article: The Next Slum? (Austin, Victoria: apartments, to rent, big home)

[achtungpv]

The Next Slum?

[texastea]

Thanks for the article, achtungpv. Really interesting! Ever since I heard about it, I've wanted to buy in Leander's TOD when it gets started. Are there any other "suburban urban" areas planned for the Austin metro area?

[twange]

Good article and not too surprising really. Cities have been crucial to civilization as long as humans have formed societies. I think it's only a matter of time until natural resources and population ballooning will cause a reversal in migratory tendencies. Of course in many cities, those times are already here.

That article reminded me of all the amazing old neighborhoods in my hometown of Cleveland...beautiful tree-lined streets just outside of downtown, filled with spectacular Victorian homes, old mixed-use buildings and parks. All were abandoned or torn down in the 60s when white flight hit the city and everyone split for the 'burbs. Most of those neighborhoods are totally ruined. There was a beautiful "Millionaire's Row" where all of the VERY wealthy lived, including John D. Rockefeller(founder of the Standard Oil Company). All of the mansions were torn down except for eight. Cleveland State University uses one of them for administrative offices

The pendulum always swings the other way.

"As above, so below"...

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by texastea

Thanks for the article, achtungpv. Really interesting! Ever since I heard about it, I've wanted to buy in Leander's TOD when it gets started. Are there any other "suburban urban" areas planned for the Austin metro area?

I would lean more towards crestview station. there will be this kind of development around every train station

[achtungpv]

I had read another article maybe 6 months ago where migrant workers were renting out 3 year old Toll Brothers McMansions...6-10 staying in 5-7 bedroom monstrosities since it was far cheaper to pool their money than to rent multiple apartments. I can't remember the city though.

[achtungpv]

I've always wondered if some of the dying rust belt cities will be poised for a comeback once people wake up to the fact that cities built around the automobile are not sustainable. A lot of these cities have the infrastructure to be walkable and public transportation friendly. Throw in some global warming to make the winters a bit milder and who knows.

However, every single one of them missed the boat when manufacturing died so I doubt any will have the vision to take advantage.

[TexasHorseLady]

Interesting article. Don't know how quickly this will come about in Texas, given our wide open spaces, but I am seeing such developments as Goodwater and others being planned/built to meet this need.

There are also older neighborhoods that fit this need not by design, but by the way they grew. Our house in town, that we still own, on the edge of Barton Hills, for example, is walking distance to restaurants, shopping, a long walk to Central Market but possible, easy walk to Sun Harvest, movie theaters, doctor's offices - all the amenities for a pleasant life. It just sort of happened.

Myself, currently living on a ranch, and having lived in the city, I don't know if I could live so cheek to jowl with other people again, but I do see the attraction. Fortunately, we have choices.

[austin-steve]

This article illustrates one of the points that I personally try to drive home to buyers - buy as close in to Austin as you can afford.

Starter home areas 15 miles away from the core are risky. Not that they can't work out, but often they are the first areas to see rough times if the market shifts.

The article also pegged my wife and I perfectly. We have the big home on acreage in Oak Hill, but wistfully recall our younger days in Travis Heights. When we become empty nesters, we'll be back downtown again - if we can afford it.

[love roses]

But what about the fact that some of these towns 15 miles away from the core already have town centers, many of them with businesses in them? And with employers very nearby?

[TexasHorseLady]

Yeah, that is the rub, isn't it, being able to afford it? That's one reason we've held on to our house in Barton Hills, which is plenty close enough in if it should become necessary to move back to the city and, unlike many city neighborhoods, walking distance to everything. Where close in can be as important as anything else - if you're living right downtown, you're pretty much restricted to Whole Foods and such for grocery shopping. Crestview, West Lynn, Barton Hills, and the like are some of the more livable choices if your primary choice for transportation is foot or bicycle.

However, there are little towns on the outskirts that offer the same kind of "everything close" amenities, if city living is not your style.