Re: Rail Transit
Alternatively there are plenty of people (like me) who would jump at the ability to get rid of our cars, especially in an island isolation situation. Those types are more likely to move into the areas that are well-serviced by public transit and walking distance shopping. In that case parking is just wasted space that could be housing more stores or even more housing.
It's tough to say for sure what would happen, but it's definitely not a one-way argument. Downtown Portland for example has parking, but it's very expensive and often tough to find a space in some areas... and people have flocked into downtown in droves to live and work. Thanks to an emphasis on high-density housing/business combinations and a strict urban growth boundary, it is possible to drive for 20 minutes and be in the wilderness and farmlands here.
Added: One of the places I've seen some of the worst urban decay, btw, is in Dallas where it's extremely flat and very easy to move out farther and farther. Everyone just moves out another layer every few years to escape the city, and the abandon what they left behind for decay. The neighborhood I grew up in there used to be pretty nice, and it's halfway to being a ghetto now. Only recently have they started putting in high-density living in the downtown city core, along with light rail and other transit improvements, and it's starting to turn around again.
Originally posted by GeckoGeek
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It's tough to say for sure what would happen, but it's definitely not a one-way argument. Downtown Portland for example has parking, but it's very expensive and often tough to find a space in some areas... and people have flocked into downtown in droves to live and work. Thanks to an emphasis on high-density housing/business combinations and a strict urban growth boundary, it is possible to drive for 20 minutes and be in the wilderness and farmlands here.
Added: One of the places I've seen some of the worst urban decay, btw, is in Dallas where it's extremely flat and very easy to move out farther and farther. Everyone just moves out another layer every few years to escape the city, and the abandon what they left behind for decay. The neighborhood I grew up in there used to be pretty nice, and it's halfway to being a ghetto now. Only recently have they started putting in high-density living in the downtown city core, along with light rail and other transit improvements, and it's starting to turn around again.
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