<div dir="ltr">Are you telling us that high density urban housing is not more efficient than sprawled out rural housing? Keep in mind that the vast majority of people will not be subsistence farming. Also, as it relates to the Bay, people are not going to be going back to the land because of SF rent. They will move to Walnut Creek and sit in traffic for 2 hours a day, burning gas.<div>
<br></div><div style>-Jehan</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 6:01 PM, GtwoG PublicOhOne <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:g2g-public01@att.net" target="_blank">g2g-public01@att.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
  
    
  
  <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
    <br>
    Hi Jehan;-)<br>
    <br>
    Ahh, the good ol' city mouse vs. country mouse arguement.  If we
    avoid ad-homs this should be fun.<br>
    <br>
    First of all, a-priori generalizations are a-priori invalid. 
    Individual ecological impact depends on lifestyle and employment,
    which vary widely for both city and country.  <br>
    <br>
    One of the largest impacts is commuting by automobile.  A country
    mouse who's a telecommuter will have a zero commuting impact.  A
    city mouse whose workplace isn't served by public transport will
    most likely end up driving to work.  That comparison, in and of
    itself, falsifies your generalization.  <br>
    <br>
    Are you willing to argue publicly that all the city mice whose
    places of employment aren't served by public transport, or who work
    late/overnight shift and live or work in places where taking public
    transport is overtly dangerous, should quit their jobs and seek
    employment elsewhere?  <br>
    <br>
    Re. smaller apartments:  Can you operationalize your variables?  How
    small?  Have you ever drawn a floorplan for one?  I've drawn plenty
    of floorplans, down to 160 square feet, and I'll gladly show them to
    you any time we have a chance to get together.  <br>
    <br>
    Re. highrises:  Can you operationalize those variables too?  How
    does the water get in, how does the sewage get out, and where does
    the money come from to rip & replace the existing underground
    infrastructure for that purpose?  And what do you do with a 10- or
    20- story building full of people, after the expected 7.0+ on the
    Hayward or San Andreas takes out the power grid, water mains, and
    sewer mains, for a period of weeks to months?  (We'll assume the
    building remains standing, though that can't be taken for granted.)<br>
    <br>
    Also about highrises, what do the children do at playtime?, where
    does the food come from to feed all those people in the high-density
    highrises?, and how does the food get there?  Who has ownership? 
    Who has control?  Who makes the rules?   <br>
    <br>
    Sweeping generalizations are easy; designing in detail and walking
    the talk isn't.  <br>
    <br>
    In the next round I'll describe what I do about water, electricity,
    gasoline, and refuse.<br>
    <br>
    Cheers-  <br>
    <br>
    -G.<br>
    <br>
    <br>
    =====<div><div class="h5"><br>
    <br>
    <br>
    <br>
    <div>On 13-06-11-Tue 9:34 AM, Jehan Tremback
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite">
      <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">"Also
          there's a difference between a 160-square-foot house you build
          for yourself on land you and your friends own, and a
          160-square-foot cell in an apartment complex that some
          developer builds as a means of extracting more money from the
          tenants."</span><br>
        <div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
          </span></div>
        <div class="gmail_extra">If you want to go out to the country
          and build a house on cheap land, that's your choice. You will
          be damaging the environment with your inevitable automobile
          use. If you want to live in the city, as many of us do, you
          will have to deal with the fact that many other people do as
          well.</div>
        <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        </div>
        <div class="gmail_extra">There are 2 ways to get more people
          onto a smaller piece of land-</div>
        <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        </div>
        <div class="gmail_extra">1. Smaller apartments (I put tenants
          subdividing apartments in this category as well)</div>
        <div class="gmail_extra">2. Replace 1950's style suburban houses
          with high rises.</div>
        <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        </div>
        <div class="gmail_extra">These facts are completely
          independent of whatever system of government and economy.</div>
        <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        </div>
        <div class="gmail_extra">-Jehan<br>
          <br>
          <div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 4:32 AM,
            GtwoG PublicOhOne <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:g2g-public01@att.net" target="_blank">g2g-public01@att.net</a>></span>
            wrote:<br>
            <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
              <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> <br>
                Yes, there are a few intentional communities from the
                1960s that succeeded.  Twin Oaks is one.  The Farm is
                another.  There are others, less well known.<br>
                <br>
                There are a bunch of books (Commitment and Community,
                Builders of the Dawn, others), and there are also the
                websites for the Federation of Intentional Communities,
                the Federation of Egalitarian Communities, Communities
                magazine, and others.<br>
                <br>
                Why Americans buy huge houses:  "because they can."<br>
                <br>
                Hong Kong & Tokyo apartments are quite a bit larger
                than those prison-sized apts that are being developed in
                the USA now.  Really: the goal isn't sustainability or
                affordability, it's the 1/3 increase in rent per square
                foot, compared to 1- and 2-bedroom apartments.  Also
                there's a difference between a 160-square-foot house you
                build for yourself on land you and your friends own, and
                a 160-square-foot cell in an apartment complex that some
                developer builds as a means of extracting more money
                from the tenants.  As in, the difference between a nest
                that a mouse makes for itself, and a standardized
                mouse-cage in a laboratory.  It's all about autonomy and
                control.  <br>
                <br>
                Solutions: that would make an interesting discussion
                topic some night, and/or we could open up a thread
                here.  <br>
                <br>
                Ex-felons selling Christmas trees:  Probably a carefully
                self-selected group, with a common goal to avoid further
                trouble with the law, and very strict internal rules. 
                The risk of going down the spiral back to prison is a
