Thoughts On The Suburbs

[RedScare]

Here's an article that explains a lot as to why we are experiencing sprawl. And it aint just us.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8544466/

[sevfiv]

Here's an article that explains a lot as to why we are experiencing sprawl.

[Gary]

You know that's a pretty interesting article. I can't believe the size differential over just 24 years.

Looking back, my parents and both sides of grandparents lived in smaller homes than I do, and all the while being far more financially independent than I am.

It makes me wonder if some of us have bitten off more than we could chew.

[dbigtex56]

Wow, that's a very tame response to me saying your full of it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So stop telling people "your (sic) full of it."

No flame wars, please.

[RedScare]

"It makes me wonder if some of us have bitten off more than we could chew."

I'm afraid it is a lot more than just some of us. It has become a national pasttime...and possibly soon, a national crisis.

[InnerLoopOnly]

Density in the center would allow for single family houses on the edge to be cheaper. And they wouldn't be as far away from the center.

[bachanon]

our conflict is that we have personal property rights written into the constitution. as long as we have liberal property ownership instituted into our culture, sprawl will increase beyond anything known to civilized society. we must change the mindset of the property owners or the mindset of what it means to be a republic. the city on a hill will become the largest developed land mass known to mankind otherwise.

[RedScare]

And that response, friends, came from a Woodlands resident.

[LTAWACS]

You have yet to answer one question I have asked you! Personaly I think your full of BS.

Sorry for that short rant everybody, I just can't take this guy anymore.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Come on gary. I'm trying to stay on topic and all you can do is say I don't answer your questions? Come on man. I have answered your questions. Loosen up a little. Have a beer man.

[sevfiv]

Come on gary. I'm trying to stay on topic and all you can do is say I don't answer your questions? Come on man. I have answered your questions. Loosen up a little. Have a beer man.

hehe

[bachanon]

And that response, friends, came from a Woodlands resident. 

i'm not saying that i'm for restricted property rights. i'm simply stating that sprawl may never end.

[kjb434]

sprawl=negative is so proliferate in the minds of people. And people not using there cars and using trains and mass transit will only make it sprawl more.

Look at New York and Chicago to see that.

People often talk about living 30 miles out it just too far.

People regularly commute 70 to 80 miles in Chicago, New York, and Los Angels. Trains make this further commute possible.

If you don't want sprawl to get too far out, you need to stop commuter rail.

I don't really care about sprawl. I'm all for the commuter rail to come in.

[LTAWACS]

I don't really care about sprawl.  I'm all for the commuter rail to come in.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For what? To what end?

[kjb434]

To no end. Why does it have to stop?

[InnerLoopOnly]

I would be fine with people living in dense suburbs that serve as work centers. I think transit links between these places and the central city would be great.

LTAWACS, you don't seem the type that would want a bunch of suburban types cramping your style in the hip inner loop. I would think you would want them to stay in their suburban prison.

[bachanon]

if the woodlands is a suburb prison, then the walls are forested buffers. sentence me to life without parole.

[Gary]

So stop telling people "your (sic) full of it."

No flame wars, please.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sorry i don't understand.

[Gary]

Come on gary. I'm trying to stay on topic and all you can do is say I don't answer your questions? Come on man. I have answered your questions. Loosen up a little. Have a beer man.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's a very convenient response. Since I can't get an answer I'll drop it.

[Casual Observer]

Gary's defeated. How sad..

[Gary]

Gary's defeated. How sad..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah I decided to chill out and have a beer, well a glass of wine anyway.

[YakuzaIce]

To no end.  Why does it have to stop?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you really want America one day to become a huge suburb? This sounds far fetched but look how far cities have sprawled in just 50 years. Do you want it where the only place you can see nature is in a national park?

[Casual Observer]

Yeah - one big suburb.. I'm guessing that will happen right after we run out of oil right?

Less than 10% of this country is developed - and that's with over 300 million people. I'm not too worried about it.

[RedScare]

Do you really want America one day to become a huge suburb?  This sounds far fetched but look how far cities have sprawled in just 50 years.  Do you want it where the only place you can see nature is in a national park?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, with an oilrig in the middle of it!

[YakuzaIce]

Yeah - one big suburb.. I'm guessing that will happen right after we run out of oil right?

Less than 10% of this country is developed - and that's with over 300 million people. I'm not too worried about it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok there are alternatives to oil being developed by many different companies. And we have sprawled around sixty or so miles in fifty odd years so I wonder what it will look like in another fifty years. And I was being somewhat facetious when saying America as a huge suburb, but I said that because kjb said about sprawl... "To no end. Why does it have to stop?" so I was asking if that is what he would like.

[Casual Observer]

America went through a giagantic growth spurt during open immigration before WW2, and then again with the baby-boomers after WW2. Since then, things have tapered off, and most familys are somewhere between 3 and 5 versus 5 and 10 like the previous generations.

Also, if the governement would control the borders, that would slow the population growth, inturn slowing sprawl.

Finally, things here in Houston are worse than most areas. Like I said earlier, over 90% of the country is undeveloped forest, mountains, bodies of water, or farmlands. Even if we doubled our population, and assumed that with sprawl the doubled population now of 600 million would take up twice as much space for sprawl, that's still only another 20%. So with 600 million people, you're looking at 30% occupied and 70% still free.

We're fine - no worries.

[kjb434]

That's why I said to no end and why does it have to stop.

Much of this country is quite undeveloped.

Let people have the option if they want to live way out there they can.

If people didn't want to live out there because its BAD they wouldn't.

[sevfiv]

it seems to me that houston has "exponential sprawl." as in, the sprawl has taken a sharp turn upward more recently then ever...

that would be a concern for having suburbs stretching to say, schulenberg

[kjb434]

Well, the woodlands, Kingwood and Champions (some of the farthest developments) were established in the late 60s and late 70s. Would seem to me we just been filling in since then.

[Casual Observer]

I agree with the filling in. Basically, it would be no different if Woodlands, Kingwood, Fairfield, First Colony and the older outlying communities built closer in, where the in-fill is now taking place. Either way, we'd still be as far out as we are.

[kjb434]

yeah, Houston has been as spread out as it is now for about 30 years. Seems to be holding steady.