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I take the good; I take the bad but still quite enjoy life here. Just pointing out the realities. Perhaps the new academic book "The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City" will be of some interest to you. An excerpt from the description, for your reading pleasure:
Here I was thinking you carefully hand-picked this excerpt for me, only to find that it looks like a cut-and-paste from the one-paragraph description of this book on Amazon.com. Do you regift at Christmas, too?
In any event, the description is consistent with what I've noted previously about DC, which is that it has had a hard time retaining families even as younger and older residents consider it more desirable than their predecessors may have, and that the area's suburbs are, in a literal sense, probably more cosmopolitan than the District itself. But it has a better quality of life than many cities, or than DC itself had 25 years ago, and one could certainly do worse.
The book looks like an interesting read. Like many of us, the author used to live in DC and then moved to Virginia.
Here I was thinking you carefully hand-picked this excerpt for me, only to find that it looks like a cut-and-paste from the one-paragraph description of this book on Amazon.com. Do you regift at Christmas, too?
In any event, the description is consistent with what I've noted previously about DC, which is that it has had a hard time retaining families even as younger and older residents consider it more desirable than their predecessors may have, and that the area's suburbs are, in a literal sense, probably more cosmopolitan than the District itself. But it has a better quality of life than many cities, or than DC itself had 25 years ago, and one could certainly do worse.
The book looks like an interesting read. Like many of us, the author used to live in DC and then moved to Virginia.
Haha. You have such an axe to grind with the city versus suburb issue. It's kinda cute. The book doesn't deal with just central cities but the urbanization of suburbs as well, so best to move beyond that false dichotomy and hold off claiming victory simply because a family moves from the green line in DC to the orange line in Virginia (the author lives in Arlington - not exactly Loudon County). We're all in this together and the more variety of viable lifestyle choices and housing price ranges people have, the better the region will be and the happier people will be in this area.
It will be interesting to see how it shakes out now that the first wave is getting older whether DC ramps up the businesses and infrastructure fast enough to keep them. I see a whole lot of dogs and playgrounds that were desolate or nonexistent several years ago now full of kids and families to suggest they're sticking around, at least in the early phases of school.
(also - I said right in my post that it was an excerpt from the description! No false advertising )
It interesting to see how hard developers are working out in the suburbs to create a "urban" environment. It's like trying to learn history by going to Disneyland.
I see where JEB77 is coming from. Many single professional people who are renting and buying in some recently gentrified neighborhoods might NOT stick around. When you are in your 20s and early 30s, life is more fun in the city. Restaurants, bars, museums, concert halls, sport arenas and more are within a short distance by foot or public transportation. Stay out late with friends at night and still get to the office on time the next morning. That's cool.
But when you are getting married and thinking about starting a family, the perspective changes dramatically. All of a sudden, good public schools matter. The safety of you and your family matters. Having some peace and quiet outside your home matters. Living in a condo near Logan Circle ain't so cool anymore. Time to list the property and look at some charming single-family homes in Montgomery or Fairfax Counties. Oh...and you better have an automobile and add at least an hour to your commute time.
And let's face it...urban life has always appealed more to men. When a woman is not single anymore and she wants kids, she would feel more comfortable raising them in the suburbs or at least in a wealthy, safer neighborhood in Ward 3 (Upper NW). Women concerns themselves with the "nest" and the environment surrounding the home when it comes to raising children. Women vote with their feet and the married dudes have to follow the foot steps. Hello suburbia!
So as long as 20-something lawyers, architects, IT engineers, research scientists and newly-minted physicians are buying and renting in city neighborhoods, the Urban Life will never lose its appeal in DC. The local economy will remain healthy and real estate will be as expensive as ever. But sooner or later, those six-figure income people are gonna to re-evaluate their situations and think about where they want to be down the road. That might involve a move to the suburbs or away from the Washington, DC region.
Bluefly's message is that The District has something to offer to everyone and I think that is a fair statement. I would argue that if you are SINGLE, the DC urban scene has something to offer you. When you have a family, it becomes more problematic.
The positive observation would be the increasing enrollment and improving performance of a number of public elementaries in DC; the flip-side is that many parents continue to exit (either DC or DCPS) when the kids hit middle school.
The positive observation would be the increasing enrollment and improving performance of a number of public elementaries in DC; the flip-side is that many parents continue to exit (either DC or DCPS) when the kids hit middle school.
Might have been the case 20 years ago but not today. People may move from Penn Sq to Mt Pleasant, Shepherds Park, or some other more residential neighborhood.
Might have been the case 20 years ago but not today. People may move from Penn Sq to Mt Pleasant, Shepherds Park, or some other more residential neighborhood.
Maybe; maybe not. Even as Mount Pleasant as a whole becomes more affluent, the student population at Bancroft ES continues to be much poorer than the community at large, with 70% or more of the students non-native English speakers and high poverty levels. It's unlikely the parents of those students moved to Mount Pleasant from places like Penn Quarter (if that's what you meant by "Penn Sq.").
Not trying to be negative, but the concerns about DCPS remain an issue in much of the city, just as concerns about commuting times and distances often weigh on the minds of those who work in DC and are contemplating a move outside the city. Suggesting that those concerns are a relic of the past doesn't fly. Of course, the alternative is to go private, and some do, but that's a dilemma for those who like the idea of public schools but can't satisfy themselves that the quality is there across-the-board.
Location: YOU are NOT a Washingtonian. YOU are a GENTRIFIER from the CVS, Whole Foods, Starbucks & Condos era.
367 posts, read 643,736 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCforever
It interesting to see how hard developers are working out in the suburbs to create a "urban" environment. It's like trying to learn history by going to Disneyland.
It is also interesting to see how hard developers in DC are working to transform an "urban" environment into a "suburban" environment.
It is also interesting to see how hard developers in DC are working to transform an "urban" environment into a "suburban" environment.
I saw an anti-walmart protest todayn it is good. These places hurt the local economy and destroy the atmosphere and vibe.
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