LogFAQs > #979316357

reincarnator07 posted...

I keep bringing up planning because almost all of the things you're attributing to overpopulation are explained and exacerbated by poor planning

Like, one way to look at it is the very concept of a town centre is flawed and outdated. We used to have things close together because it was easier to walk to them all. It's been that way for thousands of years. But the reason vehicles were invented is so that distances don't matter. This opens up the possibility of not having a town centre, which is the reason for all congestion.

So now you can have your cinema in one place, your newsagent somewhere else, your clothes shop somewhere else, your nightclub somewhere else. And in the most modern version of it, your Amazon warehouse (which we've established very much DOES compare to a town centre, and does bring massive revenue to a council and to everyone else) can be absolutely anywhere you want. ie place it out of the way so it doesn't inconvenience anybody.

In doing so, it makes all land equally valuable, ie you don't have an oversubscribed downtown where a terraced house costs 6 million.

Did I just solve one of the world's biggest problems? What do the academics think of that?

reincarnator07 posted...

I'd have to look into that. I can think of a couple of specific examples (Phoenix AZ and Toronto have much higher traffic incidents than Amsterdam) but I'll see if I can find some per city breakdowns, particularly within the same countries.

Yeah, laws and culture obviously play a part, so it would be better to compare cities in the same country.

reincarnator07 posted...

Ignoring AirBnB which is a major factor in the shortage of homes in some areas, it pushes the prices of homes up and pushes poorer people further from the jobs they're working, which means they now need to travel further and potentially without public transport, depending how good transport is further from the town centres. These jobs still need to be worked.

Meaning cafes and nightclubs? With a more even distribution of workplaces (ie offices and shops) you actually wouldn't need as many cafes in the first place. But as nightclubs, offices and shops are all going extinct, it probably doesn't matter anyway.

reincarnator07 posted...

Considering how the country's finances have been mismanaged for at least the last 14 years, linking the economy to overpopulation isn't a particularly compelling argument.

That's an oddly specific number?

reincarnator07 posted...

These sorts of amenities are an investment that we can't not make. We can't just not educate our children, we can't leave our people out to dry without access to healthcare. It's not that we can't afford to do it right now, we're actively choosing to spend our money elsewhere.

It really is the case (really really) that you can't spend what you haven't got. It's why so many people are in so much debt. Also why Sudan isn't known for it's infrastructure or public services. As Michael Jackson said, "if you can't feed a baby, then don't have a baby".

Would you prefer to cut spending on roads? Healthcare? Education? Defence? Welfare? The police? Or would you prefer they put taxes up? I don't have any respect for people that can't pick one.

reincarnator07 posted...

You are a stakeholder though. Ignoring the economic benefits from functioning transit systems, all of those people who would take the trains rather than driving means that your driving experience would be better.

To be honest, my driving experience is good enough. That's why I live where I live. My only use for a train is having it as a backup system, and for non-driving friends from London to visit me. But if I'm honest, it wouldn't matter if the trains went bust. They're selling something I don't care for, in a way I don't care for, just like Nintendo and Paramount and Starbucks and Wasabi. They could all go under with no consequence.

reincarnator07 posted...

Now, I'd rather see these limits set through architecture rather than legislation as the science says that speed limit signs aren't all that effective at actually reducing speeds

Exactly. I was in Wales at the weekend and there's a road that's a mile and a half, dead straight, going down a steep hill, great visibility. And here there were, 3 cars all coasting downhill at 18mph with our brakes on. I dunno what it does to the air quality in the area for all the pedestrians having to breathe in all the extra carcinogenic brake dust and exhaust fumes.