4 ms·

What have we been doing? As far as I can tell, at least in the Bay Area, we have so many NIMBYs blocking everything that we’re practically doing nothing. There

What have we been doing? As far as I can tell, at least in the Bay Area, we have so many NIMBYs blocking everything that we’re practically doing nothing. There is not enough empathy for those who are struggling.

achenet 3y ago
[flagged]
- happytoexplain 3y ago
  There are many people who are not comically wealthy San Franciscans, who have worked their whole lives to live in middle-class communities across America that are being ruined by a sudden focus on density instead of building outward, driven by landowners who "don't give a shit about the people of <insert community name here>" (actual quote from personal experience), enabled by laws and policies that have noble goals but were written in an unthoughtful, easily-exploited way and put in place by partisan bodies. I'm not trying to downplay the complexity of the situation - I'm just saying that you alienate more people than you think with this common format of sarcastic hatred based on the extreme example of the bay area.
  - achenet 3y ago
    thanks for pointing that out ^_^ I would like to say that, having lived in a city that built very outwards (Houston, Texas), and several denser cities (most notably Paris, France which is very dense), I prefer the quality of life in dense spaces. Being too spread out means that you have massive commutes to be able to get anywhere. Being built up means you can do everything on foot.
coding123 3y ago
In CA you can literally build a house in a backyard now with a max wait of 60 days for approval. No one can literally stop it.
- plasticchris 3y ago
  Yeah, just watch out for things like water permits.
- hattmall 3y ago
  Not even the homeowner?
- bluejekyll 3y ago
  That is an ADU, and it’s not like that’s free. People need capital. The things that people are blocking are larger building projects. ADUs won’t fix the problem, but I guess it’s something.

achenet 3y ago

[flagged]

happytoexplain 3y ago
There are many people who are not comically wealthy San Franciscans, who have worked their whole lives to live in middle-class communities across America that are being ruined by a sudden focus on density instead of building outward, driven by landowners who "don't give a shit about the people of <insert community name here>" (actual quote from personal experience), enabled by laws and policies that have noble goals but were written in an unthoughtful, easily-exploited way and put in place by partisan bodies. I'm not trying to downplay the complexity of the situation - I'm just saying that you alienate more people than you think with this common format of sarcastic hatred based on the extreme example of the bay area.
- achenet 3y ago
  thanks for pointing that out ^_^ I would like to say that, having lived in a city that built very outwards (Houston, Texas), and several denser cities (most notably Paris, France which is very dense), I prefer the quality of life in dense spaces. Being too spread out means that you have massive commutes to be able to get anywhere. Being built up means you can do everything on foot.

coding123 3y ago

In CA you can literally build a house in a backyard now with a max wait of 60 days for approval. No one can literally stop it.

plasticchris 3y ago
Yeah, just watch out for things like water permits.
hattmall 3y ago
Not even the homeowner?
bluejekyll 3y ago
That is an ADU, and it’s not like that’s free. People need capital. The things that people are blocking are larger building projects. ADUs won’t fix the problem, but I guess it’s something.