Great read. Does it seem bizarre that we can rally the (mostly private) financial capital for Hudson Yards, but we can't muster the public political capital for the kind of transformation Paris has seen or even the smaller steps you noted like pocket parks and school streets?
One other thought I had is that while some cities have large stocks of affordable housing (NYC, Philly, etc) to attract people, many cities do not have those stocks and are not building more. SF stands out here: its return to office is the lowest in the nation, it's on the brink of a commercial real estate implosion that will hurt its tax base, it has a opioid/homelessness crisis, and there is still no affordable housing anywhere near the central city...it seems primed as primed as any city for the doom loop.
Thanks! I wish I had answers to these questions. I don't know enough about SF's affordable housing to comment on that, but it does seem from afar like the dire state of the city post 2020 should be better represented in lower housing costs. As for why we don't have a city like Philadelphia transforming itself into a bike-walk focused city, I am also scratching my head except that most people feel they need a car and most electeds / administration leaders are too scared to propose pedestrianization. I think we need a groundswell of public support to push the issue rather than look to leaders to take charge.
Great read. Does it seem bizarre that we can rally the (mostly private) financial capital for Hudson Yards, but we can't muster the public political capital for the kind of transformation Paris has seen or even the smaller steps you noted like pocket parks and school streets?
One other thought I had is that while some cities have large stocks of affordable housing (NYC, Philly, etc) to attract people, many cities do not have those stocks and are not building more. SF stands out here: its return to office is the lowest in the nation, it's on the brink of a commercial real estate implosion that will hurt its tax base, it has a opioid/homelessness crisis, and there is still no affordable housing anywhere near the central city...it seems primed as primed as any city for the doom loop.
Thanks! I wish I had answers to these questions. I don't know enough about SF's affordable housing to comment on that, but it does seem from afar like the dire state of the city post 2020 should be better represented in lower housing costs. As for why we don't have a city like Philadelphia transforming itself into a bike-walk focused city, I am also scratching my head except that most people feel they need a car and most electeds / administration leaders are too scared to propose pedestrianization. I think we need a groundswell of public support to push the issue rather than look to leaders to take charge.