                powerful motivator.  And the difference between strict
                rules by voluntary consensus, vs. strict rules by order
                of the Warden, makes all the difference.<br>
                <br>
                I wasn't proposing absolute socialism or bust.  Only
                "socialism for everyone or for no-one," rather than the
                status-quo of "socialism for the rich, social darwinism
                for the rest of us."  A little dose of socialism,
                applied equally across the board, does wonders.  Compare
                quality of life in Northern Europe, to quality of life
                here.  <br>
                <br>
                The single largest predictor of violent social unrest,
                is the disparity of income between the top and bottom in
                a society.  A little socialism buys a lot of peace.  <br>
                <br>
                -G.<br>
                <br>
                <br>
                ======
                <div>
                  <div><br>
                    <br>
                    <br>
                    <div>On 13-06-10-Mon 11:49 PM, Romy Ilano wrote:<br>
                    </div>
                    <blockquote type="cite">
                      <div>Are there any alternative living spaces from
                        the 1960s that experienced success? </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div>Perhaps we could learn from their example.
                        There was a big coffee table being passed around
                        about communes etc three or four years ago--
                        forget the title </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div>Usually I find that people have attempted to
                        tackle these problems in the past. </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div>Also from the conversation it's not
                        immediately clear to me what the clearest
                        solutions or motivations to the problems  if any
                        would be. </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div>For me I don't understand why Americans have
                        a burning desire to buy houses too large to live
                        in, too expensive to buy, too costly to maintain
                        ... The single occupancy small rooms were
                        derided as being anti sex??? Yet to me those are
                        as large as what you would find in Hong Kong or
                        Tokyo </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div>There's the Kearny street project which sells
                        the Xmas trees and rehabilitates Ex felons. They
                        have shared living quarters along with the self
                        run businesses and I don't think there are
                        guards.. It's all regulated by the participants
                        . </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div>I do not agree with the zero sum solution of
                        absolute socialism or bust. It's like saying
                        there should be no unions. It's very extreme </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div><br>
                      </div>
                      <div><br>
                        <div>---</div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>Romy Ilano</div>
                        <div>Founder of Snowyla</div>
                        <div><a href="http://www.snowyla.com" target="_blank">http://www.snowyla.com</a></div>
                        <div><a href="mailto:romy@snowyla.com" target="_blank">romy@snowyla.com</a></div>
                      </div>
                      <div><br>
                        On Jun 10, 2013, at 19:50, GtwoG PublicOhOne
                        <<a href="mailto:g2g-public01@att.net" target="_blank">g2g-public01@att.net</a>>
                        wrote:<br>
                        <br>
                      </div>
                      <blockquote type="cite">
                        <div> <br>
                          "Suddenly $5,000 is the new $3,000":  Instant
                          viral meme, good one Andrew!<br>
                          <br>
                          And $30,000/year is the new $60,000/year,
                          thanks to all those H1B visas driving down
                          wages. <br>
                          <br>
                          This is the interesting thing about
                          "markets":  <br>
                          <br>
                          When rents go sky-high, that's a "market" and
                          the plutocracy chants that the Holy Invisible
                          Hand should reign supreme.  But when employers
                          can't find people who'll work on farms for
                          $3.00/hour, or write code for $30,000/year,
                          then it's time for a little socialism for the
                          plutocracy, by way of opening the H1B
                          floodgates.  And that makes property owners
                          happy too, so it's a two-fer!<br>
                          <br>
                          "Jobs Americans won't do" is what economists
                          call a "price signal", which translates as
                          "jobs Americans won't do AT THAT PRICE."  If
                          the plutocracy was at all consistent (ha ha
                          funny) they wouldn't go running for
                          socialistic interventions to drive down labor
                          costs, they'd suck it up and pay the market
                          price, whether that means paying farm workers
                          $15/hour, or paying coders $60,000/year.  <br>
                          <br>
                          There's a reason it's more difficult to get
                          into DSNY (Department of Sanitation, City of
                          New York) than it is to get into Yale.  It's
                          spelled U-N-I-O-N.<br>
                          <br>
                          Socialism for all, or socialism for none!<br>
                          <br>
                          -G.<br>
                          <br>
                          <br>
                          =====<br>
                          <br>
                          <br>
                          <div>On 13-06-10-Mon 4:59 PM, Andrew wrote:<br>
                          </div>
                          <blockquote type="cite">
                            <div dir="ltr">Lets be clear that no one is
                              arguing there should be less housing in
                              SF. The argument is that current housing
                              in SF is too expensive and vacant. There
                              isn't a scarcity as much as a price fixing
                              scheme going on. The only purpose for
                              building new units is for the developers
                              and landlords to get in on the scheme
                              while it's hot, hoping for the market to
                              bounce back and suddenly $5,000 is the new
