menlo Park/Palo Alto to SOMA using Caltrain. People do that every single day. So a 1 hour door to door commute that extends the radius to 100 miles would be phenomenal in terms of opening up supply.