<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>;)<br><br>Sent from my iPad</div><div><br>On May 21, 2013, at 10:09 AM, Sonja Trauss <<a href="mailto:sonja.trauss@gmail.com">sonja.trauss@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>I'm trying to help you duh! Lol<span></span><br><br>On Tuesday, May 21, 2013, GtwoG PublicOhOne wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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The dumb thing about saying "the dumb thing about this thread," is
that in the time it takes to complain about someone else's use of
recycled electrons, one could have ignored the thread entirely, or
done some other productive task, rather than telling the author of
the thread what task they should have been doing instead. <br>
<br>
If I'm not interested in a topic, I just don't read that topic, or
thread, or whatever.<br>
<br>
And one of the key reasons that rents are so high, is that a state
legislator from somewhere in 925 managed to pass, about 15 years
ago, a state bill that effectively wiped out rent control. Getting
him voted out of office would be good retaliation (better late than
never) if he's still around, but introducing a ballot measure to
re-establish rent control would be even better. That will also take
some of the speculative pressure off the finite supply of land.
Ultimately what's going to be needed is some kind of comprehensive
land reform, prohibiting speculation and the mechanisms that feed
it. Another topic for another day.<br>
<br>
-G.<br>
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<div>On 13-05-21-Tue 7:19 AM, Sonja Trauss
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">The dumb thing about this thread is that in the time
it took to write any of the multiple paragraph emails, the author
could have looked to see whether there are any organizations in SF
(or berkeley) lobbying to make building new housing housing
easier.
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<div>Whether or not you can have a relationship in a single bed is
irrelevant. Everyone agrees here, rent is too damn high. Part of
the cause of this is artificially limited supply. <span></span><br>
<br>
On Tuesday, May 21, 2013, Georgio510 wrote:<br>
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Re. Romy-<br>
<br>
Yes, apts in HK and Tokyo are small, but not so small that
you can't have a double bed and a dinner table (Tokyo apts
even have space for small washing machines & small
wall-mounted dryers). And in any case, Japan has a decent
social safety net, something we shredded starting with
Reagan. <br>
<br>
If you're interested, I can show you some floorplans I've
created for micro living spaces. The stuff I designed is
geared toward the hacker/maker lifestyle with a strong
emphasis on sustainability. I'd happily live in a tiny
space of my own making, but not a developer's design that
can't be hacked or modded and is geared toward the
media-consumption lifestyle. <br>
<br>
Agreed, the large houses Americans have had for the past
century or so are ridiculous, not to mention _lawns_. But
there's a difference between a wasteful 4,000 square foot
suburban sprawl, and an apartment that's smaller than a
camping trailer. <br>
<br>
Something else about those tiny apartments: if your best
friend loses his/her job, s/he can't sleep on your couch
when there's no room for a couch. Sleeping on the floor in
the tiny aisle next to your bed gets old after about the
second time s/he gets stepped on when you get out of bed at
night to go to the bathroom. <br>
<br>
The Oligarchy likes to have it both ways: Big houses for
people who can afford to buy more stuff. Prison-sized
apartments for people who can't. Increase the class divide:
more at the top, less at the bottom. <br>
<br>
The profit motive for those prison-sized apartments is that
developers get more per square foot. $750 for 200 square
feet translates to $3.75 per square foot. Contrast to
$2,000 for 800 square feet, which translates to $2.50 per
square foot. <br>
<br>
See how that works? Fifty percent increase in price per
square foot. Clever racket, eh?<br>
<br>
Decrease in cars is a factor of available public transport
for the hours and places needed. Someone who works the late
shift across the Bay and comes home after BART stops
running, is probably going to end up with a car, even if
they have to play parking space roulette every day. BART
running 24/7 would do more to decrease car commuting in the
Bay Area, than squeezing people into shoe-boxes.<br>
<br>
Larger apartments mean you have more choices as to how you
live and who you live with. Smaller apartments mean fewer
choices. Again, we're not talking about
multi-thousand-square-foot sprawl, but about having enough
space for someone to choose whether to live alone or with a
friend, or offer their couch to an unemployed friend, or the
options available for single parents with kids who are
toddlers or older. <br>
<br>
200 square feet also means you can't telecommute or
telework, because there's not enough space for even a small
desk for a computer. Using a tablet while sitting on the
edge of the bed gets old real fast too. And forget about
modifying the space in any way: those places are like hotel
rooms, no user modifications or space hacks allowed. What's
important is _choice_. The choice to work and play at home
sometimes, and in communal space sometimes. <br>
<br>
How these neo boarding houses are worse than work lofts: for
one thing, you can't work there. And no space for a kitchen
table, so forget about inviting friends over for dinner. No
space for anything that involves having more than on</div></blockquote></div><pre>_______________________________________________
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