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David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

theguardian.com

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Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#11

Post by ChuckMcM »

busterarm wrote: post #5
jlgreco wrote: post #3

What's he want, more rent control? To put "the 1%" 'up against a wall'? What is this article other than a whiny complaint, pandering to the envious masses?

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

I'd be interested in articles on ideas for dense and affordable urban housing which side steps the blight/crime aspects. Does anyone know if there is work going on in that space like the MIT small house[1] competitions?

[1] http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/1k-house-prototype-0915.h...

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#12

Post by busterarm »

TheLegace wrote: post #8
busterarm wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

This is exactly what Toronto is trying to do by subsidizing housing in metropolitan area. People maybe inclined to argue against subsidizing more expensive housing in downtown areas, but the cost of commuting from lower income outer areas actually increases pollution, and traffic costs. It also breaks the poverty cycle by preventing geographic and possibly cultural segregation of the lower income families.

Toronto has a really interesting problem to solve. 1/6 of the entire population of Canada lives in the GTA. That's simply stunning to me, especially since having spent a great deal of time up there, it doesn't feel that dense to me.

Honestly though, Toronto needs housing in the downtown areas. I haven't been there in 7-8 years but other than tourists and shopping, the streets around the business districts felt pretty dead/lifeless. It made the area very boring after 4pm. Having some residents in those areas would really improve the city quite a bit.

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#13

Post by rayiner »

busterarm wrote: post #5
jlgreco wrote: post #3

What's he want, more rent control? To put "the 1%" 'up against a wall'? What is this article other than a whiny complaint, pandering to the envious masses?

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

Uh, you can get perfectly nice 1 bedroom apartments in Mt. Vernon for $800/month, and that's a 30-minute metro north ride from midtown manhattan. I used to live in New Rochelle, which is a 35 minute ride from Midtown. The high-rises right next to the train station are pretty expensive ($1500 for a studio), but there is a ton of affordable housing within a 15 minute walk. It's a town of mostly working-class hispanic immigrants.

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#14

Post by rayiner »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #11
busterarm wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

I'd be interested in articles on ideas for dense and affordable urban housing which side steps the blight/crime aspects. Does anyone know if there is work going on in that space like the MIT small house[1] competitions? [1] http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/1k-house-prototype-0915.h...

I think mixing density and low-income people is by itself a recipe for disaster. It makes more sense to have good commuter rail into the surrounding suburbs.

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#15

Post by busterarm »

rayiner wrote: post #13
busterarm wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

Uh, you can get perfectly nice 1 bedroom apartments in Mt. Vernon for $800/month, and that's a 30-minute metro north ride from midtown manhattan. I used to live in New Rochelle, which is a 35 minute ride from Midtown. The high-rises right next to the train station are pretty expensive ($1500 for a studio), but there is a ton of affordable housing within a 15 minute walk. It's a town of mostly working-class hispanic i…

Do you own a car?

How difficult is it to live where you do without a car?

I was mostly speaking about the areas near the train station that you mentioned yeah. Those prices are pretty high for the commute time that you end up having. A 15 minute walk is okay but any longer than that might be very difficult for some people.

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#16

Post by harryh »

busterarm wrote: post #5
jlgreco wrote: post #3

What's he want, more rent control? To put "the 1%" 'up against a wall'? What is this article other than a whiny complaint, pandering to the envious masses?

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

That 40k number is flat out wrong.

"But even in Manhattan, nearly half of all rental apartments are rent-stabilized."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/realestate/rent-stabilized...

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#17

Post by herbig »

rayiner wrote: post #7

I have a book of jokes from the 1970's. One of the jokes is "if it weren't for the muggings, there would be no human contact in New York." I remember reading it recently and finding it so anachronistic. The idea of getting mugged in Manhattan or Queens or Brooklyn seems so alien to me today (though I remember as a visitor in the early 1990's the same areas seemed quite post-apocalyptic). My point is... take off the r…

If we're talking personal anecdotes, I live in Brooklyn and know three people who have been mugged in Brooklyn or Manhattan within the last five years.

I've never personally felt unsafe anywhere I go in Brooklyn at any time of the day/night, but my female friends do not share the same feelings. For them, walking alone at night in areas of Crown Heights or Bedstuy is not the best idea.

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#18

Post by misiti3780 »

busterarm wrote: post #5
jlgreco wrote: post #3

What's he want, more rent control? To put "the 1%" 'up against a wall'? What is this article other than a whiny complaint, pandering to the envious masses?

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

there are a shitload of rent stabilized apartments though ...

http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/faq/rentstab.html#d...

"Rents Stabilization FAQ

See also Rent Control FAQ's

Is there a difference between RENT CONTROL and RENT STABILIZATION? What exactly is rent stabilization? Can my landlord evict me and use my stabilized apartment for his family, and how many apartments in the building can he take? What happens when the rent for my stabilized apartment rises above $2,500? How can I find out if my apartment is stabilized? Can the management company sell my stabilized apartment? Similar buildings in my neighborhood are stabilized - why isn't mine? Should my landlord inform me that my unit is stabilized? Disclaimer: By providing answers to frequently asked questions, the staff of the Rent Guidelines Board attempts to clarify the often complex programs and regulations governing landlord tenant relations in NYC. However, the information provided herein does not represent official policies or opinions of the City of New York or the Rent Guidelines Board nor should this information be used to substitute for advice of legal counsel.

Is there a difference between RENT CONTROL and RENT STABILIZATION?

Some of the people who email us say "rent controlled" but actually MEAN rent stabilized -- they do not know the difference.

Why is it so hard to be accurate? There is a difference between rent control and rent stabilization, as only about 38,000 rent controlled units exist vs. about one million stabilized units, and rent control has a different set of regulations than rent stabilization.

The term "rent regulated" encompasses both rent controlled and rent stabilized units. By the way, the Rent Guidelines Board has the responsibility for setting rent adjustments for rent stabilized apartments. We have no jurisdiction over rent controlled apartments, which is the responsibility of the NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). "

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#19

Post by moogleii »

rayiner wrote: post #7

I have a book of jokes from the 1970's. One of the jokes is "if it weren't for the muggings, there would be no human contact in New York." I remember reading it recently and finding it so anachronistic. The idea of getting mugged in Manhattan or Queens or Brooklyn seems so alien to me today (though I remember as a visitor in the early 1990's the same areas seemed quite post-apocalyptic). My point is... take off the r…

Quote from the article: "I don't romanticize the bad old days. I find the drop in crime over the last couple of decades refreshing. Manhattan and Brooklyn, those vibrant playgrounds, are way less scary than they were when I moved here. I have no illusions that there was a connection between that city on its knees and a flourishing of creativity; I don't believe that crime, danger and poverty make for good art. That's bullshit. But I also don't believe that the drop in crime means the city has to be more exclusively for those who have money. Increases in the quality of life should be for all, not just a few."

Re: David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

#20

Post by itp »

harryh wrote: post #16
busterarm wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rent control is Who do you expect to do for service workers? Honestly. Do you expect those people to live in squalid conditions 20 to a room like we did 100 years ago? Are you aware that that rents even within a 2hr commute distance do not decline enough to be affordable (except in a declining number of bad neighborhoods)? You can live on the Metro North/Amtrak routes as far up as Poughkeepsie and still pay $1200-$16…

That 40k number is flat out wrong. "But even in Manhattan, nearly half of all rental apartments are rent-stabilized." http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/realestate/rent-stabilized...

Without getting in the middle of this, I'd just point out that you're both right -- roughly 38k rent controlled units, about one million rent stabilized units. Apparently there's a difference! http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/faq/rentstab.html#d...
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