Plans for a new city in the American desert

Post by hollerith » Tue, Sep 07, 2021, 4:12 AM UTC

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #35

I'm very curious, have there ever been any "cities from the ground up" projects that don't turn out to be total shit that end up just reflecting the urban planning fallacies of the day? (Looking at you, Brasilia) I mean, all of the cities that are most "livable" in my mind are old cities that were designed before the car and thus have enough density and public transportation to make things both close and also the kin…

Post by jsjohnst » Tue, Sep 07, 2021, 4:25 AM UTC

ac29 wrote: post #78

lprubin wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One idea is an expansion of a law already on the books in many cities. When you create a new building / housing complex (which will be 100% in a new city), you require X% of units to be "affordable housing". I could see the city just increasing the required % and then giving tax credits to developers to offset the lost revenue to them. Given that this city would be built in stages, it will give them time to hone in o…

The problem is "affordable housing" isnt actually affordable for many. I qualify for it in the city I live in, and despite working full time for significantly above minimum wage, the rent on a 1bd apartment through this program would be about 75% of my take-home income.

Post by sangnoir » Tue, Sep 07, 2021, 4:26 AM UTC

bpodgursky wrote: post #208

chmod775 wrote: post #204

The cleanliness of Tokyo, the diversity of New York and the social services of Stockholm... in the fucking desert of the US and with an American demographic. Well. Good luck. Should be able to nail at least one out of those three. Not that building this project virtually anywhere else might've made it easier.

fwiw, the article says desert, but they're considering a lot of options including West Virginia (decidedly not desert). Going to depend a lot on the local politics and where they can find the land.

Post by jimmaswell » Tue, Sep 07, 2021, 4:36 AM UTC

QuarterReptile wrote: post #201

nkrisc wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think it was universally successful on the cultural front (in the US). There are many places where no one will give a shit if you jaywalk or think any less of you, though maybe the effect has waned over the years. Legislatively, yes it was pretty universally successful.

Jaywalking is a bizarre example. The criminalization of normal human movement through automotive lobbies and a derogatory slur is hardly a thing we should aspire to. A more worthwhile thing to discuss is the prevalence of people ducking their heads or rushing across streets when cars approach, with a level of embarrassment that would better accompany being caught defecating in the street (well, maybe not in SF.) Our…

Post by myrandomcomment » Tue, Sep 07, 2021, 4:41 AM UTC

snambi wrote: post #190

myrandomcomment wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government policy reflects the culture. I have spent 30% of the last 20 years of my life in Japan, on and off again. One of the highest compliments paid to me by a group of Japanese friends was, “you must not do X again, you are Japanese and know better now.” I.E. as a foreigner I would get a pass, but my understanding of the culture reached a point where they expected better. I was both very highly embarrassed and a…

Why is this has anything to do with Equality?