PeakOil is You
The end of the suburbs
Re: The end of the suburbs
by Keith_McClary » Wed 17 Jul 2013, 21:56:59
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('C8', 'W')hen the population of an area becomes too dominated by poor folks and minorities they tend to elect govt. office holders based on the candidates racial similarity to the population as the main criteria. This allows corruption to flourish as the mayors, city council people, etc. really don't have to worry about how bad they are- they are guaranteed a re-election due to their race and a thug campaign staff (if you don't believe this accusation see the film "Street Fight" about the ugly Newark campaign- both candidates were black but one wasn't "black enough".).
In the Good Old Days it was Irish, WASP, Italian, ...Facebook knows you're a dog.
-
Keith_McClary - Light Sweet Crude
- Posts: 7344
- Joined: Wed 21 Jul 2004, 03:00:00
- Location: Suburban tar sands
Re: The end of the suburbs
by C8 » Wed 17 Jul 2013, 22:47:16
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Keith_McClary', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('C8', 'W')hen the population of an area becomes too dominated by poor folks and minorities they tend to elect govt. office holders based on the candidates racial similarity to the population as the main criteria. This allows corruption to flourish as the mayors, city council people, etc. really don't have to worry about how bad they are- they are guaranteed a re-election due to their race and a thug campaign staff (if you don't believe this accusation see the film "Street Fight" about the ugly Newark campaign- both candidates were black but one wasn't "black enough".).
In the Good Old Days it was Irish, WASP, Italian, ...This is very true! I teach history so I am well aware of the political machine that dominated and exploited cities for decades (Tammany, etc.) Tweed seemed invincible for a long time as other bosses seemed. But reform did develop in the 1920's progressive movement and much of the worst excesses were weeded out by the 1960's. Believe it or not, cities were very functional for a long while (1940's-90's) and, for the most part, checks and balances increased greatly. I live near Dayton which was the birthplace of much reform for civic governance so I appreciate the hard work the progressives put in.
But it is a mistake to equate today's situation as the same as past city problems or dynamics. The problem now is the sheer size of the level of poverty in proportion to the rest of the inhabitants in the city. In the older days, there was a large middle class and even wealthy class that shared the city and provided a balancing element- maintaining a viable tax base from which to launch effective city services such as law enforcement, sanitation and parks.
That balance is lost in today's cities as money left for the burbs- Detroit is the most nightmarish example of a city left to fend for itself. There is a self-reinforcing dynamic- as the cities get worse, more folks flee who would have been the civic pillars- which in turn makes the cities worse. The suburbs are cutting off the income flow. City schools are undergoing massive staff cuts almost everywhere as the larger metro civic body abandons support (Google Philly's current school crisis for a perfect example), police and fire are being cut, property values are still declining, streets aren't repaired for years, people are robbed at bus stops.
I think it is a mistake to see the city winning out over the burbs in the future- I think the burbs will only grow in popularity as budget cuts lead to even more violence in cities. More and more businesses are moving to the burbs anyway so the whole commute thing isn't as strong an issue as it once was- in fact, it is people in the city who often have to commute to the burbs for jobs. More and more workers are renters who just move closer to their job when they get a new one in a new burb. The whole city/suburb set of assumptions is being upended. I see many cities reverting to third world status someday.
-
C8 - Heavy Crude
- Posts: 1074
- Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013, 09:02:48
Re: The end of the suburbs
by Plantagenet » Wed 17 Jul 2013, 22:54:52
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote(' ', ' ')When the suburbs die ...
I just don't see a universal pattern of suburbs dying. The situation is different from place to place.
For instance, some big cities are dying.....Detroit comes to mind. Some cities are surviving but whole districts in the city are dying due to crime and poverty.....Philly comes to mind, and murder central in South Chicago. But other cities are doing great.
Yes, some suburbs aren't doing so great but other suburbs are booming. For instance, the whole region around Washington DC has turned into a continuous wealthy belt of booming suburbs, which is continuing to grow and spread into Virginia.
I'm a big advocate for small cities....I like college towns with downtowns and bikepaths and nice restaurants, but without the crime and hassle of big cities. And a lot of them are doing very well, thank you very much.
------------
It seems to me its more about poverty. A wealthy city like DC has wealthy healthy suburbs, just like wealthy San Francisco has wealthy healthy Marin Country and the wealthy healthy Peninsula.
Meanwhile poor cities and poor, minority areas in cities and poor suburbs are all doing crappy. So what else is new.
The wealthy suburbs around DC are doing great
-
Plantagenet - Expert
- Posts: 26765
- Joined: Mon 09 Apr 2007, 03:00:00
- Location: Alaska (its much bigger than Texas).
