tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159479.post112412690271214143..comments2023-10-10T03:39:50.342-05:00Comments on A Little Urbanity: Giving homebuyers what they want -- a sense of securityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159479.post-1124223514187979502005-08-16T15:18:00.000-05:002005-08-16T15:18:00.000-05:00My wife and I continue to have the discussion of w...My wife and I continue to have the discussion of what type of neighborhood is "safer" for kids to live and play. She thinks our cul-de-sac neighborhoods are better since there's only one way in and out. However I grew up in a traditional urban neighborhood with a grid based street pattern and though there was a decent amount of traffic, the roads were narrower and not as conducive to high speed and big rushes to get out of the neighborhood. Living in isolation creates its own issues and has definitely limits opportunities to be a significant part of the community.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159479.post-1124207532147422032005-08-16T10:52:00.000-05:002005-08-16T10:52:00.000-05:00The problem of cherry picking benefits without giv...The problem of cherry picking benefits without giving back to the community is particularly acute in cities like New York, where residents pay a local income tax and commuters don't, and it is even worse in DC, where residents pay district taxes and commuters pay nothing (in New York you at least have to pay the state tax on your earned income even if you live in Connecticut). The security thing is ridiculous. Our cities (and everywhere else) are getting safer and safer and yet public perception is the opposite (though I have to say, I would kind of want a $20 deadbolt in my new home even though I am not concerned by crime . . . I didn't think that was a very good example). It is also troubling that people want more and more space. From an environmental standpoint, a family of 4 just does not need 4000 sf.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159479.post-1124165467696981302005-08-15T23:11:00.000-05:002005-08-15T23:11:00.000-05:00I can't say I like the new-urbanish, cutesy little...I can't say I like the new-urbanish, cutesy little planned towns... I guess the intent is to feel like you know everyone and know everything works the way it should (as it's been carefully planned by a development company), but it just feels fake.<BR/><BR/>Here's my example: I live in Northern Florida between semesters at UNCG, and along the Walton County coastline you have at least 4 or 5 of these planned communities. The first was <A HREF="http://www.seasidefl.com/" REL="nofollow">Seaside</A>, which you may remember from <I>The Truman Show</I>; it's exactly like the movie, everything is perfect, and the people that run it make sure it stays that way.<BR/>Where there used to be "natural" cute beach towns around it though, developers have come in and bulldozed everything to create similar communities, and as you drive down 30-A, the highway through there, everything just feels so... fake.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure the tourists who come and rent the places out for a week or two and spend their entire vacation funds just in these towns don't mind, nor do the developers taking their money, but in the process of trying to create charm, they've destroyed everything people used to love the area for.<BR/><BR/>It's not exactly the same scenario here, and faux-charm may be better than no charm, but I'd still personally prefer a community that has evolved rather than one that an urban planner in New York dreamed up.Ryan Radfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02123686511132971319noreply@blogger.com