tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post9089230968733677998..comments2023-10-08T05:10:34.219-05:00Comments on Who am I? Why am I here?: Paradigm shift or incremental change?Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573358506904053791noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-20223511981556245812007-04-07T13:11:00.000-05:002007-04-07T13:11:00.000-05:00Wow, I never thought of that--McMansions divided i...Wow, I never thought of that--McMansions divided into apartments. Well, the housing bust may just bear that out, though it looks like the wealthy are not being touched by it so far so I guess the McMansions in those outer burbs will be the ones most touched by the subprime troubles.<BR/><BR/>That David Owen article is fascinating yet believable. Cars are such energy wasters yet such necessities in so many parts of this country. The book Crabgrass Frontier provides a great explication of why this didn't have to be so, why the assumption that the United States was destined to be sprawlland simply because we had a "frontier" was little related to the push for a car culture with roads everywhere. Instead, that was all attributable to the influence of the auto industry and suburban developers. Thanks guys!Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04573358506904053791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-52655453509003755482007-04-05T10:41:00.000-05:002007-04-05T10:41:00.000-05:00Yes, I too was wondering when some of these huge m...Yes, I too was wondering when some of these huge mansions will be subdivided into apartments, as happened in earlier eras. <BR/><BR/>Cities are surprisingly green! See "Green Manhattan" by David Owen, http://www.walkablestreets.com/manhattan.htm<BR/><BR/>I also read recently, in an article on small homes, that developers build larger because it's a way of maximizing profit with minimal input (into quality features).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-90314409614282940402007-04-04T16:57:00.000-05:002007-04-04T16:57:00.000-05:00Heh...I also just hate the tackiness of modern dev...Heh...I also just hate the tackiness of modern developments. I went to go see an apartment in "garden-style" complex in Arlington last week that was built in 2001 and it looked like crap - after 6 six years!!<BR/><BR/>I think a lot of the people who own those McMansions though are going to go through a world of hurt with the real estate market beginning to plummet - think dotcom bust - and then we'll await the next fad...perhaps it'll be carbon offsets.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17292460539114226605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-44189651467391460872007-04-04T13:50:00.000-05:002007-04-04T13:50:00.000-05:00Thanks Chris, and lucky me to have a newly-minted ...Thanks Chris, and lucky me to have a newly-minted eminent domain expert as a friend.Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04573358506904053791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-413455966779148512007-04-04T13:06:00.000-05:002007-04-04T13:06:00.000-05:00Great post Elaine. Towns are more than happy to al...Great post Elaine. Towns are more than happy to allow such zoning because it increases the tax base. The city of Lakewood, OH in 2002, in the hopes of turning a middle-class neighborhood into a commercial district with luxury condos changed their statutes so that any house without 3 bedrooms, an attached 2-car garage, and 2 bathrooms could be declared "blighted" and thus eligible for eminent domain takings. The city lost a referendum on the project by 39 votes. Changing the culture has to come from the bottom-up because the government will not effect such change.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17292460539114226605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-14772421927050270762007-04-03T16:50:00.000-05:002007-04-03T16:50:00.000-05:00Haha, "artillery"--whoops, you're totally right, B...Haha, "artillery"--whoops, you're totally right, Ben. I actually don't think when I write. Thanks :-) And thanks for weathering my writers block.Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04573358506904053791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-12868578022906981252007-04-03T16:20:00.000-05:002007-04-03T16:20:00.000-05:00Welcome back elaine!!! Good article. By the wa...Welcome back elaine!!! Good article. By the way, don't you mean artery/arterial roads?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com