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America, Stop Moving West

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Re: America, Stop Moving West

#31

Post by exporectomy »

She doesn't actually make any logical arguments for her conclusions except contradicting herself. Triple the risk of drought in a place that's already a desert? Obviously drought isn't a can't-live-there problem. Even Miami is getting a sea wall to protect it. Increased this and more of that? How much more? Enough that people won't live there or not enough to matter or enough to be worth the lower real estate prices?

Also people move to places to live there today, not suffer a bad life just so their house will be worth more in 50 years.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#32

Post by hamburgerwah »

This has to be one of the sillier things I've ever seen. Highlighted in the article is Phoenix arizona in Maricopa County which is one of the most responsibly managed metropolitan areas in the country if not the world.

More than 50% of the power derived from nuclear at Palos Verdes just 45 miles from the city which evaporates wastewater to drive turbines and provide cooling. Another 14% from solar. Plumbed grey water throughout 80% of the metropolitan area. Per-capita water used declined by 20% over the past 40 years. Net groundwater contributor with 100 year plan for water usage anticipating drought conditions. This is actually the picture of a sustainable metropolitan area with low taxes and high quality of life.

Meanwhile the author lives in a city (somerville, ma) which routinely dumps its sewage and into the nearest rivers, in a part of the country that burns diesel to stay warm for months out of the year and where without a precision engineered weather suit between dec and may you will die from just being outside.

I'm not saying 118 is for everyone but if you have shade you won't die. Just comically out of touch.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#33

Post by zzzzzzzza »

jdavis703 wrote: post #4
cratermoon wrote: post #3

Or south: Texas from the Gulf Coast to the Hill Country, New Orleans, Miami...

The article calls out Austin and Miami as risky places to move. It should probably be called “Americans, stop moving out of the north east.”

i dont think they thought it through very well... more gulf coast heat = more water for austin

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#34

Post by mjevans »

nyokodo wrote: post #5

> How did we become so divorced from reality? Before criticizing those seeking a better life in questionable directions first ask why are they motivated to do so in the first place? This pattern predates COVID, what is the problem in the North East that is causing people to move south west? Answer that and you might have a clue as to why the migration is happening and what to do about it.

A missing future.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

Shelter, rent out of control, let alone a house that might be within reach of purchase, is economic insanity. We don't usually think about shortage of food, water, and comfortable temperature; within the US anyway. Not if someone has even a basic job.

Housing also builds to the safety and security aspect.

Relationships, a sense of belonging, I've found it very difficult knowing that I'll move because I rent, there's seemingly no point to investing in anything resembling a sense of community, let alone personal relationships. Esteem is a related issue, as is self fulfillment.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#35

Post by Tiktaalik »

> Though real estate investment groups are often blamed for the lack of affordable housing, the real problem is restrictive building laws — especially in desirable, liberal, and highly regulated cities.

> The above-listed places are cheap because they have lots of land and few regulations...

Being clear here there's a difference between what "building more housing" means in SF, Seattle etc, that is, densifying existing detached homes and creating a compact city, and what is means in Vegas, Phoenix and other places, which is unsustainable, endless, automobile dependent sprawl. The former a much more politically challenging thing as it means pushing back against the "American Dream" of a detached home and white picket fence. Adding yet another house on the edge is of course quite easy.

This sprawl is part of what is driving the doom of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix. Woefully inefficient sprawl, absurdly large highways and countless CO2 emitting cars.

I'm sure electric cars will help, but it's gonna be a tough transition to there and the energy needs will be incredible. What really needs to happen is to stop sprawling and rebuild these cities, but who knows if the genie can be put back into the bottle there.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#36

Post by mempko »

hamburgerwah wrote: post #32

This has to be one of the sillier things I've ever seen. Highlighted in the article is Phoenix arizona in Maricopa County which is one of the most responsibly managed metropolitan areas in the country if not the world. More than 50% of the power derived from nuclear at Palos Verdes just 45 miles from the city which evaporates wastewater to drive turbines and provide cooling. Another 14% from solar. Plumbed grey water…

Highest eviction rates in the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qf0dv6jjE

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#37

Post by sjg007 »

LargeWu wrote: post #25
filmgirlcw wrote: post #11

> For the climate-friendly but less glamorous northern cities like Albany, Worcester, and Pittsburg, a successful marketing campaign could make them the climate-proof cities of the future. Putting aside any of the climate change arguments, suggesting that successful marketing could make Albany a “city of the future” is absurd. I don’t know what you would have to pay me to be willing to live in Albany, ever, let alone…

"if I’m going to have to live in a shithole, I’d rather be in Michigan or Minnesota" Minnesota is a shithole? As a Minneapolis resident for 20 years now, that's news to me.

Sshhh keep it a secret.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#38

Post by bavell »

spoonjim wrote: post #24
v0x wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article repeatedly calls out Miami for being the hottest city in the country. I've never been to Miami, but it looks like averages in the 70s and 80s year-round. I'd take that any day over having to put up with the blizzards, shoveling snow off my driveway and car, etc. that I did in Omaha.

Miami is sickeningly hot in the summer, regardless of what the numbers say.

It's the humidity that makes it so bad. You're basically sweating after a few minutes outside, even at 80-85F.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#39

Post by adamvalve »

hamburgerwah wrote: post #32

This has to be one of the sillier things I've ever seen. Highlighted in the article is Phoenix arizona in Maricopa County which is one of the most responsibly managed metropolitan areas in the country if not the world. More than 50% of the power derived from nuclear at Palos Verdes just 45 miles from the city which evaporates wastewater to drive turbines and provide cooling. Another 14% from solar. Plumbed grey water…

If you move to Phoenix now and plan to live in your house for 30 years, then you are going to have a bad time because Phoenix will be unlivable if there aren’t drastic measures put in place. 118 is the ceiling now. Not the ceiling forever.

Re: America, Stop Moving West

#40

Post by sjg007 »

jcims wrote: post #2

You can move west without moving to a desert. I’m in San Diego for a bit. It’s been in the low 70’s and climate control consists of opening or closing the windows. Meanwhile back home in the midwest I’m trying to coordinate someone to be at my house while the HVAC folks replace the compressor in my heat pump. I was going to wait until we got back but the temps are getting so high we’re concerned our fish are going to…

Technically San Diego is in a desert.
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