10 ms·
This is by far the most comprehensive overview of the Bay Area's messed up development priorities I've seen in one place. Kim-Mai Cutler does a great job string
by 100k 13y ago
This is by far the most comprehensive overview of the Bay Area's messed up development priorities I've seen in one place. Kim-Mai Cutler does a great job stringing all the threads of the housing crisis together.
I don't think San Francisco can build its way out of outrageous rents alone. The other cities in the Bay Area need to step up and provide the type of urban housing close to transit that people want. No more surface parking lots next to train stations.
- bcantrill 13y agoAgreed -- an amazingly good piece. I doubt that many will actually read all of it, but if you're curious about why San Francisco is in the state it's in, Kim-Mai Cutler gives you no excuses for not educating yourself. Also, for those that believe there is no alternative: the East Bay remains the best kept secret in San Francisco. When we moved here from the City for schools, we were braced for a let-down -- but having been here for six years, we know now that we will never return to the City, even when the kids are grown and gone...
- hyperbovine 13y agoSssh. The last thing we need is the SV army marching over here and ruining our half-priced rent, real cultural/economic diversity, better food/weather/everything, etc. Sssh.
- bcantrill 13y agoCrap -- you're right; sorry. Never mind, everyone! It's terrible over here -- crime is even worse than they say (I'm writing this while being carjacked), the cities can't function (two Occupy protestors have been camped on my front lawn since last year, and 911 redirects me to a recording), and the commutes are horrific (I have started working the graveyard shift just to avoid traffic). So save yourselves -- stay in the West Bay!
- dasil003 13y agoToo late you selfish bastards. I'll see you in January!
- eli_gottlieb 13y ago>two Occupy protestors have been camped on my front lawn since last year Oh, brilliant, I'll be right over! WE ARE THE 99%! ARISE YE WORKERS FROM YOUR SLUMBER!
- smsm42 13y agoHow SV army could ruin the weather?
- sliverstorm 13y agoI thought the riots & protests were specifically about Googlers moving to the East Bay.
- throwaway092834 13y agoThat would be limited to west oakland which has always been extremely politically insular (tied up in racism and racial politics from last century). The east bay at large, especially the suburbs, is quite welcoming to tech and success.
- raldi 13y agoPlease don't capitalize "city" when referring to SF. To smaller cities it looks pompous, and to bigger cities, laughable.
- JoeAltmaier 13y agoThat goes way back - I understand that Istanbul is a corruption of 'to the city'. SO once upon a time road signs in Turkey just said 'to the city'.
- raldi 13y agoAnd yet the residents of Istanbul (and New York, London, Tokyo, Paris...) don't go around thumping their chests with superfluous capitalization of the word "city".
- lttlrck 13y agoThe City of London is such a place. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London
- akgerber 13y agoReferring to Manhattan as 'the city' is very common: http://gothamist.com/2012/05/21/do_you_refer_to_manhattan_as_the_ci.php http://gothamist.com/2012/05/21/do_you_refer_to_manhattan_as... Whether it's capitalized is just a matter of taste, as seen in the comments.
- JoeAltmaier 13y agoUh, said road signs? That was them, calling Constantinople 'the City'.
- binarycrusader 13y agoHaving only lived in the SF Bay Area for a few years now, everyone I know that lives in the SF Bay Area refers to San Francisco simply as "the city". They say things like "I went to the city this weekend", etc. So while I agree with the silly capitalisation, I also think it's a losing battle. It's also not a behaviour unique to the SF Bay Area; when I lived in a fairly rural area (pop. < 10K spread over quite a few miles), the largest city nearby was often referred to as "the city" by everyone that lived outside the largest nearby city (which was Kansas City where I lived).
- anigbrowl 13y agoYeah, best article I've ever seen on TechCrunch by a mile.
- spikels 13y agoAgreed - great reporting. Well researched, objective articles like this are very rare even on subjects as fascinating as this. Surprised to see it in Techcrunch - seems more like something you'd find in the New Yorker.
- sAuronas 13y agoThe solution won't come from the region (i.e., more Bart station apartments in Dublin will not solve The SF problem). Now Oakland...that's a different story since the Bart ride between the two downtowns is a mere 12 mins or so. Now if only Oakland can solve its historic racism and negative perception problems and, therefore, get projects funded by the banks [pause for bankers' cough]. Not to get (more) political...but prop 13 makes all that NIMYBYism possible (and economically feasible when they sue to hold up projects). Oh and it encourages people to keep their homes even when they don't live there and rent them out because rents are rising faster than the property taxes. Just saying
- 100k 13y agoBART apartments in Dublin aren't replacements for apartments in San Francisco, but they would help workers get to work quicker, blunting displacement issues (Imagine riding the bus three hours a day for a $10/hour job.) However, a vibrant downtown Mountain View with transit-oriented development at the Caltrain stop would be a good replacement for at least some of the tech industry people who commute down from SF now. But that train station is a parking lot.