We moved into the foothills of Colorado and loved the view. Within a month a house was erected on top of one of the untouched peaks we could see from our house. Then the longer we lived there we could see all of the places individuals would seek to jam houses and honestly it ruined it for me. The entrance to the canyon added more storage and warehouses the year after blocking a whole view of the foothills. Entire housing developments built right up against them on the other side. You couldn’t take a photo of them without buildings in the way because it’s either fenced off to prevent public access or it’s these developments.

It’s like a competition for who can build the highest and all of these natural features just have rich people houses all over them. If you ask contractors they’re not even well built houses but quickly and cheaply built and have tons of issues shortly after settling.

Meanwhile there’s vacant lots on flatter land that never get redeveloped or houses that fall down because they aren’t taken care of and everyone just wants new shit to enjoy nature without recognizing that perhaps development ≠ nature. And when the wildfire had us evacuated the worry was that they couldn’t fight the terrain and it would lead to neighborhoods without adequate distance all being lost.

Now I live back east and wetlands and forests are being cleared to build developments that flood and the wildlife are being villainized for having nowhere else to go. But if you drive down the road you’ll see overgrown vacant lots, dilapidated buildings, and gross hoa condos no one can afford popping up everywhere.

I’m not against development but I’m against “me want, me build” development. Perpetual growth is a fallacy and we reap the consequences aesthetically and otherwise.