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America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

theatlantic.com

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Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#431

Post by Gibbon1 »

tptacek wrote: post #425
Gibbon1 wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought of replying, thought better of it. But it's true that you can get a lot of density from low rise buildings. My old neighborhood of 100 year old two story town houses is about 18,000 people per square mile. Friends of mine with older kids just let them roll around the city. There's a lot to do. My take on the bad thing about sprawl and suburbs is the amount of time and driving needed to get to not sprawl and…

I don't understand. What would your reply have been? Rayiner posted an image from a high density part of Lakeview, which is an inner urban neighborhood of Chicago, about a mile further from the (significantly larger) commercial core of Chicago than 16th and Mission is from 2nd and Market. I could give you pictures of the same neighborhood with mixed 2-3 flats and single-family homes on streets with total tree canopy…

> What would your reply have been?

You will never know I guess.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#432

Post by souprock »

eitally wrote: post #226
stouset wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in a suburb and was bored shitless. I had one friend that lived within walking distance, and everyone else was too far away to get to without a car, which meant that I didn't get to see my friends unless it was convenient for one of my two parents (who both held full-time jobs). Cycling anywhere outside of the local neighborhood was out of the question, since the roads connecting neighborhoods were full of…

There is an alternative. Don't live in a big city! There are plenty of 2nd & 3rd tier cities where you can get both a house and land for a reasonable price and still have good schools and a vibrant cultural environment. Of course you won't have some things (international airport, professional sports teams, top rate museums), but you'll make up for it in "free" QoL for your family. I grew up in a city of 75,000, in a…

Eh, I kind of have all that, depending on where you draw the line for distance and seriousness. I'm in Brevard County, FL. So not counting Orlando? OK...

There is an international airport. It has seasonal flights to Ottawa, Toronto–Billy Bishop, and Windsor. Those are in Canada.

There is a professional sports team, the USSSA Pride women′s professional fast-pitch softball team. Another is the Brevard County Cocoa Expos, a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League.

There are top-rate museums. One has a Saturn V, a Space Shuttle, a Saturn 1B, the Apollo 14 Command Module, space suits, moon rocks, and related stuff. Another has the Gemini 2 spacecraft and a bunch of missiles. Another has spacesuits and Sigma 7, the fifth manned Mercury spacecraft.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#433

Post by nikanj »

stevenjgarner wrote: post #289
nikanj wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there jobs in that town? That seems to make or break a small town.

Yes there are jobs. I have clients in small towns all over the midwest and there are plenty of jobs in all those towns. It is so very hard to find employees willing to work! I think my point though is that given the nature of this HN space, most of the "readers" have the skills to work remotely from anywhere. Make yourself a valuable and treasured resource and employers will want you to work, even if it is over a con…

You can’t build a healthy community on ”clever people work remotely”

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#434

Post by peanutgal2600 »

lonelappde wrote: post #393
peanutgal2600 wrote: post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It exists if you want to find it. Hint: It doesn't exist inside of a startup's office space. I've been to 60 countries, and there's nowhere in the world that has SF's diversity of music, art, food, cultures, peoples, points of view, businesses, and climates. The underground warehouse scene is still alive and well, as is the underground/aboveground bdsm/sex scene, the world music scene, hip-hop, bluegrass, techno (ugh…

Considering how expensive underground warehouses are getting (to the point where only techies can afford those warehouse loft apartments, even the illegal ones), I find it hard to believe that the culture is thriving. Just look at what happened to Burning Man for an example. Now the art projects aren't built in SF by attendees and driven over they are purchased and imported.

The culture still thrives, but not how it was, for sure. The older guard of the tech community keeps it alive, but for the most part, the brogrammer wave we got hit with in 2007, when everybody "did social", definitely sucked the life out of the area.

One side effect is that you are a lot less likely to find out. Spaces I used to attend which were generally "if you can find it, you can come" now have guest lists and sometimes vouch lists with the intent of keeping the bros out.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#435

Post by hollerith »

wcfields wrote: post #415
dralley wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And, simultaneously, the removal of lead from gasoline

I don't know if this has ever been hypothesized, but HIV infection rates, and AIDS mortality among IV drug users in the 90's before the advent of medications?

