The obvious evil - doer is the laws that make it hard to build new housing in sf. <div><br></div><div>There are strong home owners associations suppressing supply over there and keeping rent high. </div><div><br></div><div>
Does anyone know of an org that tries to counter that, or are developers the only entities that lobby on the other side?</div><div><br></div><div>Gtwog you amaze me with every post - you're just finding out now that we're none of us free, huh. <span></span></div>
<div><br>On Monday, May 20, 2013, GtwoG PublicOhOne wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><br>
<br>
No-Sex Apartments.<br>
<br>
(Creative commons, with attribution to "G.")<br>
<br>
In cities across the USA, a new "solution" to affordable housing is<br>
being promoted: micro-apartments of less than 200 square feet. New<br>
York's conrol-freak in chief, Mayor Bloomberg, is promoting them (New<br>
Yorkers call them "Bloom Boxes"). A developer in San Francisco is<br>
promoting them. And developers in Seattle WA are building them by the<br>
hundreds.<br>
<br>
The Seattle apartments were recently covered in a CBS News article, here:<br>
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57582327/tiny-apartments-are-creating-a-big-backlash-in-seattle/" target="_blank">http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57582327/tiny-apartments-are-creating-a-big-backlash-in-seattle/</a><br>
<br>
If you look at the picture, something immediately stands out: a TWIN BED.<br>
<br>
As the article says, "...(the) apartment comes with a small private<br>
bathroom, a microwave and a mini-refrigerator. There's just enough room<br>
for a twin bed, a neatly hung rack of clothes and shelves." (There's<br>
not even room for a desk, so forget about working from home: it's back<br>
to the plantation for you, worker-bee.)<br>
<br>
And therein lies the catch, or more accurately the "nudge," to use the<br>
Newspeak word for "manipulation."<br>
<br>
A twin bed is sufficient for sleeping, but not sufficient for a regular<br>
sex life with others, much less a stable relationship.<br>
<br>
Sure, you can manage it occasionally, but for the long term it's right<br>
out. Squeezing two people into a bed meant for one is miserable,<br>
particularly in the hot summer.<br>
<br>
This is one form of "birth control" that won't be controversial with the<br>
Vatican or other right-wing religious denominations. I suppose that<br>
also qualifies as a "feature." (We won't mention the fact that you can<br>
carry on a satisfactory solo sex life in a twin bed, lest the twin beds<br>
be replaced with "stand-up beds" consisting of straps on the wall.)<br>
<br>
There's no need for the Oligarchy to make an explicit No Sex rule. They<br>
don't have to, when they can just "nudge" the architecture to enforce<br>
that outcome by "nudging" people who might think to disobey.<br>
<br>
Best of all (from the Oligarchy's perspective), there's nothing to<br>
revolt against. A revolt against a type of architecture is like a<br>
revolt against traffic jams or weather: there's no obvious evil-doer to<br>
hurl ballots and tomatoes at.<br>
<br>
The Oligarchy likes micro-apartments because they are more profitable<br>
per square foot of building, compared to apartments that let you have a<br>
bed big enough for two people, and a fridge big enough to let you keep<br>
enough food that you don't have to go shopping every day.<br>
<br>
The working masses (that would be us) who are being lined up to live in<br>
these boxes would do well to recognize that they are also about the same<br>
size as prison cells.<br>
<br>
The only difference is that you have the key to your cell, just like<br>
inmates in "honor system prisons" for white collar criminals. That, and<br>
there isn't a guard staring at you whilst you poop, though I'd be<br>
careful about the tiny apartments that come with internet and TV service<br>
included (no choice of carriers either), as the "smart sensors" won't be<br>
far behind.<br>
<br>
Smaller houses and apartments are of course part of a viable approach to<br>
sustainability: primarily through lower energy consumption and proximity<br>
to public transport. Some years ago, a close friend and I came up with<br>
various designs for micro-houses, from about 160 square feet, up to<br>
about 400 - 500 square feet. A building with a 500 square foot<br>
"building footprint" was sufficient for a family of four. We were<br>
designing for the sake of sustainability, and for the ability of<br>
individuals and communities to build these houses for themselves at low<br>
cost.<br>
<br>
But as with eating bugs, it's one thing to do it by the choice of your<br>
own free will, quite another to do it by way of getting mercilessly<br>
milked by the Oligarchy. Especially when the Oligarchs continue to live<br>
in 12,000 square foot (and larger) mansions with sprawling lawns on all<br>
sides.<br>
<br>
What the world can't afford, is the Oligarchy. Darwin, take note!<br>
<br>
-G.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
sudo-discuss mailing list<br>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="_e(event, 'cvml', 'sudo-discuss@lists.sudoroom.org')">sudo-discuss@lists.sudoroom.org</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss" target="_blank">http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss</a><br>
</blockquote></div>