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Let me say this, I admit that I probably overestimated the amount of posters who have disdain for the suburbs. I have read other threads on this forum where it seems like people just have such disdain for the suburbs and urban living is so much better. I felt I wanted to debate some of the flaws that the city has, and you can defend your position. If you acknowledge that the suburbs can be a good place to live and you understand that the city has its issues, just like the subuurbs do, than my thread really is probably irrelevant you.
Let me say this, I admit that I probably overestimated the amount of posters who have disdain for the suburbs. I have read other threads on this forum where it seems like people just have such disdain for the suburbs and urban living is so much better. I felt I wanted to debate some of the flaws that the city has, and you can defend your position. If you acknowledge that the suburbs can be a good place to live and you understand that the city has its issues, just like the subuurbs do, than my thread really is probably irrelevant you.
There are a lot of posters who disdain stereotypical suburban living. There are probably even a few unreasonable people who claim that suburban living is bad for everyone WITH NO EXCEPTIONS. The vast majority of urbanites, even on City-Data, however, are not unreasonable. We acknowledge that while we prefer urban living (be it in the actual central city or in an urban suburb), and we advocate it for others, it does not make sense for everyone. The best form of advocacy is not posting on city-data that "cities RULE, suburbs drool!!!", but working in the real world to improve the very real flaws of urban environments, so that urban living becomes more appealing for more people. Even so, there will always be some percentage of people who either by choice or compulsion, will live in non-urban environments.
I'd like to sign up to be berated by nighttrain55 for trying to defend city schools. Am I too late?
I don't want to berate anyone. I just wanted anti-suburban fanatics to defend the urban lifestyle IF the suburban schools are better than the city schools. If you acknowledge that the surburban lifestyle is beneficial to some people and not others, than there is nothing to debate. I'm just using the suburban school vs. city school to make a larger point that the suburbs are good place to live. It just seemed that people on the Urban Planning forum have such disdain for the suburbs, that I wanted to defend the suburbs. From the responses I'm getting, I overestimated the amount of people who have a disdain for the suburbs. I realize that there are city schools that better than suburban schools.
I don't want to berate anyone. I just wanted anti-suburban fanatics to defend the urban lifestyle IF the suburban schools are better than the city schools. If you acknowledge that the surburban lifestyle is beneficial to some people and not others, than there is nothing to debate. I'm just using the suburban school vs. city school to make a larger point that the suburbs are good place to live. It just seemed that people on the Urban Planning forum have such disdain for the suburbs, that I wanted to defend the suburbs. From the responses I'm getting, I overestimated the amount of people who have a disdain for the suburbs. I realize that there are city schools that better than suburban schools.
You're looking for "anti-suburban fanatics?" Would you accept just regular people who chose to live in the city for other reasons? Are you interested in their input, too?
There are a lot of posters who disdain stereotypical suburban living. There are probably even a few unreasonable people who claim that suburban living is bad for everyone WITH NO EXCEPTIONS.
There sure are. Over the time that this forum has been in existence, and even before when it was part of "General US", people have bashed suburbanites up one side and down the other. They complain about their unhappy childhoods in the burbs, as if that would have been different in the city. They complain that we suburbanites have no "sense of community" even though we show otherwise. They complain that our lifestyle is bringing on the end of life as we know it. We're a drain on society. We leech off the public taxrolls, for you see, somehow, our streets, highways, and water projects are funded by the feds, while those in the city are funded by city taxes. And other such nonsense. Some of the same people continue over and over again to bring up the same points, as if saying it often enough will make it true, e.g. the above.
You're looking for "anti-suburban fanatics?" Would you accept just regular people who chose to live in the city for other reasons? Are you interested in their input, too?
I understand that people like to live in the city for various reasons. I can accept that. I live in the city right now, so I definitely see why the city is appealing to people. My original post was meant to spark a debate with people who are completely anti-suburbs, and come onto urban planning forums and talk about why the suburbs are so awful. I overestimated that there were more anti-suburban people than there actually is. I believe there are plenty of schools in the urban school that are miles better than suburban schools. I just get annoyed when I see threads and people try hate on the suburbs and try to paint ALL suburbs has this awful place to live.
There sure are. Over the time that this forum has been in existence, and even before when it was part of "General US", people have bashed suburbanites up one side and down the other. They complain about their unhappy childhoods in the burbs, as if that would have been different in the city. They complain that we suburbanites have no "sense of community" even though we show otherwise. They complain that our lifestyle is bringing on the end of life as we know it. We're a drain on society. We leech off the public taxrolls, for you see, somehow, our streets, highways, and water projects are funded by the feds, while those in the city are funded by city taxes. And other such nonsense. Some of the same people continue over and over again to bring up the same points, as if saying it often enough will make it true, e.g. the above.
It would be wonderful if one of these persons - since the people you describe are the only ones Nighttrain is interested in hearing - would respond to the OP's argument so we could move along with the thread.
There sure are. Over the time that this forum has been in existence, and even before when it was part of "General US", people have bashed suburbanites up one side and down the other. They complain about their unhappy childhoods in the burbs, as if that would have been different in the city. They complain that we suburbanites have no "sense of community" even though we show otherwise. They complain that our lifestyle is bringing on the end of life as we know it. We're a drain on society. We leech off the public taxrolls, for you see, somehow, our streets, highways, and water projects are funded by the feds, while those in the city are funded by city taxes. And other such nonsense. Some of the same people continue over and over again to bring up the same points, as if saying it often enough will make it true, e.g. the above.
I never really felt that the suburbs vs cities arguments had much to do with the people who were specifically in them. At worst, it was a "this is how suburban communities work" rather than suburbanites are doing X wrong. To me, the suburbs vs cities arguments were always an issue of how neighborhoods should be built and designed. Like, when I saw some places, I think "I wished this area was built differently".
Unless you actually know the person, it's hard to judge whether their statement of an unhappy childhood in the burbs is legitimate. People can tell what they did and didn't like about in their childhood. You can't really call someone else's experience "wrong".
Last edited by nei; 12-07-2011 at 12:10 PM..
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