Are you claiming that being infected with HIV makes a person more likely to commit crimes?

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#436

Post by 1stcity3rdcoast »

souprock wrote: post #157
1stcity3rdcoast wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally nothing you described is unique to a city. Have a lovely cynical life!

Much of it is unique to an urban city: the existence of a subway, the need to use one because there is no parking, the apartment (including kitchen) being small, the cost of food, the use of elevators, the people in tents. Much of the rest is in your statement of what to imagine: using a restaurant, not being in traffic.

Yes, I think we can agree that there are trade offs, as with everything in life. In a world of scarce resources, we all place different value in different things. I’m not lambasting your choices just as I’d expect you not to deride mine.

But on your last throw-in dig, that’s disingenuous. Poverty is not unique to large cities. I’ve lived in rural towns as small as 7,000 and poverty there is just as visible and acute.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#437

Post by dralley »

hollerith wrote: post #435
wcfields wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if this has ever been hypothesized, but HIV infection rates, and AIDS mortality among IV drug users in the 90's before the advent of medications?

Are you claiming that being infected with HIV makes a person more likely to commit crimes?

I think he's claiming that drug users are more likely to commit crimes, and (injectable) drug users caught HIV from sharing needles.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#438

Post by raducu »

Kalium wrote: post #121
raducu wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but realistically that money has to come from somewhere, I never considered that explicitly calling it a childless tax would be thought as punitive. Free childcare is why I don't think tax exemptions for parents actully work or are fair -- because low income people don't really benefit from it, the costs of raising children are pretty much fixed at a given age.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704187604576288... Fairness aside, the question of if it works seems reasonably well-studied. Among other things it can really decrease the disruption to someone's professional life from becoming a parent, which is something that leads a lot of people to delay or avoid doing so.

I'm all for free child care/free education, I was not saying that doesn't work, I know it helps a lot.

I was making the point that tax deductions don't work because poor people don't pay a lot of taxes and their tax deductions won't cover the costs of day care.

If we want to promote upwards mobility, free education is a must.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#439

Post by notzuck »

yason wrote: post #288
notzuck wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We both earn large professional salaries but decided to go to the suburbs for kids. We have 2 beaches within 20 minutes of us, we have parks, cinemas, out door water parks, outdoor pools, skate parks plus half an acre of garden and a big house where the kids can have a music room, a playroom, separate room for computer games and we get a very nice home office. I don't know why anyone would want to stay in the cramped…

We have 2 beaches within 20 minutes of us Walking or... driving?

Driving. We could move beachside but then that extra 40 mins each day adds too much to our commute (I go to the city / office 3 days per week). If I go 100% remote then I can live 30 seconds walk to the beach.

A 20 min drive is assuming a bit of traffic. It's not a big deal though. We are avid surfers and the kids go to "nippers" (Australian national club that gets kids into life saving and understanding the ocean).

As the kids get older, they will either drive themselves or they will get the bus to the beach if they want to hang out with their mates. The driving age here is 17 (that's when you can drive yourself). It's a semi rural area so driving or buses (good quality buses) are the norm.

When we liveed in Sydney, we used to live right next to the beach but the droves of people that come to visit ruin it a little. Where we live now, we don't get too many people coming this way other than locals which is awesome.

Re: America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births

#440

Post by notzuck »

alltakendamned wrote: post #274
notzuck wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We both earn large professional salaries but decided to go to the suburbs for kids. We have 2 beaches within 20 minutes of us, we have parks, cinemas, out door water parks, outdoor pools, skate parks plus half an acre of garden and a big house where the kids can have a music room, a playroom, separate room for computer games and we get a very nice home office. I don't know why anyone would want to stay in the cramped…

so forgive my ignorance as this might be a cultural difference, but why have separate rooms for each play function? I mean, isn't a play room and a computer game room and even a music room just overlapping ?

The music room has dampening mats on the walls to stop too much sound from escaping. It also has amps, drums, guitar stands etc. A purpose built room is awesome.

The second living room has darkened walls and tints on the windows. It has a project bolted to the ceiling and a screen that rolls down for movies, smash and mario kart (my kids are still young enough to think Nintendo are the only computer games :-)

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