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Remote work is gutting downtowns

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Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#201

Post by deeptote »

deltarholamda wrote: post #190
Elidrake42 wrote: post #18

A bit off topic; I of course understand that I'm an odd situation and not representative of the broader trend at play here... But moving into remote work inspired my partner and I to move into Manhattan from the sprawling car driven nightmare that was Phoenix. Tiny little studio, but we've never been particularly materialistic, a murphy bed massively opens up the space, and no office to go into means once the day is…

You don't mention children, but that's an important data point. Your small apartment is suddenly smaller, and if you want to be in a good public school district, your rent options are now a lot more expensive. Or you can go private, and suddenly discover brand new ways to have no money. A lot of singles and DINKs like this sort of arrangement, but a community that has few or no children is dying, if not already dead.…

I'd love to move to NY but yeah, I have kids now and moving them from the acreage and amazing school district we have now is just not really an option.

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#202

Post by Der_Einzige »

hobbitstan wrote: post #34

As a side note: the quality of life of pets has increased dramatically since the pandemic. With people working from home, they now have more company and less time spent locked in crates. That’s the reason I have for not returning to the office and will ensure I only do remote work from now on.

Crating dogs is unethical, it's illegal in many parts of northern Europe, and it's tolerance on spaces like HN would be a sign that the average individual here has zero compassion.

"Oh it's like a den for them"

Well, ancient people didn't close the damn den every night.

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#203

Post by trap_goes_hot »

highwaylights wrote: post #19
wildrhythms wrote: post #3

These seeds were sowed when cities cashed in on commercial real estate, pushing residential zoning further and further out of the city. Wake up call: nobody wants to spend longer than they have to on an unpaid, unpredictable commute into the city anymore. So while these downtown businesses are getting 1/3 of the foot traffic that they used to, all the supermarkets and shops a few miles down the road are raking it in.

I used to get the bus to work about 10 years ago because parking in the city became so expensive (I stopped long before Covid hit). The thing I don't miss is that I got sick every single Winter. All it takes is one inconsiderate person to not cover their mouth and everyone is getting ill. And it happened all the time . I had a commute time that ranged between one and two hours over that stretch as I'd lived in a coup…

Local businesses who buy/grow local, hire local, pay local taxes etc benefit the community in ways that Amazon cannot. Local business also support local events/charities/etc. I think there is a lot of long-term economic benefit in decentralization of money and power, apart from social benefits like increasing trust between citizens. Just my view.

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#206

Post by hobbitstan »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #202
hobbitstan wrote: post #34

As a side note: the quality of life of pets has increased dramatically since the pandemic. With people working from home, they now have more company and less time spent locked in crates. That’s the reason I have for not returning to the office and will ensure I only do remote work from now on.

Crating dogs is unethical, it's illegal in many parts of northern Europe, and it's tolerance on spaces like HN would be a sign that the average individual here has zero compassion. "Oh it's like a den for them" Well, ancient people didn't close the damn den every night.

I agree and have never crated any of my animal friends. I hate those crates. So terrible!

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#207

Post by y-c-o-m-b »

Lastodon wrote: post #6

Good. Feel the "hand of the free market" at last throttling the antiquated obese market that is business property. As automation and communication improves, so should corporate policy restructure and reform into the most efficient system. Dragging people across the country every day and filling the air with burnt dinosaur just because the old people in power can't figure out how to adapt is pathetic. New management s…

Yeah seriously. Remote work is nothing new. It's been picking up steam, the pandemic just accelerated the shit out of it. The people/investors/whatever that bought these buildings for commercial purposes made a gamble and didn't prepare for the future. That's on them, not remote work. If I go buy a gas-guzzling Porsche today and its price depreciates to nothing because a sudden influx of more efficient and performant electric cars are released, that's on me for making a bad investment and not observing the trends.

This reminds of when I worked for Hollywood Video Corporate (video rental business) in 2010 and the VP was telling us that brick and mortar video rental would eventually beat back streaming media. Every indicator was suggesting a different path and they chose to ignore it. They're gone now, streaming media is here to stay. Remote work is here to stay.

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#208

Post by cyberpunk »

zamalek wrote: post #195
MengerSponge wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.

> A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. I have always looked at Japan as a mixed bag of things that the entire planet will be doing in 10-100 years (yes, even sex bots and other forms of liberal individualism). I am so glad that at least parts of the west have caught onto the practice of masking up when sick, if there were ever a silver lining from the pandemic. I'm still looking for a solu…

For flying; try cutting the elastic and then tie both sides together behind your head. May make it a bit more snug on your face (which helps prevent your glasses getting so fogged up) but no back of ear pain at least :}

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#209

Post by mter »

zamalek wrote: post #195
MengerSponge wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.

> A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. I have always looked at Japan as a mixed bag of things that the entire planet will be doing in 10-100 years (yes, even sex bots and other forms of liberal individualism). I am so glad that at least parts of the west have caught onto the practice of masking up when sick, if there were ever a silver lining from the pandemic. I'm still looking for a solu…

Cut the elastic ear loops off of an old mask and tie it to the elastic on a new mask to bridge the gap between the new mask ear elastics (or use a piece of string) so the pressure is on the back of your head.

If you fly a lot, there are also very likely commercial solutions for this.

Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns

#210

Post by jmoak3 »

y-c-o-m-b wrote: post #207
Lastodon wrote: post #6

Good. Feel the "hand of the free market" at last throttling the antiquated obese market that is business property. As automation and communication improves, so should corporate policy restructure and reform into the most efficient system. Dragging people across the country every day and filling the air with burnt dinosaur just because the old people in power can't figure out how to adapt is pathetic. New management s…

Yeah seriously. Remote work is nothing new. It's been picking up steam, the pandemic just accelerated the shit out of it. The people/investors/whatever that bought these buildings for commercial purposes made a gamble and didn't prepare for the future. That's on them, not remote work. If I go buy a gas-guzzling Porsche today and its price depreciates to nothing because a sudden influx of more efficient and performant…

I remember Hollywood Video! When I was in High School my family and I subscribed to their monthly rental plan, lots of good memories there.
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