American Cities Have a Conversion Problem, and It’s Not Just Offices
www.nytimes.com
Piles of regulations, or “kludge,” and a culture of “no” are limiting the ability to turn building blocks into something new.

Paywall https://archive.is/2023.07.02-211826/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/01/upshot/american-cities-office-conversion.html

  • Pluto [he/him, he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Sort-of relevant:

    Suburbs have been a disaster for the human race.

    They are essentially open-air prisons, produce loneliness and poor mental health, and make it so that driving is synonymous with "getting there."

    Horrible.

    Horrible, horrible, horrible.

    • GarfieldYaoi [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Suburbs are so shitty, so insufferably boring that they have to be massively subsidized, and cities have to be sabotaged the hell out of just to stay relevant. On one hand, I appreciate suburbs as some kind of CHUD containment zone, but at least make cities the affordable option.

      • Pluto [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Frankly: I think suburbs produce chuds. People talk about "white flight" and that's relevant and true... but I also think it reproduces more chuds quite effectively...