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Talk about mixed messages (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 months ago by DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Storefront in Berkeley (of course it is Berkeley).

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[-] Global_Liberty@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

California NIMBYs are the worst in the country.

The only problem I see is the buildings aren't tall enough. If we want to end the cost of living crisis, we need affordable housing stock and lots of it. To get that, we need to build. To build to meet demand, we need flexible zoning.

The Bay Area should copy Tokyo, the largest metropolis on the planet which is also in an earthquake zone and has relatively affordable housing with excellent neighborhoods.

[-] Baguette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Tokyo is not even close to being affordable? A 25m^2^ 1bd is still roughly 1400 usd per month. You can get it down to 800 usd ish if you only want a small 15m^2^ studio. Those kinds don't come with any kitchen and you only have a mini fridge. And that's just the rent alone.

Then you get hit with the tokyo salary which depending on the sector you work in could be 20 to 60 percent of a pay cut. The median salary is about 40k usd in Tokyo.

Like sure there are benefits but Tokyo is not affordable, just look at the rise of adults in their 20s and 30s living with their parents in Japan, and even the rise of unemployed throughout asia (south korea and japan leading this metric)

Edit: i forgot exponent sign is considered formatting

[-] stickly@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

Hear me out: down zoning. We dig some deep ass bunkers and throw parks on top of them.

[-] flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 3 points 4 months ago

So I know nothing about Berkley other than there is a famous university there. Went and looked up this specific neighborhood (Elmwood) on street view.

To my European eye calling the entire district historic is a stretch, but I get it, there are some nice old houses there that might deserve individual preservation. But generally medium density housing fits quite well without breaking up the neighborhood character. They already have some at it fits quite well

[-] DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago

This has nothing to do with historic preservation. Berkeley has even gone so far as declaring a parking lot as historic to block construction of an apartment building.

[-] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 4 months ago

I always heard Berkeley was supposed to be "progressive", but this makes it seem like they're all NIMBY liberals... Which would you say is closer to the truth?

[-] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 0 points 4 months ago

The state should take away their land use privileges and issue permits directly from Sacramento

[-] tate@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 4 months ago

Right. Because everyone loves it when their local government is over ruled by the state.

[-] DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago

Berkeley was not only the first city in America to use racist zoning to prevent lower-income and non-whites from moving into wealthy neighborhoods -- but the Elmwood district was the first neighborhood in the city to receive such treatment. That 1916 plan persists basically unchanged to do this day, with the Elmwood having the highest percentage of white residents in Alameda County. The State is acting well within its obligations to put a stop to such policies.

[-] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net -1 points 4 months ago

On this issue? Fuck it take away local control. It's a failed policy that's choking us to death slowly. Statewide zoning code now

[-] tate@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

And if the statewide zoning code doesn't meet your approval?

Politicians at higher levels are not automatically more competent.

[-] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 4 months ago

As a non-American, "zoning" has to be the second-stupidest town planning concept I've heard of this week

[-] herrvogel@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

What does this mean? What does zoning have to do with being American or not?

[-] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 4 months ago

It's not a thing here.

[-] herrvogel@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Of course it is. They just work differently and are not as stupid as the US zoning laws, but that doesn't mean zoning laws don't exist.

[-] vatlark@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Yeah NIMBY is hard to break.

[-] twice_hatch@midwest.social 1 points 4 months ago

Good gravy that's a big QR code

[-] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

This poster has a suspiciously good layout for the simple font and picture choice. It feels like astroturfing and the subject matter supports the idea.

[-] brotundspiele@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

You can have historic neighborhoods without cars. We've had them for millennia in the rest of the world.

Even in North America people used to know how to do that.

this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
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