Serious question...does virus make you rethink your love for "density" and urban living? (suburban, subway)
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Serious question. Not trolling I promise. Don't want this to get hyper-political.
I spent a little time on this board when I first moved to Cobb County in 2007. At that point and for a few years following, the constant push-pull was between folks like me (grew up in NYC and lived in MA before moving here) who preferred a suburban lifestyle to folks who advocated for a more urban lifestyle everywhere.
We saw thread after thread about "sprawl" and "density" with one camp wanting high rise living, heavy rail transit everywhere, and holding up NYC as the pinnacle of enlightened existence. Those of us who made the case for suburban places like Cobb were often portrayed as backward thinking, not knowing what's good for us.
So the question for everyone is: has this pandemic and the impact on NYC influenced your thinking? The impact of all politicians aside, its fact that riding on the subway, pressing the same elevator buttons, and all the other impacts of being in close proximity in a crowded urban area adds to the risk and in this case, the body count.
Has the current situation made you question or change your decision to live a more urban lifestyle?
I was already leaning away from urban living but this confirms it for me. Nothing against it per se but I’ve been hearing stories from my NYC friends who are stressed out and not able to take advantage of anything “the city” has to offer at the moment.
I already live on acreage in a rural area both FL and TN (40+ years)... so, once you go green there's no in-between. No urban living for me. People will realize the inherent risks of urban living that are beyond your control. Of course urban folks will argue the same is true for me.
Rural doesn't mean "remote" in my circumstance, it means small town living. I'm 10 minutes away from most of my needs (<5 miles) and 1/2 hour to the big stores like Walmart and Home depot (20 miles or so).
Each lifestyle has its own unique set of drawbacks.
You had multiple users speak on the upside of low-density living and the downside of high density living. But there's a counter perspective.
In small town / exurban settings, some of the downsides are:
*Fewer amenities (no upscale retailers / restaurants, places that have limited hours, places that have a limited selection of goods / services for sale, etc.)
*Establishments with chronic staffing issues (since the labor force is so small, businesses can't be picky about the type of people they hire).
*A local populace that socially regressive and resistant to change (I.E. voting against positive developments or quality of life improvements because things have always been done a certain way)
*Limited to no job opportunities for someone that highly smilled or highly educated, with the few opportunities that exist offering laughable pay/benefits.
You just have to roll with the punches, regardless of the lifestyle you choose.
Last edited by citidata18; 04-05-2020 at 08:59 AM..
I already live on acreage in a rural area both FL and TN (40+ years)... so, once you go green there's no in-between. No urban living for me. People will realize the inherent risks of urban living that are beyond your control. Of course urban folks will argue the same is true for me.
Rural doesn't mean "remote" in my circumstance, it means small town living. I'm 10 minutes away from most of my needs (<5 miles) and 1/2 hour to the big stores like Walmart and Home depot (20 miles or so).
I’m not on acreage (well, one acre lol) so I’m suburban. For me it’s a good balance. Access to amenities while also being able to have some distance and separation.
I was already leaning away from urban living but this confirms it for me. Nothing against it per se but I’ve been hearing stories from my NYC friends who are stressed out and not able to take advantage of anything “the city” has to offer at the moment.
Okay, so don't live in NYC-level density.
There are mega-cities around the world and in the U.S. that are handling this virus better than rural places in America.
While I'd ultimately love to own multiple properties in different settings, I still prefer urban living. That said, I wish I was back in Honolulu as opposed to the DC area right now.
There are mega-cities around the world and in the U.S. that are handling this virus better than rural places in America.
Without data that's your opinion and I might add, without merit. I won't argue with math.... and I get statistical averages.
Not buying that
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