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The Show Horse and the Work Horse

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Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#41

Post by WhyKill »

lonelappde wrote: post #38
jschwartzi wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The city also doesn't have a way to measure the increase in tax revenue that comes from having a place to walk to that you can get food, tools, clothing, and supplies. I wish I didn't have to drive anywhere to get stuff, and if I lived near a flea market I actually wouldn't have to drive anywhere.

Why would you say that? Cities ate constantly doing studies of revenue and cost impact. Forecasting revenue and traffic changes is bread and butter stuff. Putting flea markets in walking distant of everyone is a terrible logistical model.

Actually no, it's amazing one. This is how markets have been for thousands of years, within walking distance of the homes of the people using them. But yet it isn't compatible with modern "advances" like zoning, parking lots, and NIMBY driven politics.

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#42

Post by dragonwriter »

benj111 wrote: post #34
dragonwriter wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Expensive nonpractical kitchen remodels are at the top of every list I've seen of projects to avoid when looking to resale value because they usually add less resale value than they cost to do.

The emphasis there is on the expensive though. How many really well laid out kitchens have you been in, where you have adequate prep space, and the fridge, cooker and sink are in sensible positions? Kitchens are generally designed to look nice, not be practical unfortunately.

> The emphasis there is on the expensive though.

Right, but anything involving substantial marble surfaces in a ktichen, as in the article, is both expensive and impractical.

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#43

Post by aidenn0 »

asark wrote: post #37
Animats wrote: post #27

Oh, it's worse. Some expensive houses now have a show kitchen and a work kitchen. Why would someone make counter tops from permeable stone? That's idiotic. There are stone materials like granite that are impermeable. Besides, why is marble high-status? You can get that stuff at Home Depot. My own countertops are inch thick glazed fired ceramic tiles, from the 1960s. Same material as those indestructible walls schools…

How're the grout lines? That's the complaint I've always heard from people who've had tile countertops, who are all eager to tell you how they never want them again. I tend to try to eliminate anything in the kitchen that's not smooth and am baffled by places where things aren't smooth for no good reason—any countertop edge that's not just a smooth curve makes me sad. I'm coming around to the opinion that modern mid-…

I really like my quartz countertops. They so far have been similarly durable and easy to clean to tile, while also tolerating fairly hot pans (I haven't tried anything hotter than 400F).

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#44

Post by phkahler »

idreyn wrote: post #5

The armchair planner in me was a little taken aback at first by the description of the flea market as "amazingly good urbanism" -- good urbanism looks like bike lanes and trees and mixed-use development, not parking lots! -- but of course that's falling into the very thought trap illustrated by the post. Parking lot flea markets are exactly 'tactical urbanism' in the same mode as pop-up bike and bus lanes -- the repu…

It turns out that the most financially sound communities are higher density, where you get the most economic activity per unit of infrastructure.

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#45

Post by pixelbash »

benj111 wrote: post #16
burlesona wrote: post #2

Not emphasized in Johnny’s post, there’s also a ton of neighborhood pushback against flea markets and such in many communities. Basically the wealthier folks don’t like the aesthetics of these things, and will argue that they’re a nuisance or crime-magnets or whatever, a thin veneer over the discomfort they have with anything that draws a low income crowd. You’ll see things like the “Sunday Farmers Market” that close…

"Basically the wealthier folks don’t like the aesthetics" That's not inherent though. A nice French brocante sale basically sells tat, but its nice and acceptable. I don't think its impossible that this flea market could become a hipster hang out. One of the eateries starts making a name for itself, and people start seeking it out. It isn't just poor people that want a functioning high st. Edit: Spelling

> I don't think its impossible that this flea market could become a hipster hang out

Reminds me of Camden market

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#46

Post by jgon »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #29
dragonwriter wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tiny rural towns manage to have libraries. Often, when they do, it is either: (1) Because of state funding specifically for rural counties, which amounts to a revenue transfer from urban counties, or (2) Because the rural town is in a county with, and deriving revenue from, a city, funding county libraries in the rural town as well as the city. Even more often, tiny rural towns don't have public libraries, and you…

In my experience most small towns big enough to have any services have a "library" that is comprised of a few rooms in the shared town hall/police/public offices building that is run by some (usually senior citizen) volunteer(s) and has a fairly poor collection of books but can get anything you want on loan as long as you don't need it that day. If they don't have a library they probably have some other "nice to have…

Ok so the parent says that when small towns have a library, it's not because they are run in a more enlightened fashion than revenue guzzling big cities, but because these small towns are subsidized by the economic contributions of said big cities, either on a state or country level.

You then counter by saying that's wrong and actually small towns have a small library that has a crappy selection but they can get you any book you want if you can wait.

Pop quiz hotshot: Where do you think there is enough built up infrastructure, wealth, and surplus labor capacity to have a large centralized store of books and to organize and distribute said books?

Probably just another small town, am I right?

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#47

Post by dang »

jgon wrote: post #46
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience most small towns big enough to have any services have a "library" that is comprised of a few rooms in the shared town hall/police/public offices building that is run by some (usually senior citizen) volunteer(s) and has a fairly poor collection of books but can get anything you want on loan as long as you don't need it that day. If they don't have a library they probably have some other "nice to have…

Ok so the parent says that when small towns have a library, it's not because they are run in a more enlightened fashion than revenue guzzling big cities, but because these small towns are subsidized by the economic contributions of said big cities, either on a state or country level. You then counter by saying that's wrong and actually small towns have a small library that has a crappy selection but they can get you…

Please don't argue in the flamewar style on HN. We're hoping for a bit better than that here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#48

Post by chiph »

Something I've wondered is why people don't turn abandoned big-box stores (and smaller malls) into flea markets. There wouldn't be any problems with the weather. The merchants can rent by the month and not have to tear-down their shops on Sunday evenings. Bathrooms would be available. Power could be run.

Re: The Show Horse and the Work Horse

#49

Post by crispyporkbites »

> This particular municipality is often described as a food desert. A significant proportion of the population buys its food at gas stations and quickie marts where healthy fresh food isn’t usually on offer.

I’m flabbergasted by this comment. How can people accept living like this?

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