Built To Last - the visual depiction of ScaleDown’s mission/vision
Do people ask you what the heck ScaleDown stands for?
Me too. All the time.
Now, just send them this video instead of rambling on for hours and hours. That’s what I’m going to do.
‘Nuff said.
Tags: New Urbanism, Video
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Yes! ‘Nuff said!
Not a bad idea. slum lords are still lords, right? I have no personal bone to pick with cheap hounsig, I’m just wondering why more employers aren’t swooping in and scooping up the locations and employees.The reality is that this can continue on for a long, long time. There are places in the Southern Tier of New York state and upstate New York where you can buy houses cheaper now than you could in 1980. That’ll fry your brain when you see that you can already buy houses, not foreclosures in places like Binghamton and Syracuse NY for less than the wood the house is made out of.I know of people buying entire city houses (we know them as town houses) with 8000 sq ft on 4 levels and a commercial shop front for less than 100K in the past few years. You can get fully rehabbed 4000 sq ft victorian mansions for about half the price of a 1 bedroom condo in SoCal. Why go to a third world country when you’ve got it right upstate?Most people believe that residential real estate is a good investment because it has been in the places where many people live for the past 20 years. The next 20 or 30? Maybe not so much.I remember living in East Germany after the wall came down and seeing beautiful turn-of-the century buildings completely abandoned with squatters living in them that couldn’t be sold for $30K. How easy people are to cover their eyes to how things could be. I guess it’s just the eternal optimists that humans are.
Which is why now knowing that the canal will not level the existing area I am totally for it. Why not let the feds pay for it? What a great way to invest inthe core of our city and do exactly what Scaledown has promoted since it’s inception.
By the way I love the video.
New book:
The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome
Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream
http://www.ordering1.us/bloombergbooks/product.php?pid=339#description
The roots of the worst housing bust in generations lie in the mythology of the American dream: buy as much house as possible, move away from urban centers, home prices will always go up, the schools are “better.” The foundation of the dream itself is faulty; indeed, the desire that “every man have his castle” is bankrupting us.
Today’s crisis in home values is the least of suburbia’s problems. The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome details the intimate connections between home ownership, economics, and the environment. John Wasik provides powerful insights into how the U.S. suburban lifestyle became unsustainable.
Wasik’s observations are firmly grounded in exclusive on-the-ground research, interviews with thought leaders, and the latest studies and statistics. He exposes the untold truths about home ownership: “green” isn’t always so “green,” life isn’t cheaper after accounting for gas, water, and taxes, and modern suburban living isn’t so idyllic considering the toll it takes on our health. However, some are attempting to revive suburbia, and Wasik shows us how. He offers insights into ways to improve our current lifestyle: eco-friendly communities, rebuilding and reclaiming inner cities, improvements in home design, and more.