David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent, I'm out of here

Re:David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent... by ChuckMcM on Monday October 07, 2013 @02:53PM (#6510357)

That is the interesting test is it not? Why is it that 'high income' people can live in a high rise apartment building but 'low income' people cannot? I am aware of the various 'projects' where we've seen violence, drug use, and property destruction. I am wondering is if it is even possible to create such a facility?

Could you, for example, create an elevator system that took you from ground floor to your apartment, and only if you keyed in the right code? And would that be sufficient to allow people to live without being negatively harmed by their neighbours?

Curious and I don't know if anyone has looked into this in a controlled way, hence the question.

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Re:David Byrne: If the 1% stifles New York's creative talent... by jlgreco on Monday October 07, 2013 @04:40PM (#6511094)

Such an elevator system might allow the formation of tight-knit safe and trusting communities on each floor, but I suspect that the common areas (lobby, and the elevator itself) would rapidly become as trashed as your stereotypical subway station.

My off-the-wall hypothesis is that poverty breeds crime, and crime breeds decay which itself breeds more crime (see: broken windows theory). Small tight-knit communities seem to, in some situations^ at least, put the brakes on this process. The tighter the community the more of a support net individuals have and the more obligation they feel towards their surroundings.

^ A counter-example that comes to mind are your stereotypical trailer parks and near-ghost-town mining towns across the rust-belt. A poor neighborhood that isn't dense isn't necessarily a wonderful place.

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