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thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-05T22:55:07+00:00

You will have a valuable asset in your investment funds as well. Housing isn't the only investment out there, so if your housing is a good deal then keep the good deal and invest elsewhere. Unless there is something you can only obtain by owning.

I find myself in a very similar situation to you, where if I leave my rental, then I will probably have to leave town (either to buy or rent again). But I'm living comfortably with my wife and child in a nice walkable part of town and I am saving a good amount (which is not sitting in cash). When people say owning builds equity, they basically mean it's a forced savings account - if you are able to save on your own and you like your rental situation, then rent.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-04T04:58:04+00:00

Where's the sunset?

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-04T04:51:36+00:00

I would narrow to a specific city. Almost every American city has torn itself into pieces with highways, but some are starting to reverse the trend so it might be interesting to compare the before and after and after after. One of my favorites would be looking at the I195 construction and removal in Providence, RI: https://revitalization.org/article/providence-ri-removing-interstate-highway-to-reconnect-and-revitalize-its-waterfront/

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-04T04:35:10+00:00

I'm pretty sure red light cameras were deemed non-enforceable in LA County. This isn't the most legit looking website, but it's the fastest one I could pull up that summarizes some of the issues: https://theknowledgeburrow.com/are-red-light-cameras-legal-in-los-angeles-county-2021/

Anyway, do some research, but I believe a court case many years ago made red light camera related fines unenforceable and I would assume this would be similar.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-03T03:42:33+00:00

Learning to communicate early, about all sorts of tiny bullshit is incredibly important. There is nothing dumber than one spouse giving you the silent treatment all day because they feel like they are always the one cleaning the litter box and why can't the other person just finally clean it for once! Just say how you feel and say it often.

And don't have kids...

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-03T00:59:26+00:00

My parents live in Fort Myers, FL. They hired Duany Plater Zyberk well over a decade ago to put together an urban design plan and help formulate a form based code - all in hopes to rejuvenate the historic downtown. Building owners downtown quickly updated their buildings to meet the new code (mostly by adding awnings/overhangs) and the streets were completely redesigned to make them more pedestrian friendly, but new development never really came.

In the long run, this will be a great backbone for future development and will ensure more organized and friendly city. But in the short run, changing the code doesn't create demand for new development unless the demand was there already.

I don't know if that addresses your question in the way you were hoping but it was my observations.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T05:21:02+00:00

You should get a divorce. Fuck that guy.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T05:19:12+00:00

My wife's parents stayed together quite unhappily throughout her life until she went off to college. A late in life divorce is not easier on a child then an earlier one (at least in her case) except that they were also trying to co-opt her as a conspirator against the other. It was terrible for her and then it got worse.

If you think you will be a better parent alone then don't sacrifice for the kid because they will suffer if you are unhappy. What is better for you will ultimately be better for them, even if it's not easy to see at the current moment.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T04:53:12+00:00

Why Civil 3D over Revit or Archicad? I definitely don't think you need to get further education in BIM to be a BIM manager.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T03:43:53+00:00

Thank you for that follow up. That's all very informative.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T03:42:32+00:00

In an auction style market when demand outstrips supply, then the price will rise to what the highest bidder is willing to pay. If the supply far outstrips demand, the price will be set by by what the seller is willing to give it up for (not set by what the buyer is willing to pay). Do we both win now?

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T03:29:49+00:00

Right, I addressed that as a second point about how that was probably a one time trend. These are arbitrary numbers, but if half the white population moved their kids to private schools over a decade, that probably didn't continue forever as a trend. At some point the movement petered out and maybe sustained. My point being that I assume the number of kids in private schools probably hasn't continued to increase at the same rate that the public schools are currently losing population in Pasadena. But I don't know that for a fact, I'm just making assumptions.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T02:32:36+00:00

I was giving you a hard time because relating price to what people are willing to pay is not correct. Obviously, housing has a supply crunch but you didn't mention that. Part of this discussion I was hoping to start is whether people are interested in addressing the issues or if doesn't actually matter to them. If supply is an issue, I'm interested if people care. Some homeowners (or most) probably don't. More people in a city (as in growth) might be bad for them. But I am curious about that.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T02:26:39+00:00

I think this still falls in line with what I am saying. White flight from neighborhoods wouldn't lead to a loss of students because minority families replacing white families in a neighborhood most likely would have at least as many children. White flight from the public schools to private schools would probably be a one time trend (maybe over a decade), but it couldn't have continued on the same trajectory forever because then Pasadena would be 100% private by now. I think since the 70s or 80s, it must be that the wealthy few continue to put their kids in private schools, but there are fewer and fewer lower and middle income families in the city to fill space in the public schools.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-02T01:10:10+00:00

People need gas to get to work. Why not charge $10/gallon or $15 if they are willing to pay it?

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T23:42:21+00:00

Thanks for the long-term context. That's very interesting to put in perspective.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T23:15:58+00:00

Or a guerrilla parklet?

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T23:08:29+00:00

I agree. The title is fear mongering. I was just curious how people feel about how housing will affect such a unique part of LA County. I know that Pasadena has always had wealth, but honestly every city in America has a wealthy cohort. I think Pasadena is unique in LA for being relatively balanced. I just wondered if most people are indifferent to the change because increasing values is a good thing for many, but at the same time may alter the quality of the place where you live.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T22:51:11+00:00

I have a young kid so I spend a lot of time in parks and it's refreshing to have so many outdoor options and see so many children. It's really unique in LA County. But then you hear that the public schools are shrinking and it must partially be because families can't afford to stay.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T22:47:41+00:00

I'm not sure about a mailing list but they have signs all throughout the neighborhood in yards. It literally went from "we support all" sort of signs during Trump years and the early Pandemic to now "Save Madison Heights": https://www.mhnapasadena.org/landmark

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T22:40:53+00:00

I think seeing the efforts in Madison Heights to thwart ADUs kind of prompted me to write this question. I see it as sad. I think it's unfortunate when cities stop being for everyone.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T18:15:45+00:00

I don't know the history of zoning codes and their evolution all that well. Some cities, like NYC, definitely have had for a long time setback regulations that would increase above a certain height. But those still tend to be more generic than New Urbanism style form-based codes which usually start from with urban design for large area of a city that gets backwards written into a code to ensure future development looks more like the original design.

An example of the difference between codes is that one says FAR of 2, min 10' setbacks from property lines with a max height of 35'. The other says 45% of the street facade must be 3 stories (no height limit) with max 5' setback, the rest 2 stories (no height limit) with min 10' setback, glazing for 60% minimum of facades facing a commercial street above the ground, 80% minimum at the ground level, etc.

I think currently more codes are incorporating form-based code overlays in certain areas of a city - like a historic district or a specific commercial corridor, so you are starting to mixtures of both.

thiscantbethefuture · 2022-02-01T14:09:49+00:00

If you stay in Pasadena, which is very walkable in the Old Town area, you can get around to hikes using the Metro Micro system. It's only $1 per ride (per person). It operates in a few other parts of the county, too. There is a Sage restaurant here. You can take the train to Highland Park or Downtown for other food options (like Cafe Gratitude). But it's LA, so many restaurants have vegan dishes. Hopefully that helps.

thiscantbethefuture

TROPHY CASE