Justin, who commented on the previous post, hopes we (the country) are finally getting it together.
(To fill you in: I'm at a conference on "The Next City" in Cambridge, MA, sponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Nieman Foundation and Harvard's Graduate School of Design.) We're now listening to economist Chip Case of Wellesley University, creator of the Case-Shiller Index of real estate. More about him later.)
Keith Schneider -- a Michigan-based writer and blogger (ModeShift.org) who free-lances for the New York Times and founded the Michigan Land Use Institute -- opined that unless the country does get its act together, the whole country will be like Michigan. That is, suffering deeply.
By getting its act together, he means stronger transit and not jettisoning the already-built infrastructure in cities such as Detroit and Cleveland, and building in ways that aren't as expensive for public infrastructure as the years of low-density sprawl growth has been.
He noted that the problems the whole country is now seeing, such as foreclosures and declining incomes, were first visible in the outer-outer suburbs of Detroit. (And, I should add, in the new starter home subdivisions ringing Charlotte.)
Friday, April 24, 2009
The 'Next City': Transit or ... another Michigan?
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7 comments:
"Under the influence of collectivist ideologies, many politicians and journalists are eager to strike at successful entrepreneurs who earn much more than they do. It is difficult to ascertain their motives; it can be simple envy which consumes many men, or it can be economic ignorance" Hans F. Sennholz
Detroit did itself in from the inside out not from the suburbs in.
I've lived there and seen it. As you travel down Woodward Ave. (from Oakland County) past Ferndale and then cross 8 Mile Rd. ( the divider of Oakland and Wayne Counties ) you see a dramatic shift. Its a wonder the DIA even survives down there...
Mary, Why do you only advocate for more taxes? Are we not paying enough for you? You are nothing but a selfish greedy person. Yes, selfish because you love spending other people's money.
If our city, state, and federal governments are unable to update and build additional infrastructure, our economy will become inefficient. Services are essential so business can be done.
Those of you who complain about taxes now, may have your prayers answered. Of course, you won't be paying less dollars in taxes because the tax rate was lowered, just less because there are no jobs.
Infrastructure and city planning is key to the continued success of any venture. Without leaders like Hugh McColl who knew this 40-50 years ago, Charlotte would not even be on the map today, and the jobs that are here, wouldn't be.
It was the leadership in MI that killed the economy. Jenny and the State Leg. Raised taxes on everything that moved and gave the unions everything they wanted. Then freaked out when all the local business moved south. If you think MI problem is land use based your a moron - it the jobs stupid. They pushed out the furniture industry in 60's (which came down to NC) and then they pushed out the Auto industry (which also came south, infact if more auto jobs came south the autos would be in a better position - look at Saturn)
Then the state took on Debt, robbed money from the schools, raised taxes, raised them again and Boom - No Jobs, No Education - but Jenny Kept her Job didn’t she - But now even Obama wont touch her.
But Mary your right i bet a few sidewalks and moving the dumpsters behind the buildings would have fixed that problem.
2:12 - Have fun getting swine flu on that bus. The virus can survive on inanimate objects for 2 hours, so that illegal from Mexico who rode the bus before you did just infected you.
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