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No you actually do not. My neighborhood is an old late 19th century suburb that slowly urbanized and is now "downtown". A lot of the original housing is still t
by anon291 3y ago
No you actually do not. My neighborhood is an old late 19th century suburb that slowly urbanized and is now "downtown". A lot of the original housing is still there but now converted to an office building or restaurant with a facade. The only thing stopping this in many modern American suburbs are useless zoning codes.
When you mention allowing businesses in subdivisions people act as if you're suggesting a McDonald's and a Walmart instead of a local breakfast shop and cafe and a small salon and a cute general store. But that's really all thats necessary. It takes just a tiny bit to turn a house into a suitable business.
- Tade0 3y ago> as if you're suggesting a McDonald's and a Walmart instead of a local breakfast shop and cafe and a small salon and a cute general store I'd take the McDonald's and Walmart any day over the rest. In fact, I have a McDonald's and several supermarkets(including discount stores) within walking distance. In your vicinity you'd want to have your basic necessities, not businesses catering to those who can afford to buy their breakfast and/or coffee every day.
- ClumsyPilot 3y ago> not businesses catering to those who can afford to buy their breakfast and/or coffee every day. Thats literally what McDonalds is??
- Tade0 3y agoThat's a cultural difference I guess. Around here it's where teenagers congregate as their first stop when hanging out. I mean, there's even a haircut named after this phenomenon (the "meet me at McDonald's").
- ClumsyPilot 3y agoI understand that, but I am not sure we should discriminate based on the class of the customer base.
- bandyaboot 3y agoThe existence of a local cafe doesn’t require that everyone go there every day.
- onlyrealcuzzo 3y agoIt also doesn't require that eating there is prohibitively expensive.
- Tade0 3y agoMy point is that the tone of that comment suggests that the mentioned businesses are (or should be) somehow more desirable than a Walmart, when the converse is true. Chiefly, they're not essential and do nothing for those who can't afford to eat out or will go there once a month maybe because they're at work when it's open. A large supermarket with the scale and logistics to offer low prices and long opening hours serves the population at large, not just the affluent. And that's the first thing what you want in a thriving city, otherwise you're just making a theme park.
- bandyaboot 3y agoWouldn’t you need zoning codes to ensure you don’t end up with a McDonald’s or a seven eleven in your neighborhood?
- frumper 3y agoIt sounds like they're ok with that.
- giantrobot 3y ago> A lot of the original housing is still there but now converted to an office building or restaurant with a facade. If you convert a bunch of detached SFHs to office and retail space...you've effectively demolished that housing. You've also now created low density commercial space which has the same space inefficiency as low density housing. Just because a converted SFH makes a business "cute" doesn't mean the space is being better used.
- anon291 3y agoThe homes near me that have been converted can contain at least a half dozen businesses.