                              $3,000 in SF and they are sitting on prime
                              real estate. In the meantime the units
                              will remain vacant or just rented out (or
                              leased) to people moving in to the City
                              for work.<br>
                            </div>
                            <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
                              <br>
                              <div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jun 10,
                                2013 at 4:32 PM, GtwoG PublicOhOne <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:g2g-public01@att.net" target="_blank">g2g-public01@att.net</a>></span>
                                wrote:<br>
                                <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
                                  <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
                                    <br>
                                    That $5,000/month 2-BR apartment
                                    translates to $60K/year for rent,
                                    which means that the owner isn't
                                    even going to look at anyone with an
                                    income below $180K, or a married
                                    couple with joint income of $180K
                                    and perfect credit ratings.  <br>
                                    <br>
                                    Re. "many levels of rich": the
                                    average millionaire is closer to
                                    his/her gardener in terms of net
                                    worth, than to the plutocrats (but
                                    most millionaires have no clue about
                                    this).  In any case, there are
                                    enough people in the 1% to account
                                    for 95% of the spending in the
                                    economy (keyword search "plutonomy"
                                    and look for the report that was
                                    leaked from one of the major banks
                                    on that topic), so the bottom 99% is
                                    almost irrelevant ("supply and
                                    demand" for human lives, again).<br>
                                    <br>
                                    Re. "at whatever level a developer
                                    wants to provide more housing, I'll
                                    say YES DO IT..."  Be careful what
                                    you wish for...<br>
                                    <br>
                                    Re. "tall buildings..." (preceding
                                    email):  When the inevitable 7.0 on
                                    either the Hayward or San Andreas
                                    occurs, even if the building remains
                                    standing (this can't be taken for
                                    granted either, given the problems
                                    with the imported steel in the Bay
                                    Bridge) power & water will be
                                    out for weeks, possibly months in
                                    some areas.  Elevators and air
                                    conditioning won't be working in
                                    those buildings.  So now you have
                                    highrises full of people, some of
                                    whom are elderly, disabled, or have
                                    small kids, with no food or water,
                                    and no sanitation.  Asking neighbors
                                    to carry food up the stairs might
                                    work, but lugging water up ten or
                                    twenty flights is a non-starter (a
                                    2-day supply for one person for
                                    drinking and cooking, is about 25
                                    lbs.).  <br>
                                    <br>
                                    Even earthquake-denialism doesn't
                                    help us, because adding high-rises
                                    adds demand for water, sewer, and
                                    parking, all the time.  Assuming
                                    that most high-rise residents won't
                                    have cars doesn't help much, because
                                    some will, and those will still add
                                    up to more cars than there is space
                                    to park them.  Water and sewer are
                                    the biggies, and any move toward
                                    highrise development will require
                                    digging up streets and installing
                                    new water & sewer mains, which
                                    translate to higher costs either in
                                    rent or in taxes.<br>
                                    <br>
                                    Albert Einstein was a pacifist, and
                                    Edward Teller was a hawk.  Both
                                    agreed that the exponential function
                                    is the most dangerous math on
                                    Earth.  <br>
                                    <br>
                                    -G.<br>
                                    <br>
                                    <br>
                                    =====
                                    <div>
                                      <div><br>
                                        <br>
                                        <br>
                                        <div>On 13-06-10-Mon 3:41 PM,
                                          Sonja Trauss wrote:<br>
                                        </div>
                                        <blockquote type="cite">
                                          <div dir="ltr">
                                            <div>
                                              <div>
                                                <div>
                                                  <div>
                                                    <div>
                                                      <div>
                                                        <div>Yeah Jehan
                                                          that's how I
                                                          understand it.
                                                          <br>
                                                          <br>
                                                        </div>
                                                        Eddie's scenario
                                                        though is that
                                                        rich_guy CAN'T
