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Streetcars - the true end of suburbia begins

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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby mos6507 » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 12:04:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', '
')My discussion with you regarding this subject matter is over.

good bye


Sheesh.

[flash width=425 height=344]http://www.youtube.com/v/VDW0ZnZxjn4&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby mos6507 » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 12:07:12

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', '
')Having said that NO light rail system in the USA, not even the busiest, carries even the equivalent of a single lane of traffic on a busy freeway.


Do you expect this to remain the case when gas is $10 a gallon?

Oh, right, we're all going to just throw in the towel and live in capsule apartments rather than resort to the indignity of getting on a train.
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby shortonoil » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 12:13:33

mos6507 said:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')That's a rather sweeping genearlization. The state still has a very small population, like 1/10th that of MA.


Yes it is a very small state (about 550,00 last time I looked) but I lived there for almost half a century, and a great number of them I know personally. It is not a sweeping generalization, it is an observation made on the spot, and made over a very, very long period of time.

It should have seceded in 1975.
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby EnergyUnlimited » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 12:24:57

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', '
')Much of Vermont is now primarily an aging Yuppie land of NYC escapees. Like the rest of the nation, it has drunk deep from the progress jug of KoolAid. It will be no haven for the dramatic decline that is on the horizon.

It is a federal policy that all the states will solidarly face a ruin. :(
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby MarkJ » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 13:06:30

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MarkJ', 'T')hese zoning laws and deed restrictions also prevent developers from using large tracts of undeveloped acreage, farmland and wooded land for high density developments.

They are doing a really bad job of it, then. Where do you think the exurbs came from?

Here is an example of a recent controversy: link


I'm taking about my region. What we call The Suburbs or Rural is minutes from cities, towns, villages, shopping, employment etc.

We generally don't have exburban housing developments in my region. Distant homes are generally second homes, camps, vacation homes or ski homes.

The California market has crazy real estate prices to begin with, I couldn't imagine paying big bucks for an exburban home, then commuting so far to work
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby MarkJ » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 13:40:48

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')uch of Vermont is now primarily an aging Yuppie land of NYC escapees. Like the rest of the nation, it has drunk deep from the progress jug of KoolAid. It will be no haven for the dramatic decline that is on the horizon.


We've had similar issues in the Adirondack Region of Upstate New York. Developers, builders, speculators, Downstate, out-of-state, local upper middle class and wealthy buyers really pushed the prices of land, housing and rents out-of-reach for many locals. My lakefront properties quadrupled in price in less than 10 years. Suburban and rural land, homes and rentals in tourist areas or near the tech and industrial parks skyrocketed as well.



$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')url=http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/jul/23/0723_housing/]Report: Homes Harder To Find[/url]

CAPITAL REGION — Finding affordable housing is becoming harder as real estate prices rise in the Capital Region, according to a new state report.

Second-home purchases in the rural counties north and south of the Schenectady-Albany-Troy area are among reasons prices are higher, even as inner cities continue to struggle with difficult housing issues, the report found.

“Housing affordability was the common issue raised at each of the region’s focus group meetings,” states the Capital District Regional Report prepared by the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal.

The report looks at housing trends in Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Greene and Columbia counties.

Based on comments, there’s a concern that high-tech jobs brought in by the Tech Valley economic development initiatives will push housing prices higher, to the detriment of people needing low- and moderate-income housing.

“The influx of people with higher income levels is going to push up housing prices and rentals,” VanAmerongen said.

Particularly in Saratoga and Warren counties, people from outside the region are also buying second or seasonal homes, paying prices that make housing less affordable for year-round residents

“We’ve always had programs for low-income people, but we are needing to develop more programs for work force housing,” VanAmerongen said.

Jason Kemper, the Saratoga County planning director, said affordable housing is an issue in some parts of the county, but second-home purchases and speculation associated with Tech Valley and the Luther Forest Technology Campus aren’t the only reasons.

Low taxes and good schools also attract people to communities in Saratoga County, and that pressures housing prices higher, he noted.

“This isn’t something that started in the last two years,” Kemper said. “Other counties are losing population and Saratoga County is gaining population.”

While there’s upward price pressure in Saratoga and other rural areas, the state report notes the struggles of Schenectady, Albany and Troy.

