Interesting perspective.
Quote
The Dutch-based navigation company TomTom NV has discovered in the course of research for its 2018 traffic congestion index that the German cities with the highest and fastest-growing apartment rents are also the most congested. This finding contains an important message for city planners: Instead of trying to fight cars, perhaps it's worth putting effort into building more housing and decentralizing the business infrastructure to put people closer to their jobs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-06-06/traffic-jams-are-a-sign-of-income-inequality
EDIT: Should probably be moved to the Planning board. Apparently I can't remove and repost for some reason.
It makes sense, and it's a twist of how things used to be in the US especially. I've assumed that millennials dislike driving more so because the incredible growth of traffic over the years. So if their jobs are in a downtown core, they decide to live there, and of course this causes the rents to increase in the areas downtown.
The suburbs become poorer as they become the place where the 2 hour commute becomes the norm, and that's with driving or taking transit. Even in NYC where Transit is a lifeline, the actual overall system hasn't changed much since the 1940s, the main subway lines that is. I'm not sure about the three commuter systems but I'm sure it's the same story there.
Suburbs have become undesirable because governments refuse nowadays to keep up with the growth of urban areas. Expanding the road system will do nothing they say, other than fill up road space with more "latent demand" .
Very interesting idea, and one that deserves thought and action from city planners, but lots of inner city neighborhoods are still a long ways from being appealing places to live for wealthy or middle class commuters.
Quote from: thspfc on June 06, 2019, 06:26:43 PM
Very interesting idea, and one that deserves thought and action from city planners, but lots of inner city neighborhoods are still a long ways from being appealing places to live for wealthy or middle class commuters.
The problem is, where do these people who live in the "inner city" go? Most likely they end up in the suburbs in the end, and the former suburban people live in the core.
Gentrification sounds nice, but it doesn't exactly make a city better, it just means poorer residents will be forced to move elsewhere.
Indeed, Toronto never really had a true infamous area like ones we can name in many American cities. In fact, the closest thing to an "inner city" in Toronto is actually in suburbia next to Hwy 400.
It's a thought, but in general, people don't mind commuting. Look at the cities...even though people can get apartments or condos close to work, they're fine with taking the subway or bus across town. People also switch jobs frequently, so chances of someone living close to work across multiple jobs would be low at best.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 06, 2019, 06:39:13 PM
It's a thought, but in general, people don't mind commuting. Look at the cities...even though people can get apartments or condos close to work, they're fine with taking the subway or bus across town. People also switch jobs frequently, so chances of someone living close to work across multiple jobs would be low at best.
I don't agree with your premise that if people could find a suitable home closer to work they would not do so because they don't mind commuting.
Suburbs vs City is really personal preference. Some people want a single family home in a quiet neighborhood, while others want to be in a busy, bustling city even if it means living in an apartment.
Quote from: Rothman on June 06, 2019, 06:42:36 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 06, 2019, 06:39:13 PM
It's a thought, but in general, people don't mind commuting. Look at the cities...even though people can get apartments or condos close to work, they're fine with taking the subway or bus across town. People also switch jobs frequently, so chances of someone living close to work across multiple jobs would be low at best.
I don't agree with your premise that if people could find a suitable home closer to work they would not do so because they don't mind commuting.
I don't understand (or agree with) Jeff's premise either. Past studies on the subject found that the "preferred commute length" is 30 minutes or less. Though this was largely before the proliferation of smartphones, which allow those who take transit to still be productive during longer commutes.
Quote from: vdeane on June 06, 2019, 05:59:08 PM
EDIT: Should probably be moved to the Planning board. Apparently I can't remove and repost for some reason.
You can only do that with a regular post. Thread-starting posts can never be removed, not even before they have replies.
Quote from: MisterSG1 on June 06, 2019, 06:33:17 PM
Quote from: thspfc on June 06, 2019, 06:26:43 PM
Very interesting idea, and one that deserves thought and action from city planners, but lots of inner city neighborhoods are still a long ways from being appealing places to live for wealthy or middle class commuters.
The problem is, where do these people who live in the "inner city" go? Most likely they end up in the suburbs in the end, and the former suburban people live in the core.
Gentrification sounds nice, but it doesn't exactly make a city better, it just means poorer residents will be forced to move elsewhere.
Indeed, Toronto never really had a true infamous area like ones we can name in many American cities. In fact, the closest thing to an "inner city" in Toronto is actually in suburbia next to Hwy 400.
Gentrification in core cities has lead to racial tensions in some areas though yes I am talking about San Francisco when the Mission District was cited for escalating income inequality and sparking evictions to Hispanic residents in the area for Venture capitalist staff members and Tech Workers who commute to San Jose though mentioned in past talks though.
There are a lot of things other than just location that factor into where people live. Around here, it is very common for people with kids to move based on which public schools their kids will attend, and I don't mean "which school system" but rather "which specific schools." I'm not about to condemn any parent who elects to put up with a long commute in order to send his kid to better schools.
I don't mind a 45-minute commute, but I grew up used to the idea because we always lived a short distance outside the Beltway and my father commutes to downtown. I have absolutely no interest in ever living in the District of Columbia.