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^ I don't know anyone from washington that ever called dc "crack smoke city". Wealthy, educated people and more money than it can spend have always been in dc, not just the suburbs, so nothing new has been revealed there. With all the neo-colonizers, so comes a whole rack of needy foreigners with them.
^ I don't know anyone from washington that ever called dc "crack smoke city". Wealthy, educated people and more money than it can spend have always been in dc, not just the suburbs, so nothing new has been revealed there. With all the neo-colonizers, so comes a whole rack of needy foreigners with them.
If "nothing new" has been revealed here, then why do you and some others constantly complain about gentrification?
There is only one way to keep DC or any other city in the nation affordable. You have to increase density across the city enough through the comprehensive plan so enough market rate housing is built that, through inclusionary zoning, enough mandated affordable housing is built. The free market will never built or sustain affordable housing. It has to be mandated through policy and financed through market rate housing. Those are the laws of economics and supply and demand.
Yea, it's quite paradoxical and hypocritical in my opinion. I moved here two years and have been disappointed ever since. DC has a high rate of homelessness (as most urban cities in the U.S.) and one of the highest levels of income inequalities in the U.S. In fact, many locals in DC (born and raised) aren't able to realize as many of the job opportunities here. It's a lot of transplants with higher degrees and qualifications who snag the jobs, making it difficult for locals to compete. But, as you mentioned, the irony that the nation's capital full of highly educated and overpaid policy professionals can't fix it's own problems is a greater reflection on the U.S. as a whole. In terms of restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, it's sub-par compared to other U.S. cities. There's has been a lot of development over the past decade, making DC more attractive. But, the consequence is an even higher cost of living. I would say don't come with high expectations. Lol! Just enjoy the museums and monuments! That's the best part of DC if visiting.
There is only one way to keep DC or any other city in the nation affordable. You have to increase density across the city enough through the comprehensive plan so enough market rate housing is built that, through inclusionary zoning, enough mandated affordable housing is built. The free market will never built or sustain affordable housing. It has to be mandated through policy and financed through market rate housing. Those are the laws of economics and supply and demand.
How do you do that when there's no open space to develop? Start tearing down DC's iconic 100 year old Victorian row houses and replace them with high-rise yuppie condos? Good luck with that.
I've been in DC for almost 20 days. This is not my first visit, I visited before as a tourist for a couple days.
Here are some points I have noticed:
1- There are homeless people near Walmart and some parts of the city, I saw the homeless center. I mean this is the nation's capital. Why don't the federal government help people in need to get up and live a decent life?
2- In every country, the capital is considered the top place, as It offers many international restaurants and shopping centers. In DC, there are some but not suitable for a real capital.
3- I have been to target. Although I did not feel safe at the area there.
4- The most prestigious places are: The national mall all the way with Washington Monument and the White House and Georgetown University neighborhood ( where M street is and the embassies row).
5- DC nights are quiet. I believe many people live in Maryland and Virginia and commute to downtown DC.
I think this place deserves to be better, although many taxi drivers I spoke with while doing my communing told me DC got much better during the last 15 years.
What's the secret?
1. The United States isn't an 'equality' type of country, like many European nations. It is very much a competitive, dog-eat-dog place, and continues to be that way. The recent election only proves that more. You'll see tons of homeless throughout the United States, in every city. You'll also see a ton of inequality, crime, poverty, etc. I think the U.S. is well-known throughout the world for that, so I'm a bit surprised you expected something different.
2. DC is not considered the top place. I think you are projecting your own country to this one. I'm sure you are are of New York City, generally considered the top place....or competitively with Los Angeles at least. The United States is a very large country with a lot of cities. You can't assume that because your capital city in your country is the top place, that it applies to every country.
Ah...I think in general, you are assuming the U.S. to be your home country, but you are in a different country now.
To understand a place, I think it's helpful to come from somewhere else to have a means of comparison. I've lived in DC for 20 years now (coming from Pittsburgh) and, no, I won't ever consider myself a Washingtonian. My assessment of DC is:
1. It has three primary cultural groups that live near each other but almost in different worlds -- wealthy whites, poor blacks and Latinos. I'm not sure anything really unites these groups and makes them feel like Washingtonians.
2. Due to the previous point, it lacks a unifying sense of self beyond being the nation's capital. For African-Americans, the city's history seems to begin around the 1950s and center on the Civil Rights movement. There isn't much talk about things that came before then. And I'm not sure how deep of a connection DC's white community feels to Black Broadway, go-go, and the Caribbean Festival. Conversely, I don't know how interested DC's African-Americans are in Boss Shepherd or Samuel Gompers.
3. There is a weird divide between DC, Virginia and Maryland that also seems caught up in race, class and religion. It just adds to the divisions which make it difficult to have a shared sense of history and culture. This gets to the whole "Is DC north or south?" issue. DC doesn't know what it is.
4. There is an obsession with gentrification which is viewed as a stark black versus white thing, even though gentrifiers can be black. And the discussion is also carried on in code with gentrifiers = whites and long-time residents = blacks. Do they use these codes in other cities?
5. "Washingtonians" tend to ask about each other's work, because many of us came here for work, and it's our only real connection to the place and each other.
6. The food scene here is good, but it lacks a sense of history and depth. There's an upside to things being shiny and new, but there's a downside, too. In fact, that's how I feel when I walk up and down 14th street. It's packed with attractive and well-dressed 20 and 30-somethings, which makes it feel trendy but also a bit soulless. Europe is nice, because its cities are filled with families walking around together and participating in traditions that go back hundreds of years. DC seems either shiny/new/suburban or shooty-stabby. It's easy to be ambivalent about the first and negative towards the second.
4. There is an obsession with gentrification which is viewed as a stark black versus white thing, even though gentrifiers can be black. And the discussion is also carried on in code with gentrifiers = whites and long-time residents = blacks. Do they use these codes in other cities?
With all due respect, I think anyone who asks such a question must be living under a rock.
Or, must not know very much about the racial dynamics common to American cities. There is an obvious pattern.
With all due respect, I think anyone who asks such a question must be living under a rock.
Or, must not know very much about the racial dynamics common to American cities. There is an obvious pattern.
I'm not saying the dynamic is purely unique, but the level of attention that's given to it and the way it's described can be. I'm not saying this is good or bad.
For example, I'm skeptical that every American city grappling with the issue uses the term "long-time resident" to mean African-Americans.
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