                                                        move into the
                                                        nice new apt,
                                                        because before
                                                        he gets there,
                                                        some rich_guy_2
                                                        moves into the
                                                        apt from
                                                        Mountain View,
                                                        and <i>rich_guy_2
                                                          would not have
                                                          moved into SF
                                                          if the new
                                                          apartments
                                                          hadn't been
                                                          built</i>. <br>
                                                        <br>
                                                      </div>
                                                      This is a
                                                      scenario, so we
                                                      should explore its
                                                      antecedents and
                                                      consequences. <br>
                                                      <br>
                                                    </div>
                                                    My first response is
                                                    - so what if this
                                                    happens. In this
                                                    scenario rents go
                                                    neither up or down.
                                                    I don't think it's
                                                    realistic to expect
                                                    that all new
                                                    building will be
                                                    taken up like this,
                                                    but, since I don't
                                                    know the future,
                                                    it's worth imagining
                                                    this extreme outcome
                                                    and asking, is it
                                                    bad? if it is bad,
                                                    is it so bad that we
                                                    shouldn't take the
                                                    risk of it
                                                    happening? I don't
                                                    see it as bad. Like
                                                    I said before, it
                                                    will have no net
                                                    affect on rent, so
                                                    we lose nothing, and
                                                    there might be
                                                    ancillary benefits:
                                                    my $13 jam business
                                                    might improve, or my
                                                    $75/ hour personal
                                                    yoga coach business.
                                                    Maybe I'm a social
                                                    worker, and this
                                                    means there will be
                                                    more money in the
                                                    city budget for my
                                                    organization.
                                                    whatever. <br>
                                                    <br>
                                                  </div>
                                                  Next, more
                                                  interestingly, let's
                                                  consider what could
                                                  possibly cause
                                                  rich_guy_2's behavior.
                                                  Usually people move to
                                                  be closer to work, to
                                                  be closer to some fun
                                                  city center, to be
                                                  closer to family, they
                                                  make the decision and
                                                  then they look for
                                                  housing. They do not
                                                  hear of new housing
                                                  being built and say,
                                                  on that fact alone, 'I
                                                  will now move!' <br>
                                                  <br>
                                                </div>
                                                If someone hears of new
                                                housing being built, and
                                                he then says, 'I will
                                                now move,' it is because
                                                he is (1) very strict
                                                about only living in
                                                brand new housing (not
                                                likely) or (2)
                                                RESPONDING TO AN
                                                INCREASE IN SUPPLY AT
                                                HIS PRICE POINT. <br>
                                                <br>
                                              </div>
                                              Have you ever heard
                                              someone say "there are no
                                              available apartments in
                                              SF"? Of course he doesn't
                                              mean there are no
                                              available apartments, of
                                              course there are
                                              apartments: <a href="http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/" target="_blank">http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/</a>
                                              there's a $5000 2 bedroom
                                              at the top of the list.
