There’s already been some discussion about this story from the New York Times here but we’ve had a request to start a separate thread.
“The quality of the experience of being in Boulder, part of it has to do with being able to go to this meadow and it isn’t just littered with human beings,” said Steve Pomerance, a former city councilman who moved here from Connecticut in the 1960s.
….These days, you can find a Steve Pomerance in cities across the country — people who moved somewhere before it exploded and now worry that growth is killing the place they love.
But a growing body of economic literature suggests that anti-growth sentiment, when multiplied across countless unheralded local development battles, is a major factor in creating a stagnant and less equal American economy.
Dense housing growth at a rapid pace is a very difficult problem for Greater Boston. Over the past 2 decades there has been significant build out. The transportation infra structure can not service this fast paced development. I say slow down. New England is a welcoming place. Spread out the growth. Do not concentrate it in the Boston area alone.
If we want to keep our economy healthy and growing, we need to continue to accommodate our vibrant technology, biotech, and start-up sectors. That means making tough decisions about how to attract and keep young talent here, and housing costs are definitely a barrier.
@Colleen: Another piece to this is DEFINITELY that our transportation infrastructure is decades past due for an overhaul. We should work to make sure the political will is there to build 21st century infrastructure, the lack of which is also a threat to continued economic growth.
Let’s talk about the government’s role in economic stagnation. Imagine what would happen to our state’s economy if we reimplemented alcohol prohibition. It would likely trigger an economic collapse. Liquor manufacturers, distributors, and importers would go out of business. Bars, nightclubs and restaurants would close. Hundreds of thousands would be left jobless. But that’s exactly what state government has done with it’s cannabis prohibition. And the idiocy of that policy has had a giant impact not only on our private sector economy, but on our public institutions as well. We’ve sucked billion$ out of education and infrastructure to enforce ridiculous laws against a plant. I know cannabis is not the topic of this thread. But anyone who thinks state government is intelligent enough to fix the housing crisis and foster economic growth, needs to remember you’re counting on a large percentage of ignorant fools to make sound policy decisions. How’s that worked out so far?
Um, I totally agree with that statement.
Have a great afternoon.
I sincerely appreciate being able to speak my mind here on V14. And I think a variety of perspectives makes this forum invaluable.
My point was, it’s unfair to single out people who are simply trying to protect their own communities from large scale growth, by casting blame on them for economic stagnation. There are numerous reasons our economy is struggling and our infrastructure now resembles that of Soviet-era Eastern Europe. Most of those reasons are based on government policy. Very few can be blamed on people trying to defend their communities from those policies.
@Mike: I hope you know I was just giving you a gentle ribbing. Actually I’m surprised you haven’t yet linked our housing crisis to the school committee’s “incompetence” but I suspect sooner or later you will!
haha… I’ll work on that. Maybe I can come up with something.
Hi Greg – It’s an easy connection between the School Committee and Housing costs – people pay a premium for housing because of our school district’s excellent reputation.
Boulder has Colorado’s top ranked high school – http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/colorado/districts/boulder-valley-school-district-112043