Two articles to start us off....

 

 

Increasingly since World War II, the design of American communities turned us into shut-ins. When my wife came to America and joined me on my walks, she often asked: "Does anyone live in these houses? Where is everyone?" And that's in fairly densely developed Lakewood that is more walkable than most American communities. In the mid- to outer-suburbs, you never seen anyone out walking or socially interacting with anyone. Such a sad, isolate country we've become....

 

 

Edited January 29, 20205 yr by KJP

here's a pretty cool old article about that via people who moved from nyc to vancouver:

 

https://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/commentary/2011/01/09/praise-height-and-density

It's ironic that there's all of these Black Lives Matter signs all over Ohio City. Yet they're the first to oppose a mixed-income building built in their midst that would provide quality housing which would likely be a benefit to minorities....

 

 

Of course it would beneficial to minorities and low income residents. It would effect Ohio City's vastly overpriced property values though. I hope they crash and burn in the near future. The market is too hot there and in Tremont, anyway. I see more diversity/integration in suburbs and small towns than the elite yuppie neighborhoods of trendy pockets of inner-city West side Cleveland. Ohio City's housing stock isn't even that great. Looks like an ugly Shantytown with nicely painted siding outside on low quality, tiny housing. The mature trees are about the only thing going for it. Little Italy IMO leaves even less to be desired and they of course also have a rep for being racist and unwelcoming to black people. It's reasons like this that many conservatives think liberals are the ones who deserve to be suspected as racists, not so much them. Conservative suburbs tend to be more racially diverse and low income inclusive.. Suburban whites don't tend to go out of their way to unrealistically pay $5k-$50k a year on top of property taxes to send their kids to all or almost entirely white private schools, using the 'better education' excuse when in reality, lets face it, it is about status and school rankings are tied to whiteness. Say, how many of those well off progressive white families in Ohio City and Tremont send their kids to Cleveland Public Schools? Hmm? They believe in and preach about equality, social justice and inclusion all the time, right? Or do they send their kids to St. Ignatius or whatever other exclusionary private school on the west side? Folks in suburbs like Solon or Parma and small towns on the outskirts almost entirely send their kids to the local public schools no matter the racial makeup. I've known many of black people who grew up in Solon. Never met any from Ohio City. The typical tactic for an area like Ohio City or Tremont to keep the undesirables out is to turn neighborhoods into a historic district. For sure, that deters the mixed income buildings you speak of. Or lame excuses like traffic congestion congestion, Along with lack of public transit, walkability, etc. The hypocrisy mskes me sick. Im not a Dem or Republican, just seems like common sense to me.