                                              What he means is "there
                                              are no available
                                              apartments in SF at my
                                              price point." So, this
                                              person, who wants to spend
                                              say, $3000 for a nice 2
                                              bedroom lives somewhere
                                              else, and waits for the
                                              supply of $3000 2 bedroom
                                              apartments to increase.
                                              This is rich_guy_2. This
                                              person is currently priced
                                              out of San Francisco. Hard
                                              to believe, but true,
                                              there are many levels of
                                              rich. You can be house
                                              shopping and be priced out
                                              at almost any price point.
                                              I'm sympathetic to people
                                              that are priced out. I
                                              don't want to see anyone
                                              priced out. I'm not going
                                              to discriminate based on
                                              income high or low. No one
                                              should be priced out. If
                                              you can pay $300/mo or
                                              $3000 you should be able
                                              to find something you
                                              think is reasonable in
                                              this town. The supply of
                                              housing in SF is too small
                                              at all but the highest
                                              price point. At whatever
                                              level a developer wants to
                                              supply more housing, I
                                              will say YES. DO IT. <br>
                                              <br>
                                            </div>
                                            MOREOVER. If it's expensive
                                            to build, developers will
                                            only be able to afford to
                                            build high priced projects.
                                            One of the things that makes
                                            building expensive is
                                            fighting with neighbors. So
                                            its ironic (and a little
                                            sad) to see people who want
                                            lower priced housing doing
                                            things that make building
                                            expensive. I think I said
                                            this in another email, but
                                            if a smaller budget
                                            developer wants to build a
                                            cheaper project, but sees
                                            that even the very rich
                                            developer can barely get his
                                            project finished because he
                                            has to spend time and
                                            resources fighting with
                                            neighbors, then the smaller
                                            developer will be like
                                            forget it, I can't do this.
                                            <br>
                                          </div>
                                          <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
                                            <br>
                                            <div class="gmail_quote">On
                                              Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 1:46
                                              PM, Jehan Tremback <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jehan.tremback@gmail.com" target="_blank">jehan.tremback@gmail.com</a>></span>
                                              wrote:<br>
                                              <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
                                                <div dir="ltr">@Eddie-
                                                  Sorry about the eye!
                                                  That was the default
                                                  Ubuntu avatar, and it
                                                  somehow got synced to
                                                  my email when I ran
                                                  Pidgin. So the eye is
                                                  actually open source!
                                                  I'll get rid of it
                                                  though if you want.
                                                  <div> <br>
                                                  </div>
                                                  <div>I'll go over this
                                                    briefly, but there
                                                    are better resources
                                                    out there. </div>
                                                  <div><br>
                                                  </div>
                                                  <div>Let's say rich
                                                    guy can afford $3000
                                                    dollars a month and
                                                    wants to live in SF.
                                                    So landlord charges
                                                    him $3000 for an
                                                    apartment because it
                                                    isn't a closet.
                                                    Since there is
                                                    nowhere else to live
                                                    in SF, rich guy pays
                                                    this. New luxury
                                                    building opens
                                                    across the street
                                                    with really nice new
                                                    apartments for $3000
                                                    a month. Rich guy
                                                    decides to move, and
                                                    landlord puts
                                                    apartment back on
                                                    the market for
                                                    $3000. But because
                                                    all of the other
                                                    rich guys are also
                                                    living in the new
                                                    luxury building,
                                                    landlord finds no
                                                    tenants. Next month,
                                                    landlord is forced
                                                    to lower rent to
                                                    $2000 and 4 hackers
                                                    move in. This is how
                                                    the market works.</div>
                                                  <span><font color="#888888">
                                                      <div><br>
                                                      </div>
                                                      <div>-Jehan</div>
                                                    </font></span></div>
                                                <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
                                                  <br>
                                                  <div class="gmail_quote">
                                                    <div>
                                                      <div>On Mon, Jun
                                                        10, 2013 at
                                                        11:46 AM, Sonja
                                                        Trauss <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sonja.trauss@gmail.com" target="_blank">sonja.trauss@gmail.com</a>></span>
                                                        wrote:<br>
                                                      </div>
                                                    </div>
                                                    <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
                                                      <div>
                                                        <div>
                                                          <div>Ok so
                                                          your position
                                                          is that the
                                                          whole of the
                                                          new housing
                                                          will be taken
                                                          up by people
                                                          who don't
                                                          currently live
                                                          in SF, want
                                                          to, but won't
                                                          move into SF
                                                          unless new
                                                          housing is
                                                          built. 
