Well said! It’s sad that so few people understand the dynamics at play that produce unaffordable housing and congested highways. It leads to well-intentioned people pointing fingers in all the wrong directions, like increased density.
Before I moved to Europe for more walkability, I lived in Durham, NC, one of the those fast-growing regions (coupled with Raleigh) that you mentioned in this piece. Everyone in my neighborhood was angry whenever a new apartment building went up downtown, thinking that was the source of gentrification, even though those buildings actually housed people who would have otherwise gentrified the lower-income areas just outside of the city center. It’s sad because I loved Durham. It could have been an amazing city with the density and walk ability it deserves. I didn’t want to waste more of my life wishing for the lifestyle I craved though so I left.
Well said! It’s sad that so few people understand the dynamics at play that produce unaffordable housing and congested highways. It leads to well-intentioned people pointing fingers in all the wrong directions, like increased density.
Before I moved to Europe for more walkability, I lived in Durham, NC, one of the those fast-growing regions (coupled with Raleigh) that you mentioned in this piece. Everyone in my neighborhood was angry whenever a new apartment building went up downtown, thinking that was the source of gentrification, even though those buildings actually housed people who would have otherwise gentrified the lower-income areas just outside of the city center. It’s sad because I loved Durham. It could have been an amazing city with the density and walk ability it deserves. I didn’t want to waste more of my life wishing for the lifestyle I craved though so I left.