3 ms·
Not OP but: - incredibly expensive - political gridlock preventing the city and region from taking action on common sense livability issues like: - housin
by eastbayjake 7y ago
Not OP but:
- incredibly expensive
- political gridlock preventing the city and region from taking action on common sense livability issues like:
- housing supply and affordability
- homelessness
- drug abuse
- transportation
- sanitation (see: "San Francisco Poop Heatmap")
- persistent drought and wildfires
All of the above create a city with a transient population that can only afford to stick around for a few years, which leads everyone to treat the city as a temporary playground.
I made a lot of fond memories of San Francisco, but it's always been a gold rush town: young men come seeking fortune and adventure, but they tend to leave a few years later with their pockets empty... if they're lucky, perhaps a little wiser for the wear.
- asdff 7y agoWhat is Seattle doing differently than SF in these issues, other than the lack of wildfires?
- RickS 7y agoI'm guessing I'm who you meant to reply to, since I'm the one that mentioned Seattle. What we're doing differently: * Building way more. We had (have?) the most cranes per capita of any US city, and price inflation noticeably slowed – flatlining at times – in response to increased housing availability. * Building taller: in addition to more development overall, I see more multi-story construction here, anecdotally. * Investing and policing transit more aggressively. The light rail is much newer and better maintained than BART. Both trains and stations have officers on regular rotation. Stations are clean, and fare enforcement is a thing sometimes. Seattle's major stations (Westlake, Capitol Hill) feel nothing like their SF equivalents (Powell, Mission). * The harsher climate isn't a thing we're "doing", but it likely makes Seattle a less desirable destination than SF for the chronically homeless, so it feels dishonest not to mention it as a factor. This isn't to say that we're free from these issues – our problems differ in degree, but not in kind. But that change in degree has a palpable impact on everyday life. Namely: * It is possible (albeit expensive) for non-millionaires to purchase a home and raise a family here * Traveling around the city on foot and via public transit is fairly pleasant outside (outside of rush hour)
- mixmastamyk 7y agoThanks. How is WA handling mental illness compared to CA, which dumps them in the street?
- dragonwriter 7y agoNot being a tiny peninsula that's also the central urban core of an area with close to 8 million people?
- mixmastamyk 7y agoSeattle has even more waterways than the Bay Area.