                                                          <div> <br>
                                                          </div>
                                                          <div>Can you
                                                          describe what
                                                          it is about
                                                          the new
                                                          housing that
                                                          will make
                                                          people who
                                                          already have
                                                          stable,
                                                          adequate
                                                          places to live
                                                          elsewhere move
                                                          into it, when
                                                          they've
                                                          already
                                                          decided theyre
                                                          not interested
                                                          in living in
                                                          any of the
                                                          currently
                                                          available sf
                                                          housing? Does
                                                          this question
                                                          make sense?
                                                          What's special
                                                          about the new
                                                          housing? What
                                                          would make a
                                                          person move to
                                                          SF Only If new
                                                          housing is
                                                          built? What is
                                                          the scenario.
                                                          I can think of
                                                          two. One silly
                                                          and one not
                                                          silly. <span></span></div>
                                                          </div>
                                                          <div>
                                                          <div><br>
                                                          </div>
                                                          <div>
                                                          <div><br>
                                                          On Sunday,
                                                          June 9, 2013,
                                                          Eddie Che
                                                          wrote:<br>
                                                          </div>
                                                          <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
                                                          <div>
                                                          <div> Oy,
                                                          greetings.
                                                          First of all
                                                          that Eye is
                                                          really
                                                          hateful, let's
                                                          tone<br>
                                                          that down a
                                                          little! I've
                                                          been against
                                                          the eye
                                                          because it is
                                                          oppressive<br>
                                                          so, chill.
                                                          @Jehan.<br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          Building will
                                                          increase the
                                                          population in
                                                          San Francisco.
                                                          Not house the<br>
                                                          houseless and
                                                          not bring down
                                                          rents. These
                                                          are upscale
                                                          (condos?)<br>
                                                          apartments,
                                                          bringing the
                                                          added keyword
                                                          of
                                                          gentrification.<br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          I like the
                                                          Spain example.
                                                          Government
                                                          here (County,
                                                          City, State,
                                                          and<br>
                                                          National)
                                                          could give
                                                          land that is
                                                          being held by
                                                          it, eg around
                                                          highway<br>
                                                          off-ramps or
                                                          hills or
                                                          wherEVER to
                                                          folks who are
                                                          disenchanted
                                                          with...<br>
                                                          corporate
                                                          rule.<br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          "liberating
                                                          land from
                                                          private
                                                          control and
                                                          corporate
                                                          interests and
                                                          for<br>
                                                          the common
                                                          good of all
                                                          people."<br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          Can we hack
                                                          that?<br>
                                                          EMCHE, in a
                                                          tree.<br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          PS by the way,
                                                          surprising
                                                          about SF's
                                                          vacant housing
                                                          units @<br>
                                                          <a href="https://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/sf-leads-bay-area-vacant-homes/" target="_blank">https://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/sf-leads-bay-area-vacant-homes/</a><br>

                                                          <br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          <br>
                                                          On Sat, Jun 8,
                                                          2013 at 6:41
                                                          PM, GtwoG
                                                          PublicOhOne
                                                          <<a>g2g-public01@att.net</a>>



                                                          wrote:<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Imagine a
                                                          news headline
                                                          saying "Good
                                                          news for the
                                                          economy: food
                                                          prices are<br>
                                                          > up for
                                                          the third
                                                          month in a
                                                          row!"
