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100 years ago, NYC already had 20-story buildings. Cities built longer ago tend to sprawl LESS because most people got around most of the time on foot. Most of

100 years ago, NYC already had 20-story buildings. Cities built longer ago tend to sprawl LESS because most people got around most of the time on foot. Most of LA (by square mileage) was built up since the 1950s (later than the Empire State Building). There’s no reason except political will that it couldn’t have been built in clusters of 2-4 story multi-family units within walking distance of transit.

DoreenMichele 8y ago
You say that like political will is merely a matter of wanting it bad enough. I don't think that's true. As a college student, I wrote an alternate commuter rail plan for Solano County around 15 years ago. It was based on GIS and research and lacked the politicking that strongly influenced the existing rail plan. I was told gas would need to be $4/gallon before the stations would be built. I was sick and going through a divorce and had been a homemaker for 2 decades. I have no political connections and no political know how. Some months ago, I tried briefly to figure out how to promote that plan. It basically went nowhere. The first rail station had its grand opening in April. I believe this increases the odds that Travis AFB will finally leave California like the federal government has threatened for years. The worst of the three stations has yet to be built. I updated the website yesterday and stuck a link in my HN profile. That's probably as far as it will go. I'm no longer in California. I'm still struggling to solve my own problems. The rail plan research I did is dead in the water. I wish I had the know how. I wish I had the right connections. I wish people took me more seriously than they do. I wish I had to be time and energy to pour into figuring this out. I don't. I have to get on with my life and none of that fits into my schedule. I've tried. It went nowhere. Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by entropy.
munificent 8y ago
> 100 years ago, NYC already had 20-story buildings. Well, it was also land-locked and not earthquake prone. Should we be surprised that different incentives produce different outcomes?

DoreenMichele 8y ago

You say that like political will is merely a matter of wanting it bad enough. I don't think that's true. As a college student, I wrote an alternate commuter rail plan for Solano County around 15 years ago. It was based on GIS and research and lacked the politicking that strongly influenced the existing rail plan. I was told gas would need to be $4/gallon before the stations would be built. I was sick and going through a divorce and had been a homemaker for 2 decades. I have no political connections and no political know how. Some months ago, I tried briefly to figure out how to promote that plan. It basically went nowhere. The first rail station had its grand opening in April. I believe this increases the odds that Travis AFB will finally leave California like the federal government has threatened for years. The worst of the three stations has yet to be built. I updated the website yesterday and stuck a link in my HN profile. That's probably as far as it will go. I'm no longer in California. I'm still struggling to solve my own problems. The rail plan research I did is dead in the water. I wish I had the know how. I wish I had the right connections. I wish people took me more seriously than they do. I wish I had to be time and energy to pour into figuring this out. I don't. I have to get on with my life and none of that fits into my schedule. I've tried. It went nowhere. Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by entropy.

munificent 8y ago

> 100 years ago, NYC already had 20-story buildings. Well, it was also land-locked and not earthquake prone. Should we be surprised that different incentives produce different outcomes?