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I live right outside of Syracuse - for the past 6 years - and yes Syracuse gets a lot of snow in the winter, but they clear it fast and life goes on. It's not that bad. In fact, it's better here with 2 feet of snow than in Washington DC with 2 inches of snow.
Syracuse's problem is jobs (economy). Yes, people get around by car. Many people prefer driving to public transport. It's not like driving in NYC - no rush hour, no hyper-aggressive drivers. Commute is easy. I like the NYC subway system, but not everyone does. Let's not overstate the case.
As for LA's foreclosure rate quadruppling, it was very low before because prices were increasing at a fast clip. A 5% foreclosure rate is hardly the great depression. $5 billion in "losses" - you mean paper losses from the inflated highs in the market, I assume? This is all pretty silly. Again, the sky is not falling. The world is not ending. Oil supplies are not running out tomorrow. Our lives are not going to change dramatically overnight.
I live right outside of Syracuse - for the past 6 years - and yes Syracuse gets a lot of snow in the winter, but they clear it fast and life goes on. It's not that bad. In fact, it's better here with 2 feet of snow than in Washington DC with 2 inches of snow.
Syracuse's problem is jobs (economy). Yes, people get around by car. Many people prefer driving to public transport. It's not like driving in NYC - no rush hour, no hyper-aggressive drivers. Commute is easy. I like the NYC subway system, but not everyone does. Let's not overstate the case.
As for LA's foreclosure rate quadruppling, it was very low before because prices were increasing at a fast clip. A 5% foreclosure rate is hardly the great depression. $5 billion in "losses" - you mean paper losses from the inflated highs in the market, I assume? This is all pretty silly. Again, the sky is not falling. The world is not ending. Oil supplies are not running out tomorrow. Our lives are not going to change dramatically overnight.
They're not paper losses if the bank has to foreclose on them, b/c then the bank has to pay the taxes on them, and the upkeep on them. The bank has to make sure they don't get vandalized, which will drive the price of the home, and the area if it happens to enough vacant homes, down even further. Then the bank has to pay to repair the vandalism.
Especially now, banks need their money to make loans, or to at least shore up their balance sheets.
They're not 'paper losses,' unless the bank can hold onto to it until the market comes back AND absorb the costs of holding onto the property.
Do you think those inflated prices are coming back anytime soon? Do you think banks are going to lend insane amounts of $$$ to people who 1) cannot afford to pay it back, and 2) to purchase a home that is FAR higher than avg. local wages are able to support. They're not just paper losses. They are real losses if the bank has to foreclose or re-negotiate the mortgage OR approve a short-sale.
surprise surprise. The future of the suburbs is futile. Not only are high energy costs going to ensure that they loose value, but I think most people have figured out that, at least for the monotonous subdivisions, they are really boring places to live. but worry not: most of our cities that have lost ppl to the burbs were once really beautiful places to live, and in fact most neighborhoods in the typical US city (cleveland, detroit, st. louis) are big houses with nice lawns, just like the suburbs, but with waay more flava, better architecture, and well designed neighborhoods. Its not such a bad thing. I think it will help our society in general as people will actually live together (like we have it here in NYC) and actually come face to face on a daily basis with the large number of people they share their world with.
Mmm, smell the self-satisfaction! This is something I really hate. I have no desire whatsoever to live in a new build suburb, but let me tell you, you're not winning over the suburbanites with that attitude.
I don't see the suburbs dying at all. The exurbs, yes. People who stretched themselves to buy and are driving 2+ hours a day, that's not sustainable. But the inner suburbs are another story. In New York, you have to move outside the city limits to get any space unless you have a ton of money, since NYC house lots are small.
Your argument is entirely irrelevant to the majority of suburban families. "Flava" means nil when it also means lousy schools and nowhere for the kids to play. You know what many families think when they see these lauded "New Urbanist" developments? No yard. A lot of families just don't want to live packed in like that. A lot of families have a completely different set of priorities.
I think places like Nassau and Westchester aren't going to die even with higher fuel prices. Yes, they're imperfect. They sprawl and you need a car. But (especially on the South Shore) it's smaller lots and smaller houses (easier to heat and cool) and they do at least have train service.
Mmm, smell the self-satisfaction! This is something I really hate. I have no desire whatsoever to live in a new build suburb, but let me tell you, you're not winning over the suburbanites with that attitude.
I don't see the suburbs dying at all. The exurbs, yes. People who stretched themselves to buy and are driving 2+ hours a day, that's not sustainable. But the inner suburbs are another story. In New York, you have to move outside the city limits to get any space unless you have a ton of money, since NYC house lots are small.
Your argument is entirely irrelevant to the majority of suburban families. "Flava" means nil when it also means lousy schools and nowhere for the kids to play. You know what many families think when they see these lauded "New Urbanist" developments? No yard. A lot of families just don't want to live packed in like that. A lot of families have a completely different set of priorities.
I think places like Nassau and Westchester aren't going to die even with higher fuel prices. Yes, they're imperfect. They sprawl and you need a car. But (especially on the South Shore) it's smaller lots and smaller houses (easier to heat and cool) and they do at least have train service.
I really never understood this line of argument. Don't people in the suburbs understand that we have parks for the kids to play in? I have 2 very nice parks, that usually have tons of kids in them, within a 5 minute walk of my place.
I really never understood this line of argument. Don't people in the suburbs understand that we have parks for the kids to play in? I have 2 very nice parks, that usually have tons of kids in them, within a 5 minute walk of my place.
It's not that people in the suburbs don't understand. It's that they have no choice but to deny what's available in the city. You can't rationalize leaving otherwise.
I really never understood this line of argument. Don't people in the suburbs understand that we have parks for the kids to play in? I have 2 very nice parks, that usually have tons of kids in them, within a 5 minute walk of my place.
Parks are nice. (And many suburbanites do take their kids to the park so they can play on the equipment and the moms can gossip.) But it's not the same as just letting the kid run around the back yard. You can't send your preschooler off to the park. You can let them out back and watch through the window while you cook dinner. They're two entirely different things.
Actually its better than having the kids play in the backyard...you have an entire park with kiddi playgrounds, open fields, and LOTS of other kids to play with. And yes, you can also watch them from your window while you cook dinner, as many homes lives abut parks.
I've lived in both cities and suburbs, and it's not the same--especially since parents don't let their kids roam free like they used to. If you have younger children (I do), you have to supervise; it's basic safety, not paranoia. My toddler cannot be out of my sight.
I love parks, and I don't think we all need half acre lots. But, especially now that I'm a parent, I can't dismiss the advantages of having a little space of my own.
Agreed...and having a park with LOTS of people watching your child is better than 1 person watching a child. And living in the city you can have the suburban lifestyle with backyard, garage parking, 3 story single family home, i.e. "a little space of your own."
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