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Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

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Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#461

Post by wat10000 »

tptacek wrote: post #108
RHSeeger wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody I know would call that street the city. In my mind, "the city" is, minimally, houses that are a few feet apart, small yard in back/front, pretty much nothing on the side. Frequently, it's 2-3 story buildings, with whole floors rented out as an apartment. That's my "least dense" vision of a city. Anything less than that (ie, full yards) falls into my vision of suburb.

That street is basically identical to most of the city of Chicago. The only difference is fewer 2-flats. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9301849,-87.7195955,3a,75y,3...

Those houses are more densely packed than in what I'd call a suburb. And much more importantly, nothing in that area is more than a few blocks from some sort of commerce. Suburbia (at least in the US) isn't so much about the houses themselves, but what's around them. I'm in one of those "streetcar suburbs" and the nearest store is a mile away and the bus comes every 20 minutes. I could get by without a car but it would be very annoying. You might find a fairly similar set of houses in the nearby city, but they'll be near a lot of stuff and living without a car would be far more practical.

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#463

Post by owenversteeg »

I think the key is to keep things as low-effort as possible for both the organizers and the guests. One good way is to have some sort of recurring event, say movie night or drinks or whatever, happen every X day, with no coordination or input needed, just show up. Another is to live close enough together that people bump into each other and just start doing things. Even the smallest amount of planning/coordinating/etc is friction, and friction will eventually stop anything.

When you start to look at the bigger picture - relationships, aging, childcare, morals, help for the needy, etc - you realize you just want to reconstruct a mildly religious community from the pre-industrial age.

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#464

Post by CalRobert »

alistairSH wrote: post #397
CalRobert wrote: post #384

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Offering to make them multimillionaires in exchange for the land so you can build apartments should work

Except for the neighbors who will likely block that apartment build-out via any means possible.

Indeed, that’s the nimbys

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#465

Post by nullc »

winkeltripel wrote: post #278
kortilla wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But there is usually a code with some app and all of the social aspects have been removed. It’s not much different than being a higher scale realtor key box.

Well, if a guest gives off a dangerous vibe, the clerk can make judgement call.

the quote discounts that read:

> with a feeling of no personal responsibility about our private affairs

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#466

Post by CalRobert »

throwway120385 wrote: post #436
alistairSH wrote: post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except for the neighbors who will likely block that apartment build-out via any means possible.

Do they actually do that here, or are you just saying that?

They do that everywhere!

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#467

Post by Nullabillity »

marcosdumay wrote: post #424
ghaff wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't but the idea that a local store owner wouldn't give me if I were to give off a "dangerous vibe" would be somewhat concerning. But maybe I have ancestry etc. where I just don't give off that vibe. More generally, I guess I'm just pretty used to lodging where a delayed flight doesn't mean I can't get in.

> but the idea that a local store owner wouldn't give me if I were to give off a "dangerous vibe" would be somewhat concerning If the person had a history at denying the keys at random for no good reason, people wouldn't trust them with the keys anymore. Anyway, it's way more likely that they would call the home owner instead of just denying. People are mostly reasonable.

> People are mostly reasonable.

People recently voted Trump into office.

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#468

Post by tptacek »

amendegree wrote: post #457
tptacek wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in an inner-ring suburb of Chicago (Oak Park) and stoop coffee would be much easier to do here than in San Francisco (where I lived many years ago). This is what my suburb looks like: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9014246,-87.791197,3a,75y,17...

Lol this is the most chicago looking chicago that has ever chicagoed. I clicked the link before really registering the comment, and was confused why I was looking at a random Chicago neighborhood. While I do like the way chicago neighborhoods are set up (especially the space between houses and general greenery) I think the compactness that SF has creates more opportunity for interaction. That being said, we did have…

I mean, morally, Oak Park should be a part of Chicago.

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#469

Post by tptacek »

wat10000 wrote: post #461
tptacek wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That street is basically identical to most of the city of Chicago. The only difference is fewer 2-flats. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9301849,-87.7195955,3a,75y,3...

Those houses are more densely packed than in what I'd call a suburb. And much more importantly, nothing in that area is more than a few blocks from some sort of commerce. Suburbia (at least in the US) isn't so much about the houses themselves, but what's around them. I'm in one of those "streetcar suburbs" and the nearest store is a mile away and the bus comes every 20 minutes. I could get by without a car but it wou…

Nothing in Oak Park is more than a few blocks from a commercial zone either.

Re: Stoop Coffee: A simple idea transformed my neighborhood

#470

Post by wat10000 »

tptacek wrote: post #469
wat10000 wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those houses are more densely packed than in what I'd call a suburb. And much more importantly, nothing in that area is more than a few blocks from some sort of commerce. Suburbia (at least in the US) isn't so much about the houses themselves, but what's around them. I'm in one of those "streetcar suburbs" and the nearest store is a mile away and the bus comes every 20 minutes. I could get by without a car but it wou…

Nothing in Oak Park is more than a few blocks from a commercial zone either.

Yeah, I wouldn't call that a suburb either for practical purposes. It would be one by the definition of "small city near big city," but in terms of how it functions it looks like city to me.
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