                                                           Food-owners
                                                          would
                                                          celebrate, and<br>
                                                          >
                                                          foodless-rights
                                                          advocates
                                                          would protest,
                                                          but nothing
                                                          would change
                                                          unless the<br>
                                                          > entire
                                                          system of
                                                          food-speculation
                                                          was curbed.<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Or
                                                          imagine this:
                                                           Dateline:
                                                          Marinaleda,
                                                          Spain.
                                                           Municipal
                                                          government
                                                          GIVES<br>
                                                          >
                                                          dispossessed
                                                          people the
                                                          land and
                                                          building
                                                          materials to
                                                          build their
                                                          own<br>
                                                          > homes,
                                                          and pays
                                                          contractors to
                                                          provide
                                                          assistance
                                                          with the
                                                          high-skill
                                                          parts<br>
                                                          > such as
                                                          plumbing.
                                                           This is REAL
                                                          and it's
                                                          happening NOW.<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22701384" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22701384</a><br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > "In the
                                                          wake of
                                                          Spain's
                                                          property
                                                          crash,
                                                          hundreds of
                                                          thousands of
                                                          homes have<br>
                                                          > been
                                                          repossessed.
                                                          While one
                                                          regional
                                                          government
                                                          says it will
                                                          seize<br>
                                                          >
                                                          repossessed
                                                          properties
                                                          from the
                                                          banks, a
                                                          little town is
                                                          doing away
                                                          with<br>
                                                          > mortgages
                                                          altogether.
                                                          ...  In
                                                          Marinaleda,
                                                          residents like
                                                          42-year-old<br>
                                                          >
                                                          father-of-three,
                                                          David Gonzalez
                                                          Molina, are
                                                          building their
                                                          own homes.<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > "The town
                                                          hall in this
                                                          ... town an
                                                          hour-and-a-bit
                                                          east of
                                                          Seville, has
                                                          given<br>
                                                          > David 190
                                                          sq m (2,000 sq
                                                          ft) of land.
                                                          ...  The
                                                          bricks and
                                                          mortar are
                                                          also a<br>
                                                          > gift...
                                                          from the
                                                          regional
                                                          government of
                                                          Andalusia. ...
                                                          Only once his
                                                          home is<br>
                                                          > finished
                                                          will he start
                                                          paying 15
                                                          euros (£13)
                                                          [approx. $26]
                                                          a month, to
                                                          the<br>
                                                          > regional
                                                          government, to
                                                          refund the
                                                          cost of other
                                                          building
                                                          materials. ...<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > "...[The
                                                          town's] Mayor
                                                          Juan Manuel
                                                          Sanchez
                                                          Gordillo is
                                                          known for
                                                          occupying<br>
                                                          > land
                                                          belonging to
                                                          the wealthy in
                                                          Andalusia. ...
                                                          Last summer,
                                                          he and his<br>
                                                          > left-wing
                                                          union comrades
                                                          stole from
                                                          supermarkets
                                                          and handed out
                                                          the food to<br>
                                                          > the poor.
