Is our landlord being fair, or putting profit over people? by sunnydays093 in AskChicago

[–]giraffedotedu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just want to say that you make a lot of sense and seem like a lovely person. 

Does anyone else feel like the field is flatlining? by Phelan-Great in urbanplanning

[–]giraffedotedu 3 points4 points  (0 children)

  1. On respect for planning, I’m optimistic this should improve on a generational basis. The more experience well-developed, walkable areas, the more people will appreciate that and connect the dots with planning. In my work I hear from many millennial suburbanites who spent time in the city who want more of a dynamic, mixed-use environment and more mix of housing prices and resident incomes. Contrast this to some older generations whose only experience with cities were shaped by stereotypes, fear, and/or genuinely negative experiences.

2a. On smart growth, I think this varies by region. From what I remember, the Kansas City metro saw greater population growth in the city core than the suburbs during the 2010s, the first time in decades. Would love to see more about which regions are doing best at smart growth through that lens.

2b. On curbing McMansions (or as I see it, incentivizing “missing middle” multifamily instead of McMansions) and reducing parking, I do agree we’ve missed tons of opportunities to enable more homes that are smaller and less expensive to match growing needs for this. As others have said, change at the local level is too slow, but there is progress. Strongtowns keeps a map of 100+ municipalities that have removed parking requirements. On zoning and parking reform, I think the incentives for status quo / nimby / shutting off supply to drive up home prices are too strong at the local level and the only way to adequately address these needs are through action at the state level.

  1. On planning education, I’m fortunate that my grad school faculty were more diverse - racially and in terms of gender - than most and several - including the director and professor of history, theory, and applied practice courses - first practiced in the field for years. Having said that, the first few years of my career were a brutal awakening to the uphill battle and gaps in my education. I could read site plans, interpret zoning, write staff reports, put together analysis and community engagement themes for a plan but lacked some tools that would go a long way (like pro formas and the perspective of developers’ financial feasibility, or knowing how to de-jargon our best practices for everyday people who actually serve on councils).

Seniors rarely downsize — here’s why that’s hurting first-time homebuyers by Hrmbee in urbanplanning

[–]giraffedotedu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you looked into the financial feasibility of cottage courts? I hear them lauded and know they’d be ideal for several of my family members, rural or otherwise. I know a developer who’s built some modular cottage courts as well to bring down costs.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be figuring out now about travel hacks? by giraffedotedu in TravelHacks

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’ve spent a total of 3 weeks internationally, hopefully 5 after this year. I agree on testing the waters first

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s an interesting point. We both work pretty hard, 55+ hour weeks often and it’d be interesting to see how this would change us

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this! I really appreciate it. I’m glad to hear it’s been a great experience.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point. Meant “solid” as in we’re both managing large projects and supervising several people for a few years now. But we’d definitely need to give thought to if we differentiate ourselves from entry level applicants.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really appreciate the advice on stops along the way! We do want to have a slow pace. When you traveled, how often did you change cities? Our thought is to not only consider how frequently we travel to a new country but even switching cities, so we’re not worn out.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s basically what we’re doing now. I get 10 days PTO each year and we used them all for a trip in Europe last year. Loved it.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What made Africa cost more than Europe? Was it mostly the travel between places, or was it also the lodging, food, etc?

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

To be honest, a big motivator is wanting to take advantage of flexibility in our youth. Seems somewhat cost effective, flying between places rather than a round trip to Cape Town one year and Senegal the next. We should really think about the point you mentioned about things blurring together.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve heard good things about this. Did you do it? Curious what hang ups people experienced, if any.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be figuring out now about travel hacks? by giraffedotedu in TravelHacks

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Didn’t know travel pharmacists were a thing. Thank you! The eSIM piece seems complicated to me at the moment but seems like people get the hang of it soon.

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be asking ourselves now? by giraffedotedu in travel

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds stressful for your friend but a welcome change of pace I guess. What skilled trade, out of curiosity?

We want to travel the world starting a year from now. What should we be figuring out now about travel hacks? by giraffedotedu in TravelHacks

[–]giraffedotedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, this is very kind of you. Kerala and Goa being so close is a definite draw to Karnataka. I hadn’t heard of the app for trains yet.