[Culturechat] A washingtonpost.com article from: samovar9@aol.com

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 21:25:36 -0500

--=====================_39791727==.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Irv,

One of the points that jumped out from that article was that, in part due 
to the increased time and difficulty of the commute, the burbs are becoming 
more self-contained, ie, the businesses and services that folks can no 
longer get to in the cities start migrating to the burbs themselves. It's 
time, hassle and traffic stagnation (and its concomitant stress) that is 
causing this, not the cost or lack of gasoline. Here in the East the cost 
of housing in the near-NYC communities to a large degree is also driving 
it, so people settle farther and farther away from the workplace. 
Ironically, were that urbanization of the suburbs to continue [more local 
services, fewer trips to the cities], the gas guzzling could tail off 
before we run out, for some communities, anyway. This works better in dense 
states like here in Jersey with reasonably good rail facilities and where 
access to almost anything isn't too far away. Not sure about Nebraska.

Jerry

At 08:48 PM 2/8/2005, Kk5qq@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 2/8/2005 4:57:39 PM Central Standard Time, 
>jclancy@billtrak.com writes:
>
>>"Once we acknowledge this
>>reality [that suburbs are here to stay], we can turn to the task of making
>>the best of it.
>
>
>No doubt the suburbs are here to stay, because there's not room in the 
>center cities for all the people.  It's encouraging to learn, Jerry, that 
>your town and the nearby one are becoming converted to exactly to allow 
>what various futurists say will be desirable and necessary (i.e., walking 
>to the market) when energy prices inevitably soar.  You're also fortunate 
>if you have good public transit -- rail or otherwise -- so townspeople can 
>get into the center city for cultural events, major medical care, etc., 
>that a small community can't support.
>
>The much maligned video "The End of Suburbia" is misnamed.  It's not truly 
>the suburbs that will end; what will and indeed must end is the style of 
>living that we in the suburbs have gotten accustomed to such as hopping in 
>the car to drive five miles to a market.
>
>Irv Smith

--=====================_39791727==.ALT
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"

<html>
<body>
Irv, 
One of the points that jumped out from that article was that, in part due
to the increased time and difficulty of the commute, the burbs are
becoming more self-contained, ie, the businesses and services that folks
can no longer get to in the cities start migrating to the burbs
themselves. It's time, hassle and traffic stagnation (and its concomitant
stress) that is causing this, not the cost or lack of gasoline. Here in
the East the cost of housing in the near-NYC communities to a large
degree is also driving it, so people settle farther and farther away from
the workplace. Ironically, were that urbanization of the suburbs to
continue [more local services, fewer trips to the cities], the gas
guzzling could tail off before we run out, for some communities, anyway.
This works better in dense states like here in Jersey with reasonably
good rail facilities and where access to almost anything isn't too far
away. Not sure about Nebraska. 
Jerry 
At 08:48 PM 2/8/2005, Kk5qq@aol.com wrote: 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">In a
message dated 2/8/2005 4:57:39 PM Central Standard Time,
jclancy@billtrak.com writes: 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">&quot;Once
we acknowledge this 
reality [that suburbs are here to stay], we can turn to the task of
making 
the best of it.</blockquote> 
 
No doubt the suburbs are here to stay, because there's not room in the
center cities for all the people.&nbsp; It's encouraging to learn, Jerry,
that your town and the nearby one are becoming converted to exactly to
allow what various futurists say will be desirable and necessary (i.e.,
walking to the market) when energy prices inevitably soar.&nbsp; You're
also fortunate if you have good public transit -- rail or otherwise -- so
townspeople can get into the center city for cultural events, major
medical care, etc., that a small community can't support. 
The much maligned video &quot;The End of Suburbia&quot; is
misnamed.&nbsp; It's not truly the suburbs that will end; what will and
indeed must end is the style of living that we in the suburbs have gotten
accustomed to such as hopping in the car to drive five miles to a
market. 
Irv Smith </blockquote></body>
 
</html>

--=====================_39791727==.ALT--