Posted May 2, 20178 yr Of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact that Richard Florida is unrelenting when it comes to self promotion (he retweets every mention of his name or his book), but the nationwide wailing and gnashing of teeth that has accompanied his latest work, The New Urban Crisis is almost over the top. It's not his fault - most of the observations and data found in the book are solid and legit, but it seems that urbanists across America are ready to claim that the problems he outlines exist EVERYWHERE. It's now a regular feature of my Twitter feed. As I might point out - not so much in the Midwest. Many of our cities faced these issues over 100 years ago, when they were America's centers of growth. I doubt few of us in the Rust Belt are losing any sleep that places like Portland and San Francisco are growing more crowded, unaffordable and unequal. The cities that Florida characterizes as "left behind" today already experienced many of these issues long ago. When the pendulum eventually swings the other way - and it will - I think we will be well-positioned to take advantage of our climate and low cost of living to manage growth more effectively.
May 2, 20178 yr We're to the point where high housing costs mean many people raised in the Midwest will not be able to speculatively move to the coasts as they could up until about 5-10 years ago. I'm trapped here, and I don't mind.
May 2, 20178 yr We're to the point where high housing costs mean many people raised in the Midwest will not be able to speculatively move to the coasts as they could up until about 5-10 years ago. I'm trapped here, and I don't mind. People whose parents bought in the expensive markets have won the real estate lottery.
May 2, 20178 yr We're to the point where high housing costs mean many people raised in the Midwest will not be able to speculatively move to the coasts as they could up until about 5-10 years ago. I'm trapped here, and I don't mind. People whose parents bought in the expensive markets have won the real estate lottery. But only if they move to a cheaper market or if there is a very unusual situation. For example, someone I know who is about 45 just inherited a small home worth $700k in Seattle. She's going to sell it and stay here in Cincinnati.
May 2, 20178 yr We're to the point where high housing costs mean many people raised in the Midwest will not be able to speculatively move to the coasts as they could up until about 5-10 years ago. I'm trapped here, and I don't mind. People whose parents bought in the expensive markets have won the real estate lottery. But only if they move to a cheaper market or if there is a very unusual situation. For example, someone I know who is about 45 just inherited a small home worth $700k in Seattle. She's going to sell it and stay here in Cincinnati. Another winner!
May 8, 20178 yr Read an interesting review of "The New Urban Crisis." I don't plan to buy it, though; the content seems too perishable. I'll wait for my local library to get a copy. One idea in it I'd like to know more about: "subsidize people, not places." It sounds as if author Florida wants people to get the equivalent of food stamps for their rent. Both pros and cons come easily to mind. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
June 14, 20178 yr ^ Returned the library's book today. My general complaint is that like most "soft science" books, it was WAY too long and repetitive, for example, giving five nearly-identical instances when three would have convinced me. The real text was about 200 of the 378 total pages and I'm pretty sure I could have cut it in half without losing any meaning. Florida's exposition is interesting and fairly unremarkable, but his recommendations for the future are more questionable and sometimes not supported by the evidence offered. One sentence, "Poverty is caused by a lack of money," made me laugh out loud. I have always thought sustained poverty was caused chiefly by a lack of brains. The lack of money is used to justify a large minimum wage increase. He doesn't specify an amount, but says that the increase to $10.10 was woefully inadequate. He also wants to subsidize housing in ways that we know don't work - clustering the poor in projects after he spent a chapter saying they should be spread around. Anyway, it's a worthwhile read - lots to think about in it. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
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