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America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

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Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#221

Post by oivey »

pantalaimon wrote: post #14
alephnerd wrote: post #7

Pay Japanese salaries, get Japanese prices [0]. That $4 kombini bento feels like a $13 burrito or Cava bowl when on a Japanese salary. Japan only appears cheap if you earn in USD, GBP, and Euros. For most Japanese households, costs have risen higher than salaries [1][2] and they are now facing inflation due to tourist spending [7][8][9]. It also doesn't help that the median household income in Japan is around $25,000…

> Japan’s minimum wage ($6.68 an hour) is similar to America’s ($7.25).

Besides what all these other commenters are saying, probably many of the people running these small lunch shops in Japan are the owners, not waged employees. On top of that, that business probably isn’t viable for 8 hours per day.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#222

Post by jerlam »

georgeburdell wrote: post #136
gbhdrew wrote: post #23

The key point here (and biggest advantage of Japanese cities) is that nearly every building is mixed-use by default, regardless of local density levels. This post does a great job illustrating the difference this makes: https://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.htm... For comparison, even our best-case scenarios for urbanism here in the states (like NYC) have incredibly convoluted zoning rules, which i…

It’s not that simple. My city in Silicon Valley foists mixed use on most new developments in the form of ground floor retail. Yet it’s often vacant.

They are both called mixed use, but are very different in terms of implementation.

In Japan, you can start and run your own business in your your own house (like your garage), within certain limits. This is why there are businesses in Japan like tiny cafes and shops that are nonviable anywhere else.

Where you and I live, the commercial section is a completely separate unit which is usually quite large, must be rented separately, and comes with a lot of regulations.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#223

Post by ishouldstayaway »

systemtest wrote: post #42
petcat wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> allow everyone living in the city to vote Who is "everyone" in this case?

People who live in the city for the majority of their time. They should be able to vote. Regardless of their housing situation. In basically all of Europe, voting for local elections is tied to having stable housing.

I don't disagree with you per se, but how would that work in practice? How could you actually tell someone lives there if they don't have an address to back up that claim?

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#224

Post by supertrope »

FeloniousHam wrote: post #178
dv_dt wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Protests come when people are pushed into a corner with little other choice. Participation is more prevalent when people have free time in their lives. Our economics has systematically squeezed free time out in favor of more work to most of our workforce, and particularly hard for young people. One reason so many local city policies favor the old, is that they're retired and have the time to participate

When in American history have we had more free time for civic participation?

July 2020.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#225

Post by etblg »

mrgoldenbrown wrote: post #71
greenie_beans wrote: post #8

reducing everything to zoning laws is lazy analysis. nobody will ever sell $4 lunch bowls in SF because the rent is too high. so these market incentives will influence/force the proprietor to sell them for more!

surely if NYC can do 99c slices, it's not as simple as high rent costs?

The day of the dollar slice in NYC is dead, most places have switched to $1.50 slices.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#226

Post by pibaker »

pantalaimon wrote: post #14
alephnerd wrote: post #7

Pay Japanese salaries, get Japanese prices [0]. That $4 kombini bento feels like a $13 burrito or Cava bowl when on a Japanese salary. Japan only appears cheap if you earn in USD, GBP, and Euros. For most Japanese households, costs have risen higher than salaries [1][2] and they are now facing inflation due to tourist spending [7][8][9]. It also doesn't help that the median household income in Japan is around $25,000…

> Japan’s minimum wage ($6.68 an hour) is similar to America’s ($7.25).

Now try actually hiring anyone at $7.25 an hour.

Not to mention most states have their own minimum wage at over $10.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#228

Post by GeoAtreides »

FeloniousHam wrote: post #178
dv_dt wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Protests come when people are pushed into a corner with little other choice. Participation is more prevalent when people have free time in their lives. Our economics has systematically squeezed free time out in favor of more work to most of our workforce, and particularly hard for young people. One reason so many local city policies favor the old, is that they're retired and have the time to participate

When in American history have we had more free time for civic participation?

around May, 1886

and a lot more after

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#229

Post by nobodyandproud »

milkytron wrote: post #15

I serve as a planning commissioner for my city, and my city just recently tried to overhaul our zoning code to allow for more affordability and better economic outcomes for our citizens and future as a city. Here is what I have learned: In the US, few people participate or care about local laws, zoning, and elections, or even understand why participation may be important. In a citizen ballot to determine if we should…

I’ll add that I don’t even know how to paricipate; or likely would if I did (inconvenient times, dates).

This is no accident.

Edit: I’m not young, but I didn’t grow up with any sort of privilege.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#230

Post by sharts »

dv_dt wrote: post #58
milkytron wrote: post #15

I serve as a planning commissioner for my city, and my city just recently tried to overhaul our zoning code to allow for more affordability and better economic outcomes for our citizens and future as a city. Here is what I have learned: In the US, few people participate or care about local laws, zoning, and elections, or even understand why participation may be important. In a citizen ballot to determine if we should…

Protests come when people are pushed into a corner with little other choice. Participation is more prevalent when people have free time in their lives. Our economics has systematically squeezed free time out in favor of more work to most of our workforce, and particularly hard for young people. One reason so many local city policies favor the old, is that they're retired and have the time to participate

Protests are also largely useless.
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