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Golf courses are a terrible way to preserve green space. We already have plenty of parks in Austin, many of which are partially in the floodplain and could not be built upon anyway.
Once it is built out I would expect it to perpetually be that way, not just for a hundred years or more. This is still a "better and higher" use by any economic gauge as it does not cater to a few enthusiasts and their special interest group. Instead it can serve the needs of the community on a much larger scale to thousands of residents and workers.
They may be a terrible way to preserve green spaces, true, but it's more green space than if it is built upon.
That Austin has "plenty" of parks is a) anecdotal, b) says nothing about the value of (as opposed to the quantity of) the parks in Austin, and c) may be true for Austin, but not necessarily elsewhere.
Would I prefer they be OSPs and trails? Yes, but, if the alternative is pavement and those terrible little trees that never provide any shade which are all the rage for developments now, in that case I'll take the golf course. If nothing else, it's nice to look at. Certainly better than looking at, say, a strip mall.
They may be a terrible way to preserve green spaces, true, but it's more green space than if it is built upon.
That Austin has "plenty" of parks is a) anecdotal, b) says nothing about the value of (as opposed to the quantity of) the parks in Austin, and c) may be true for Austin, but not necessarily elsewhere.
Would I prefer they be OSPs and trails? Yes, but, if the alternative is pavement and those terrible little trees that never provide any shade which are all the rage for developments now, in that case I'll take the golf course. If nothing else, it's nice to look at. Certainly better than looking at, say, a strip mall.
I don't know why so many people here think golf is some kind of niche hobby. Almost 10% of Americans play the game, which is actually pretty substantial for a leisure activity. It's a question of balance.
Ooooh, did I hurt your feelings? I'm sorry if you like one of the most mind numbing activities known to man.
Not everyone has the patience to enjoy golf. Hitting a little white ball with a big stick looks really easy, but boy is it hard! TBF, I find it very boring to watch.
In any event, no one is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to play. That doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer.
They may be a terrible way to preserve green spaces, true, but it's more green space than if it is built upon.
That Austin has "plenty" of parks is a) anecdotal, b) says nothing about the value of (as opposed to the quantity of) the parks in Austin, and c) may be true for Austin, but not necessarily elsewhere.
Would I prefer they be OSPs and trails? Yes, but, if the alternative is pavement and those terrible little trees that never provide any shade which are all the rage for developments now, in that case I'll take the golf course. If nothing else, it's nice to look at. Certainly better than looking at, say, a strip mall.
Not anecdotal at all. As far as acres of parkland as percentage of city area we are way above the median of 8.2% at 18%.
And of course golf courses are not even parks they just pretend to be as a means of greenwashing! You don't cut down huge swaths of tree in parks. You don't add tons of fertilizers and herbicides to make green lawns in parks. You don't waste acre-feet of water in parks because of course they are self-sustaining and fit the climate they inhabit.
I know my town way better than you do. People here are not clamoring for more parks. What they want are (1) traffic relief and (2) more affordable housing. The best way to create affordable housing is to supply more of it near employment centers. That should be priority number one, not recreation facilities for the minority of the population.
These are high-priced areas I'm talking about. If they do build a strip mall it will be a damn fine looking one with lots of customers.
Ooooh, did I hurt your feelings? I'm sorry if you like one of the most mind numbing activities known to man.
You think you hurt my feelings? Don't you have a community meeting to organize? Just shaking hands with the facts that a golf course is more green use than building soviet style high rises.
I don't know why so many people here think golf is some kind of niche hobby. Almost 10% of Americans play the game, which is actually pretty substantial for a leisure activity. It's a question of balance.
That's probably way more than actually play any other sport.
Quote:
Originally Posted by verybadgnome
Not anecdotal at all. As far as acres of parkland as percentage of city area we are way above the median of 8.2% at 18%.
And of course golf courses are not even parks they just pretend to be as a means of greenwashing! You don't cut down huge swaths of tree in parks. You don't add tons of fertilizers and herbicides to make green lawns in parks. You don't waste acre-feet of water in parks because of course they are self-sustaining and fit the climate they inhabit.
I know my town way better than you do. People here are not clamoring for more parks. What they want are (1) traffic relief and (2) more affordable housing. The best way to create affordable housing is to supply more of it near employment centers. That should be priority number one, not recreation facilities for the minority of the population.
These are high-priced areas I'm talking about. If they do build a strip mall it will be a damn fine looking one with lots of customers.
Have you been in parks in most cities these days? All of the bold happens, unless it's "open space" and even that is mowed, weeded and trimmed at times.
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