Comments on: This Week in Livable Streets Events http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ian Turner http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-144521 Ian Turner Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:06:35 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-144521 Tom, Unoccupied housing costs a lot of money, I'm sure the owners are taking such a hit because they expect it to pay off soon. Real estate investors are notoriously impatient, so let's talk in 1-2 years time and see how much housing is unoccupied. Note that I'm not opposed to making the city a statutory renter of unoccupied housing stock. Cheers, --Ian Tom,

Unoccupied housing costs a lot of money, I’m sure the owners are taking such a hit because they expect it to pay off soon. Real estate investors are notoriously impatient, so let’s talk in 1-2 years time and see how much housing is unoccupied.

Note that I’m not opposed to making the city a statutory renter of unoccupied housing stock.

Cheers,

–Ian

]]> By: Tom http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-144361 Tom Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:17:59 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-144361 I said unoccupied. And if you don't turn a neighborhood into nothing but housing for the rich, then the rich won't come there. I said unoccupied. And if you don’t turn a neighborhood into nothing but housing for the rich, then the rich won’t come there.

]]> By: Ian Turner http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-143951 Ian Turner Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:54:49 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-143951 Tom, Rich people don't materialize out of nowhere; if they are moving into new buildings then they are vacating older ones. Adding housing stock is the only way to avert housing shortages; any housing plan that doesn't include the construction of lots of new housing is a war against reality, impossible to win. Tom,

Rich people don’t materialize out of nowhere; if they are moving into new buildings then they are vacating older ones. Adding housing stock is the only way to avert housing shortages; any housing plan that doesn’t include the construction of lots of new housing is a war against reality, impossible to win.

]]> By: Tom http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-143881 Tom Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:32:52 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-143881 Yeah, unoccupied housing for the super elite rich saves so much "suburban greenfields" that we almost have two new greenfields! And why not just kill anyone making less than $100,000 a year so they don't move elsewhere when Bloomy's landlord buddies kick them out. That would also mean more votes for the uber-rich! Yay! Winners! Yeah, unoccupied housing for the super elite rich saves so much “suburban greenfields” that we almost have two new greenfields! And why not just kill anyone making less than $100,000 a year so they don’t move elsewhere when Bloomy’s landlord buddies kick them out. That would also mean more votes for the uber-rich! Yay! Winners!

]]> By: Kaja http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-142631 Kaja Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:22:23 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-142631 Yeah, they were less cramped before they were all divided in half on the short axis during '60s renovations, destroying the spatiousness and the crossbreeze both. Floorthroughs are proper. Yeah, they were less cramped before they were all divided in half on the short axis during ’60s renovations, destroying the spatiousness and the crossbreeze both. Floorthroughs are proper.

]]> By: Mark Walker http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-142611 Mark Walker Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:30:25 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-142611 James Howard Kunstler agrees with you. But I find NY townhouses constricted and depressing. I prefer prewar apartment buildings of 10 to 15 stories, with spacious rooms and high ceilings. Elevators are nice when you have a heavy bag of groceries or someone is delivering a sofabed. James Howard Kunstler agrees with you. But I find NY townhouses constricted and depressing. I prefer prewar apartment buildings of 10 to 15 stories, with spacious rooms and high ceilings. Elevators are nice when you have a heavy bag of groceries or someone is delivering a sofabed.

]]> By: Kaja http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-142591 Kaja Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:44:39 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-142591 Does nobody here agree with me that New York City proper is too dense, that organic growth yields Brooklyn-scale neighborhoods, that skyscrapers belong in business districts, and that condo towers are awful? I live in a four-storey walkup brownstone on a treelined street and I think it's the ideal arrangement for human society. Manhattan's too damn dense. Does nobody here agree with me that New York City proper is too dense, that organic growth yields Brooklyn-scale neighborhoods, that skyscrapers belong in business districts, and that condo towers are awful?

I live in a four-storey walkup brownstone on a treelined street and I think it’s the ideal arrangement for human society. Manhattan’s too damn dense.

]]> By: vnm http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-142571 vnm Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:11:28 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-142571 Tom, I hope a million new condos were built in NYC. Such construction would have prevented the uprooting or chopping down of maybe tens of millions of trees to make way for housing in suburban greenfields. And the resulting housing would be transit-accessible. Housing growth in NYC is to be praised, and is probably a bigger environmental benefit than the million trees planted here. (Of which I've seen tons, by the way.) Tom, I hope a million new condos were built in NYC. Such construction would have prevented the uprooting or chopping down of maybe tens of millions of trees to make way for housing in suburban greenfields. And the resulting housing would be transit-accessible. Housing growth in NYC is to be praised, and is probably a bigger environmental benefit than the million trees planted here. (Of which I’ve seen tons, by the way.)

]]> By: Ian Turner http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-141981 Ian Turner Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:26:01 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-141981 Tom, I agree that there is a lot to complain about with respect to Bloomberg, but it's not enough to say "you can't vote for him because of x, y, and z". You have to look at the alternatives. Thompson is a jackass. Talen has a lot to commend him on the civil rights end of things, but his plans for development, housing, public health, crime, and public debt are alternatively dumb or nonexistant. I'm planning to vote for Bloomberg, and I'm pretty sure my sanity is not in question. Cheers, --Ian Tom,

I agree that there is a lot to complain about with respect to Bloomberg, but it’s not enough to say “you can’t vote for him because of x, y, and z”. You have to look at the alternatives. Thompson is a jackass. Talen has a lot to commend him on the civil rights end of things, but his plans for development, housing, public health, crime, and public debt are alternatively dumb or nonexistant. I’m planning to vote for Bloomberg, and I’m pretty sure my sanity is not in question.

Cheers,

–Ian

]]> By: BicyclesOnly http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-141881 BicyclesOnly Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:38:13 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-141881 Luckily, livable streets advocates can cast a guilt-free protest vote for <a href="http://voterevbilly.org/" rel="nofollow">Rev Billy.</a> Luckily, livable streets advocates can cast a guilt-free protest vote for Rev Billy.

]]> By: Tom http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/10/26/this-week-in-livable-streets-events-23/comment-page-1/#comment-141861 Tom Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:10:39 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=77391#comment-141861 I think it's insane to vote for Bloomberg just because we all love Janette Sadik-Khan. Term limits is a serious issue. Democracy is a serious issue. Buying the city is a serious issue. Police harassment of bicyclists is a serious issue. A million new trees? I haven't seen one. What I have seen is a million new condos. I think it’s insane to vote for Bloomberg just because we all love Janette Sadik-Khan. Term limits is a serious issue. Democracy is a serious issue. Buying the city is a serious issue. Police harassment of bicyclists is a serious issue. A million new trees? I haven’t seen one. What I have seen is a million new condos.

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