Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs

Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by x0x0 on Sunday October 11, 2015 @06:20PM (#10371340)

I live in an sf suburb. I talk to local homeowners in the dog park at night and they're all wildly opposed to density, often with a nice core of racism too (I'm white so white people say some wild shit to me; you hear references to "those people" and it's not that deeply coded.) The only thing that cheers me about all the nimbys where I live is all their kids are getting kicked out. Seriously. In 20 years when their kids want a house, it will cost $2.5mm on the low end to own a home here. There will be a tiny handful of careers that pay the necessary wages.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by mc32 on Sunday October 11, 2015 @06:27PM (#10371364)

To be fair, lots of people who are minorities who live in gentrifying neighborhoods also tinge their conversation with racism. To presume one "race" should be less or more prone to racism is problematic, as if they are or should be better than they show.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by PhasmaFelis on Sunday October 11, 2015 @10:14PM (#10372157)

People in gentrifying neighborhoods always blame the people moving in for, apparently, bullying the poor helpless landlords into increasing the rent. I'm really not sure how that mindset propagates, but the landlords must love it.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by rtpg on Sunday October 11, 2015 @10:15PM (#10372161)

The situations are radically different. The reason gentrification is even a thing is because of the massive wealth imbalance between whites and minorities. It's not "oh my god these people are going to ruin my culture" it's "Oh great the people are flying in to price me out of my home in 3 years."

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by vasilipupkin on Sunday October 11, 2015 @06:38PM (#10371411)

it's not irrational to be opposed to density. Racism aside, density changes the character of the neighborhood and potentially lowers property values of existing homeowners. So, it's not surprising people are apprehensive

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by kbenson on Sunday October 11, 2015 @07:18PM (#10371569)

I don't know why you are being downvoted,what you stated is fairly uncontroversial and easily supported. Perhaps people are assuming some stance or approval of that from your words.

It is rational behavior to protect your investments and way of life in this manner. I think it's often short-term rationalization, and acting on bad information, but people are acting in a rational manner given their information and circumstances. Given that, it's probably good to address the base of that rationalization, rather than expect them to behave differently. I.e. give them more information that makes their prior behavior no longer the clearly beneficial choice for them, if such information exists. Play upon their sense of justice and ideals (such as ChuckMcM is). etc.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by hueving on Sunday October 11, 2015 @06:50PM (#10371456)

'character' is just code for 'I don't want to share' or even worse 'I bought in and if we make more housing, my price won't go up as much'

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by rodgerd on Sunday October 11, 2015 @08:39PM (#10371851)

> 'character' is just code for 'I don't want to share'

Nonsense. I don't live in San Fran, I do live in a city whose character has changed. I don't mind that people saw the cool inner city and wanted to share. I do mind that developer put up cheap high-rises with shit sound insulation, and then waged war on music venues, getting most of them shut down. I do mind that rents escalate massively year-on-year so that the hitherto broad range of inhabitants have steadily whittled down to a richer and richer (and frankly less interesting) rump. I do mind that many landlords would apparently rather see an empty shopfront than an interesting store that's no longer viable because apparently the thing to do is year-on-year 30% rent rises.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by mahyarm on Monday October 12, 2015 @12:48AM (#10372625)

Rents escalating massively is usually a case of supply controls.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by vasilipupkin on Sunday October 11, 2015 @07:36PM (#10371643)

No, that's not correct. Character is what the neighborhood looks like, visually. Some people like to live on quiet tree lined streets not in a Manhattan like neighborhood. Immediately assuming they are racist is ridiculous

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by hueving on Monday October 12, 2015 @01:52AM (#10372765)

>Some people like to live on quiet tree lined streets not in a Manhattan

A.k.a they don't want to share.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by pbreit on Sunday October 11, 2015 @08:21PM (#10371797)

I think what you want to say is: it's rational to be opposed to density.

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Re:Urban activists set out to sue San Francisco’s suburbs by pbreit on Sunday October 11, 2015 @08:19PM (#10371791)

What's your point? The parents could transfer the home to the kids. Or they could sell it for top dollar and help their kids out financially. And perhaps the kids might need to live a few towns over where it's not quite as expensive. I don't really understand what your point is.

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