Its part of city life. I lived across the street from a fire house. On one corner was a bar and laundrymat. Up the street was a taqueria, body shop and corner store - a block over was EFF. Behind, an artifact of the neighborhood’s blue collar past was a metal fab shop. The rhymic cur-chunk of the punch presses often put me to sleep on a saturday afternoon only to be startled awake by sirens.

At the time it suited me fine. It is clear to me though that we still need suburbs. For some at certain points in their life they need the quiet. We have too suburbs though. I think many folks could live in denser environs.

Its backwards that cities are more expensive than suburbs. Density should lower costs. High populations should lower costs. There should be both economies of scale and network effects. I think, to the writers point, we regulate the wrong things.