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MC General Chat

TheSuitBurnsBetter

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I have no personal experience with this (if you do please correct me if I'm wrong) but my understanding is in Tokyo, housing is purposefully built cheaply and abundantly so that it can constantly be knocked down and rebuilt. Keeps it both relatively affordable and is a good source of construction jobs.
 

ValidusLA

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I have no personal experience with this (if you do please correct me if I'm wrong) but my understanding is in Tokyo, housing is purposefully built cheaply and abundantly so that it can constantly be knocked down and rebuilt. Keeps it both relatively affordable and is a good source of construction jobs.

This is true. Its all dezoned, de regulated, and free market. Politics would have to change markedly in American urban centers for this to be a possibility.

Example: my brother is an architect who is currently leading a project for a dev in Los Angeles contracted by numerous local cities to create low income housing. Because of regulations, ADA, code etc the build cost of a unit is around 600k. These are no SFHs mind. The average cost of an SFH in LA county is 725k or so (i belive - could be working on old numbers there).

Side point re: urban vs suburban. The whole point of a decently placed suburb is you can easily access rhe facilities of the urban center without living in it. The (nice) LA suburbs can all easily do this.
 

mak1277

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Side point re: urban vs suburban. The whole point of a decently placed suburb is you can easily access rhe facilities of the urban center without living in it. The (nice) LA suburbs can all easily do this.

What do you consider "easy" access? How long does it take to get from the nice LA 'burbs into the city?
 

ValidusLA

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What do you consider "easy" access? How long does it take to get from the nice LA 'burbs into the city?

Depends on time of day. Going to a restaurant on the before times on a Friday evening? Maybe 35 minutes.

I went to high school just west of downtown and grew up in Pasadena. With morning traffic 40 minutes in, unless I was going to early lifting at 6AM in which case 20-25. 30 minutes home.

Ktown and Little Tokyo also easily accessible via dif routes.

I will say I grew up in Southern part of Pasadena and now live in far north. Adds to time. If I lived where I grew up would be closer to 20-25 to get downtown.
 

dieworkwear

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Richard Sennett has written a lot about what he calls an "open city," which is basically a place that's noisy, chaotic, and very diverse. It's a place with essentially zero zoning regulations. I've always found the idea interesting and compelling. He's given a ton of talks about this, which you can look up on YouTube, and has written many papers. Can link one, if people are interested.

Personally would like to live in a place that's walkable. No need for a car; can rely on just walking or public transportation. A place that's culturally diverse. And has affordable housing. Want commercial centers on top of living centers. Want weirdos in the city, not driven out. Fewer concerns about "safety" and uniformity.

Cities in America have become less like cities, in this way. They've not only become more expensive, which is driving out diversity, but there are more regulations that are stamping out any interesting activity. Housing is ridiculously expensive, and all so you can live next to the same cheese and wine shops.
 

TheSuitBurnsBetter

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If there's one thing I've realized in my old age, it's that three subjects that make online conversations deteriorate drastically are schools, housing, and the continued existence of Los Angeles. We all sure we want to do this? Wouldn't we all rather have a nice pleasant discussion about synthetic fabrics?

shoe throw.gif
 

Nobilis Animus

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Sorry, but I appreciate fewer actual weirdos in any city. That's why I flee the suburbs. ;)

As much as the zoning and building regulations are a nightmare where I live, I have to say that we've been seeing distinct improvements over the years. Modern housing, greener spaces, and clean places to eat and shop instead of dumpy little strip malls and shady businesses.

A lot of this is probably driven by how few people are able to afford their own house these days, which means city improvements are on the rise.
 

ValidusLA

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When I lived near downtown I experienced people running by my building brandishing axes, street preachers and other insane rantings at all hours, and much other general weirdness.

The weirdos at my house include a gray fox who lives under a bush and runs on my roof at night, a bear that visits and breaks my persimmon tree, a bobcat who stops by every once in a while, and some screech owls that live in my neighbors 100 year old oak. All while being 30-35 minutes from downtown dining.
 

Nobilis Animus

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I have very bad news for you, about you.

Oh, you don't know the half of it. But that's why I need them gone - there can be only one!!!
 

dieworkwear

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When I lived near downtown I experienced people running by my building brandishing axes, street preachers and other insane rantings at all hours, and much other general weirdness.

The weirdos at my house include a gray fox who lives under a bush and runs on my roof at night, a bear that visits and breaks my persimmon tree, a bobcat who stops by every once in a while, and some screech owls that live in my neighbors 100 year old oak. All while being 30-35 minutes from downtown dining.

I don't have a problem with other people wanting to live different lifestyles, or have different needs regarding schooling, safety, etc. As someone mentioned earlier, different people have different personalities and needs.

But it feels like cities are now turning into suburbs. Everything is now a suburb, or different degrees of it. And the people who want to live in urban cities have nowhere to go. The best you can do is move somewhere and hope that diversity and urban culture spring up there within your lifetime.

The Bay Area increasingly feels like a Google complex.
 

Nobilis Animus

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When I lived near downtown I experienced people running by my building brandishing axes, street preachers and other insane rantings at all hours, and much other general weirdness.

The weirdos at my house include a gray fox who lives under a bush and runs on my roof at night, a bear that visits and breaks my persimmon tree, a bobcat who stops by every once in a while, and some screech owls that live in my neighbors 100 year old oak. All while being 30-35 minutes from downtown dining.

Every city is different. Toronto has odd boundaries for its neighbourhoods, but a lot of them are geographical. Ravines dividing things up, for example.

You're actually more likely to experience craziness further in the suburbs or on the peripheral areas of the city. Downtown by the water or the midtown areas are far better.
 

ValidusLA

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I mean...here in LA there has been a huge increase in urban apartment building in downtown. The problem is they are all egregiously expensive and half (or more) are developed at loss by foreign investment groups looking to park money.

Its harder to find a house in the suburbs of LA than a nice downtown apartment. It is, however, way easier to justify the cost of that suburban house.
 

ValidusLA

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Every city is different. Toronto has odd boundaries for its neighbourhoods, but a lot of them are geographical. Ravines dividing things up, for example.

You're actually more likely to experience craziness further in the suburbs or on the peripheral areas of the city. Downtown by the water or the midtown areas are far better.

Well that's cause you guys have little towns getting invaded by grizzlies and what not. In CA, the black bears are harmless (except to vegetation).

We killed our grizzlies. Manifest Destiny wheee!
 

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