                                                           "I think it
                                                          is possible
                                                          that a home
                                                          should be a
                                                          right, and not
                                                          a<br>
                                                          > business,
                                                          in Europe", he
                                                          argues. Mayor
                                                          Sanchez
                                                          Gordillo pours
                                                          scorn on<br>
                                                          >
                                                          "speculators"....<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > ---<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Think
                                                          outside the
                                                          box, and you
                                                          might end up
                                                          thinking like
                                                          Mayor Sanchez<br>
                                                          > Gordillo.<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > What
                                                          happens when
                                                          home prices
                                                          and rents keep
                                                          increasing
                                                          while average
                                                          income<br>
                                                          > levels
                                                          have barely
                                                          budged since
                                                          1974?<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > What
                                                          happens to the
                                                          lives of
                                                          people, when
                                                          the health of
                                                          an economy in
                                                          large<br>
                                                          > part
                                                          depends on
                                                          relentless
                                                          increase in
                                                          the price of a
                                                          vital
                                                          necessity that<br>
                                                          > is also a
                                                          fixed
                                                          resource, such
                                                          as the square
                                                          footage in
                                                          which to eat,
                                                          sleep,<br>
                                                          > and wash?<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Meanwhile
                                                          developers are
                                                          building
                                                          "luxury"
                                                          apartments,
                                                          but the number
                                                          of<br>
                                                          >
                                                          "affordable"
                                                          units isn't
                                                          specified and
                                                          always turns
                                                          out to be less
                                                          than<br>
                                                          > first
                                                          claimed.  How
                                                          is it that
                                                          anyone has a
                                                          "right" to
                                                          luxury, at the<br>
                                                          > expense
                                                          of others'
                                                          poverty and
                                                          homelessness?<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > At root,
                                                          this isn't a
                                                          race issue of
                                                          black and
                                                          white, though
                                                          the guardians
                                                          of<br>
                                                          > privilege
                                                          benefit
                                                          mightily when
                                                          it's framed
                                                          that way, and
                                                          people who
                                                          have<br>
                                                          > common
                                                          cause are
                                                          divided
                                                          against each
                                                          other.  At
                                                          root, it's a
                                                          class issue of<br>
                                                          > green and
                                                          red.<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Land
                                                          speculation is
                                                          a broken
                                                          machine
                                                          running an
                                                          obsolete
                                                          operating
                                                          system,<br>
                                                          > that's
                                                          begging to get
                                                          "rooted."<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > -G<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > =====<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > On
                                                          13-06-08-Sat
                                                          3:06 PM, Sonja
                                                          Trauss wrote:<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > I know,
                                                          it's so
                                                          outrageous.
                                                          This line,
                                                          "The notion of
                                                          smart growth —
                                                          also<br>
                                                          > referred
                                                          to as urban
                                                          infill — has
                                                          been around
                                                          for years,
                                                          embraced by a<br>
                                                          > certain
                                                          type of
                                                          environmentalist,
                                                          particularly
                                                          those
                                                          concerned with<br>
                                                          >
                                                          protecting
                                                          open space."<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Yeah, the
                                                          type of
                                                          environmentalist
                                                          that is an
                                                          environmentalist
                                                          - what is<br>
                                                          > this
                                                          supposed to
                                                          mean!<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Also I
                                                          guess (I hope)
                                                          these
                                                          progressives
                                                          don't realize
                                                          that in
                                                          opposing<br>
                                                          >
                                                          development in
                                                          Bayview, they
                                                          are
                                                          contributing
                                                          to keeping
                                                          blacks overall<br>
                                                          > poorer
                                                          than whites.<br>
                                                          ><br>
                                                          > Putting
                                                          renters aside
                                                          for a minute,
                                                          let's consider
                                                          similarly
                                                          situated black<br>
                                                          > and white
                                                          homeowners, in
                                                          similar income
                                                          black and
                                                          white
                                                          neighborhoods.
                                                          If<br>
                                                          > these
                                                          neighborhoods
                                                          are in a city
                                                          that is
                                                          growing in
                                                          wealth and
                                                          population<br>
                                                          > (like san
                                                          francisco)
                                                          both
                                                          homeowners
                                                          should be able
                                                          to look
                                                          forward to
                                                          their<br>
                                                          > house
                                                          values
                                                          increasing,
                                                          right? NO.
                                                          House values
                                                          at first only
                                                          increase in<br>
                                                          > the white
                                                          neighborhoods,
                                                          because the
                                                          new residents,
                                                          moving to SF
                                                          from all<br>
                                                          </div>
                                                          </div>
                                                          <div> > --<br>
                                                          Eddie Miller,
                                                          BU '10<br>
                                                          <a>eddiemill@gmail.com</a> |



                                                          <a href="tel:440-935-5434" value="+14409355434" target="_blank">440-935-5434</a><br>
                                                          <a href="http://Facebook.com/eddiemill" target="_blank">Facebook.com/eddiemill</a>
                                                          | <a href="http://Twitter.com/eddiemill" target="_blank">Twitter.com/eddiemill</a><br>
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                              <br>
                              -- <br>
                              -------
                              <div>Andrew Lowe</div>
                              <div>Cell: <a href="tel:831-332-2507" value="+18313322507" target="_blank">831-332-2507</a></div>
                              <div><a href="http://roshambomedia.com" target="_blank">http://roshambomedia.com</a></div>
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