“Each of the Tri-Cities has much lower home ownership rates and higher poverty levels than found in the balance of their respective counties,” the report states. “The Tri-Cities have higher vacancy rates, an abundance of abandoned buildings and impoverished neighborhoods.”


Not looking too good for the tri-cities, their tax base, sellers, landlords, apartment dwellers and people with low incomes, limited credit, limited savings, assets and investments.
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby Javaman » Sat 23 Aug 2008, 13:47:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', 't')o: Javaman

Lets get straight to the point.
Are you trying to say we're going to be driving an average of 15,000 miles / year post peak?
Because that's the average right now in America.


Are you talking 1, 5, 10, 20 or 30 years post-peak?

Are you trying to say we should all be driving zero miles per year post-peak?
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby mos6507 » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 00:03:48

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', '
')Yes it is a very small state (about 550,00 last time I looked) but I lived there for almost half a century, and a great number of them I know personally. It is not a sweeping generalization, it is an observation made on the spot, and made over a very, very long period of time.

It should have seceded in 1975.


IMHO, if you think Vermont is a lost cause, then I don't know where else you'd feel more at home. You can't just custom-order the social makeup of your neighbors.
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby TreebeardsUncle » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 01:19:14

So, when does suburbia begin to go into decline.

Looks like there could be at least 20 years before there is much of a change in California.
g
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby cube » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 01:34:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TreebeardsUncle', 'S')o, when does suburbia begin to go into decline.

Looks like there could be at least 20 years before there is much of a change in California.
g
I used to live in California, that place is FUBAR.

I can't speak for the suburbs but the "exurbs" are collapsing right now as we speak.
Every time you watch the news and hear about things like home foreclosures and copper pipe thieves chances are they're talking about the exurbs.

It is "the edge" of the system that collapses first. :twisted:
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby emersonbiggins » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 19:54:13

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')If you happen to live and work close to a rail line, congratulations, you won the lottery. Those who must live and work elsewhere are subsidizing your ride, since for them it's almost always cheaper and faster to simply drive, yet they are still paying taxes to build and support a system that saves them no time, no money and very little fuel.


Rail, a system that encourages dense development around station nodes, cannot be blamed for not serving areas outside of its transitshed, and especially areas that developed around the dispersed scale of the automobile. That being said, ridership numbers within a particular corridor can often exceed 15-20%, sometimes as high as 40% [Rosslyn-Ballston Metrorail corridor - Washington D.C.], meaning that many single-occupant cars will have been taken off the road in the interim, making your commute a bit shorter. Is this not a benefit for you?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '(')Did you ever find out the actual, real-world mileage of an FM330 truck carrying 20,000 pounds of payload?)


Nope.
"It's called the American Dream because you'd have to be asleep to believe it."

George Carlin
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby cube » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 20:32:35

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')If you happen to live and work close to a rail line, congratulations, you won the lottery. Those who must live and work elsewhere are subsidizing your ride, since for them it's almost always cheaper and faster to simply drive, yet they are still paying taxes to build and support a system that saves them no time, no money and very little fuel.
That being said, ridership numbers within a particular corridor can often exceed 15-20%, sometimes as high as 40% [Rosslyn-Ballston Metrorail corridor - Washington D.C.], meaning that many single-occupant cars will have been taken off the road in the interim, making your commute a bit shorter. Is this not a benefit for you?
ouch....good point!
emersonbiggins +1
I think this thread has reached a point where the amount of "quality information" relative to "total information" has degenerated significantly.
some people:
1) made really good points
2) I have no idea what the hell they're trying to get at
3) have given up on having a serious discussion

if [ 1 / (1+2+3) < 50% ] {
time to leave :roll:
}
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby emersonbiggins » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 22:02:44

Agreed, signal-to-noise ratio is getting quite low in here, no small thanks to people like myself at times. It's probably time to let this one die.
"It's called the American Dream because you'd have to be asleep to believe it."

George Carlin
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby cube » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 22:51:21

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', 'A')greed, signal-to-noise ratio is getting quite low in here, no small thanks to people like myself at times. It's probably time to let this one die.
Actually I found your posts useful.
I won't name any names but it's getting obvious that some people here have basically given up on having a serious discussion.
I think in the beginning everybody was putting an honest effort into trying to add something useful but after that it was all downhill.

