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Yes population is declining, but everyone wants to live in the same small area. Take Japan for example, a declining population, with areas that have ghost town

Yes population is declining, but everyone wants to live in the same small area. Take Japan for example, a declining population, with areas that have ghost towns of houses with no people. Everybody wants to live in the high density areas.

deleted 4y ago
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II2II 4y ago
> Yes population is declining, but everyone wants to live in the same small area. Is it a case of everyone wanting to live in the same small area, or people wanting to live near the amenities? The former implies a small number of places supporting very high densities of people. The latter can be achieved with moderate densities. People like to claim that property values are high because we aren't making land anymore. Even though this is true in the literal sense, there is an incredible amount of land that can be recovered. As an example, my city is tearing down an interchange to recover several acres of land for residential and commercial use and to allow for non-car dependent modes of transportation for local residents. Reducing that car dependence is important not just because of space allocated to roads, but to reduce parking needs. More land freed up and development costs are decreased. Imagine that you built up more moderate density communities where the vast majority of a person's life can be lived in a 30 minute walking radius. Sure, some people will still drive, but it would be over shorter distances and for fewer trips. Would they choose really choose the very high densities and very high cost of a small number of neighbourhoods in a small number of cities over moderate density regions where they may actually have an opportunity to own their own home, even if the house is a bit smaller and the yard is a bit smaller?
Cthulhu_ 4y ago
> Yes population is declining, but everyone wants to live in the same small area. This is oversimplified; WHY would they want to live in the same small area? I'm no social scientist or anything, but from my point of view, people want to live where the well-paying or high-standing jobs are (think FAANG companies in SF), while the jobs move to the cities where the high-performing, skilled and motivated employees are. That's a self-reinforcing problem. Another one is that a percentage of people want to live in cool places, restaurants, culture, nightlife, social life, etc. Personally I'd rather live in the suburbs (currently doing so) or out in the countryside, away from people. That's the long term goal, but I need to pay off this house and save up first.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

II2II 4y ago

> Yes population is declining, but everyone wants to live in the same small area. Is it a case of everyone wanting to live in the same small area, or people wanting to live near the amenities? The former implies a small number of places supporting very high densities of people. The latter can be achieved with moderate densities. People like to claim that property values are high because we aren't making land anymore. Even though this is true in the literal sense, there is an incredible amount of land that can be recovered. As an example, my city is tearing down an interchange to recover several acres of land for residential and commercial use and to allow for non-car dependent modes of transportation for local residents. Reducing that car dependence is important not just because of space allocated to roads, but to reduce parking needs. More land freed up and development costs are decreased. Imagine that you built up more moderate density communities where the vast majority of a person's life can be lived in a 30 minute walking radius. Sure, some people will still drive, but it would be over shorter distances and for fewer trips. Would they choose really choose the very high densities and very high cost of a small number of neighbourhoods in a small number of cities over moderate density regions where they may actually have an opportunity to own their own home, even if the house is a bit smaller and the yard is a bit smaller?

Cthulhu_ 4y ago

> Yes population is declining, but everyone wants to live in the same small area. This is oversimplified; WHY would they want to live in the same small area? I'm no social scientist or anything, but from my point of view, people want to live where the well-paying or high-standing jobs are (think FAANG companies in SF), while the jobs move to the cities where the high-performing, skilled and motivated employees are. That's a self-reinforcing problem. Another one is that a percentage of people want to live in cool places, restaurants, culture, nightlife, social life, etc. Personally I'd rather live in the suburbs (currently doing so) or out in the countryside, away from people. That's the long term goal, but I need to pay off this house and save up first.