Violent crime rates are almost 100% predicted by demographic factors that you can’t control (except at the margins, e.g. by evicting problematic demographics or by voting for immigration laws that favor beneficial demographics).
Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
151–160 of 346 posts
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#152If a single party has been running that "top 10 most dangerous cities in the us" city for 30 to 50 years, perhaps try another party? Just a suggestion.
Don't understand why you are being downvoted. Why can we not agree that single party rule in any city, state, or nation, is simply a recipe for corruption? Look, I'm a registered republican, but I too would be uncomfortable if literally every office in my state were held by the republicans for decades. Meanwhile, most cities have decades of rule by the same party. Many times the races are not even contested meaningfu…
I like the downvotes every now and then. I think people (like maybe you) might enjoy the comfort of knowing there are others out there.
How dare I suggest that places like Chicago, Detroit, and Philly are corrupt. HOW DARE YOU!! (put on your best fake child environmentalist face)
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#153The single best thing you can do is pick a neighborhood - not the whole city - and invest deeply. Get to know everyone in the neighborhood and understand what they want and need, then try to find ways to bring that. When you have a strong network of neighbors and a little bit of cash, you can ramp up investment by cleaning up dirty corners and getting the basic services that a neighborhood is missing. Here’s an examp…
> When you have a strong network of neighbors and a little bit of cash, you can ramp up investment by cleaning up dirty corners and getting the basic services that a neighborhood is missing. I don't think you need a network to begin cleaning up dirty corners. Just pick up garbage you see on the street when you walk around. It has an immediate impact, is easy and doesn't cost anything. Other people may see it and may…
True that picking up trash is a direct action that doesn't take many resources. (reminds me to go sweep the alley after hitting reply).
Cleaning up the trash on a block might be the most direct first action that anyone can take.
I think the poster was also using this as a metaphor.
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#154Cyle
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#155Cycle
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes it’s unfortunate. Gentrification is a big win for homeowners, and a big loss for renters. Are there strategies that allow us to improve our neighborhoods without displacing renters?
> Are there strategies that allow us to improve our neighborhoods without displacing renters? Rent control; just as Prop 13 (adverse impacts in other areas aside) allows improving neighborhoods without displacing homeowners on limited incomes through property tax. Of course, anything that prevents displacing renters will necessary produce some drag on financial incentives for local improvements. (Just as not displaci…
Rent control helps current renters in the short term, but it's awfully inefficient and often makes it so there is less development and is thus not very forward thinking (meaning it's not good for people who would like to live there but can't because a lack of housing).
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#157The single best thing you can do is pick a neighborhood - not the whole city - and invest deeply. Get to know everyone in the neighborhood and understand what they want and need, then try to find ways to bring that. When you have a strong network of neighbors and a little bit of cash, you can ramp up investment by cleaning up dirty corners and getting the basic services that a neighborhood is missing. Here’s an examp…
> When you have a strong network of neighbors and a little bit of cash, you can ramp up investment by cleaning up dirty corners and getting the basic services that a neighborhood is missing. I don't think you need a network to begin cleaning up dirty corners. Just pick up garbage you see on the street when you walk around. It has an immediate impact, is easy and doesn't cost anything. Other people may see it and may…
This is a fair point, but FWIW I worded this the way I did because I think the network of neighbors is ultimately more important than the physical work, and should have top priority.
But you’re right that you can start by picking up trash, and in fact that can be a good mechanism to meet the neighbors and build the network, depending on how you approach it.
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#158The single best thing you can do is pick a neighborhood - not the whole city - and invest deeply. Get to know everyone in the neighborhood and understand what they want and need, then try to find ways to bring that. When you have a strong network of neighbors and a little bit of cash, you can ramp up investment by cleaning up dirty corners and getting the basic services that a neighborhood is missing. Here’s an examp…
I mean this in the most objective way possible. The risk with urban improvement is making the area more desirable eventually prices people out of the community. So, the real question is do you help the land or current residents? When you own property it’s seriously worth considering local improvements for several reasons, but it’s also easy to confuse the two. Further, if most people in the community own property the…
If it is more desirable, then you build more housing, it should be as simple as that. If you build enough housing, rents won't rise.
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I mean this in the most objective way possible. The risk with urban improvement is making the area more desirable eventually prices people out of the community. So, the real question is do you help the land or current residents? When you own property it’s seriously worth considering local improvements for several reasons, but it’s also easy to confuse the two. Further, if most people in the community own property the…
I think your concern is valid but unfounded. This is fortunate - otherwise the way to help the poor would be to vandalize their neighborhoods, which is a strange conclusion. It's true that increasing quality of a neighborhood will increase its housing price. This will have disparate impact: (1) it will help people who enjoy higher quality, but (2) it will hurt people who would prefer low quality and lower price. Howe…
I mostly agree with you, but:
In a market with a population growing faster than the supply of housing it is possible for there to be no place where values fall, and in fact for people who can no longer afford an improved neighborhood to end up homeless as a result.
This is why housing supply is absolutely critical, and as a society we should be working hard to ensure we always have supply in level with (or erring toward slightly exceeding) demand.
However, we have a cultural myth that the home is a persons primary investment and wealth accumulation vehicle. That Mrs. very harmful because it creates enormous incentives to do the opposite: restrict supply as a way to ensure that the people who already have a home are guaranteed a good return on their “investment.”
It’s true that home is a very large asset and that appreciation can benefit the individuals who live there, there’s nothing wrong with that at the individual level. However when we choose to have house appreciation as a significant goal at the societal level, it directly competes with the desire to end homelessness and see everyone housed.
If ensuring that everyone could afford at least adequate shelter was a primary goal for society, we would need to make choices that sometimes worked against, or at least did not help, home appreciation.
Re: Ask HN: As a person, what can I do to improve a city?
#160The single best thing you can do is pick a neighborhood - not the whole city - and invest deeply. Get to know everyone in the neighborhood and understand what they want and need, then try to find ways to bring that. When you have a strong network of neighbors and a little bit of cash, you can ramp up investment by cleaning up dirty corners and getting the basic services that a neighborhood is missing. Here’s an examp…
I mean this in the most objective way possible. The risk with urban improvement is making the area more desirable eventually prices people out of the community. So, the real question is do you help the land or current residents? When you own property it’s seriously worth considering local improvements for several reasons, but it’s also easy to confuse the two. Further, if most people in the community own property the…
Also in a very objective way, I don't understand this reasoning. I've never brought up the question before and hoping that HN can explain it in a logical way that I might understand.
Let's say that a neighborhood is rated 3 out of 10 - not very good. There is a mix of people that live in this neighborhood. Some people own property and some do not.
Then the community makes the neighborhood better and it rises to a 7 out of 10 ranking. The people in the community that own houses costs are fixed and they now recognize the improvement.
The part of the community that don't own eventually see their costs rise. At some point they can't afford to a community that ranks 7, might only be able to afford a community that ranks 3 and would need to move to a community with that ranking.
It seems like part of the original set that owns experiences a large and lasting benefit. Another part of the original set experiences a short term benefit, then a transaction cost (moving) and reverts back to the mean.
Can someone explain what this description misses and where the harm comes from?