I totally agree it's best to let this thread die.....
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby shortonoil » Sun 24 Aug 2008, 23:05:30

mos6507 said:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou can't just custom-order the social makeup of your neighbors.


There was no customizing necessary, it had already been there, for - 300 years!
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby TreebeardsUncle » Mon 25 Aug 2008, 01:16:32

Maybe this thread should be retitled: the decline of suburbis or maybe a separate thread on transportation modes should be pulled out. There could be a cars versus trains and/or light rail or a car pooling investigation thread. Of course, transportation modalities are essential in discussing suburban development. It is very clear that they live and die according to the availability of cheap long-distance automobile transportation.
Also, one needs to discriminate between exurbia, middle suburbia, and inner ring auto-centric surbia as well as street car versus auto-oriented suburbia. Need to discriminate in terms of the near (less than 5 years out), middle term (5 to 50 years out), and long-term (centuries out) transformations that are likely to occur.
g
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby Javaman » Mon 25 Aug 2008, 11:32:25

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')If you happen to live and work close to a rail line, congratulations, you won the lottery. Those who must live and work elsewhere are subsidizing your ride, since for them it's almost always cheaper and faster to simply drive, yet they are still paying taxes to build and support a system that saves them no time, no money and very little fuel.


Rail, a system that encourages dense development around station nodes, cannot be blamed for not serving areas outside of its transitshed, and especially areas that developed around the dispersed scale of the automobile. That being said, ridership numbers within a particular corridor can often exceed 15-20%, sometimes as high as 40% [Rosslyn-Ballston Metrorail corridor - Washington D.C.], meaning that many single-occupant cars will have been taken off the road in the interim, making your commute a bit shorter. Is this not a benefit for you?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '(')Did you ever find out the actual, real-world mileage of an FM330 truck carrying 20,000 pounds of payload?)


Nope.


Most metro area residents in a large city do not live or work downtown or near a rail line, so any transit-induced reduction in congestion, real or imagined, does not benefit most of them. They might travel downtown, occasionally, to see a ball game or hear a concert, but these events are usually at night or weekends when traffic is much lighter. They are probably traveling two or more to a car, too.

And if you can't provide any reliable info on the fuel mileage of a particular delivery truck, how can you claim that it saves any fuel?
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Re: Streetcars - the true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby gwmss15 » Mon 25 Aug 2008, 12:56:44

"Most metro area residents in a large city do not live or work downtown or near a rail line, so any transit-induced reduction in congestion, real or imagined, does not benefit most of them. They might travel downtown, occasionally, to see a ball game or hear a concert, but these events are usually at night or weekends when traffic is much lighter. They are probably traveling two or more to a car, too."

This is crap I can name a number of large cities that have huge numbers of people commuting in from outer areas into the innercity/CBD area for work and shopping.

Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Singapore, KL, Bangkok all have massive numbers travelling into the innercity at peak times. All the mass transport in theses cities have intensive city bound mass transport services. some of these cities it can be upto 60% of all work is in the innercity requiring mass transport commutes.

In fact in all of these cities you have trouble finding a reasonably priced condo within 15 km of the centre/innercity. All the cities i have lived and worked in have had very busy and popular inner city cores and older innercity suburbs that are very expensive to rent or buy in.

Therefore any upgrade to outer suburban to innercity mass transport links will make life easier for outer suburban people getting to work and study etc. Plus these mass transport upgrades save massive amounts of OIL and CO2 etc from people not going by private car.
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby Plantagenet » Mon 25 Aug 2008, 13:06:07

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')
Most metro area residents in a large city do not live or work downtown or near a rail line, so any transit-induced reduction in congestion, real or imagined, does not benefit most of them.


Thats why we have to build more rail lines.
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Re: The true end of suburbia begins

Unread postby mos6507 » Mon 25 Aug 2008, 14:41:51

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')Most metro area residents in a large city do not live or work downtown or near a rail line, so any transit-induced reduction in congestion, real or imagined, does not benefit most of them.


Thats why we have to build more rail lines.


Change is going to come. There is plenty of dysfunctionality across the board, whether you are talking about the burbs, the city, cars, and rail. Everything can be improved. You don't necessarily have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

If enough people want to stay in the burbs, there will be attempts to make it more sustainable. If enough people move to the city, there will be attempts to make it less of a sh*thole when they get there. It doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. Time will tell how it turns out.
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