The Absurdity of the Return-to-Office Movement::The return-to-office demands make little sense from an overall economic perspective, while working parents, in particular, benefit from not having to waste time commuting to an office, writes Peter Bergen.
Remote work forever, and repurpose the useless office buildings into conveniently located downtown living space to help ease housing shortages and drive urban density.
Then you need mass transit to pick up the slack, otherwise there’s just as much pollution and waste.
Living downtown typically means a lot more walking, biking, and public transit, precisely because you’re there in the middle of everything. When you’ve got everything from grocery stores, pubs, cafes, parks, cultural attractions, etc all within walking distance, your need to drive anywhere becomes occasional at most.
Who wants to live in a city centre though?
The only appeal is that it’s close to work, and we no longer need to go to that.
Because all the shops, museums, restaurants, music venues, and public transit hubs are there?
Museums and music venues, sure.
But the other things exist in small towns too. And if I do want to go to a concert, or the football or a museum, I can just go. It’s not like you go to these places every day.
I work from home and still prefer living in the city center, despite being more expensive. Not due to the museums but due to the closeness to restaurants, pubs and clubs. How am I supposed to go back home if I am drunk and I cannot drive. The city center is for the people not for office buildings.
This is me. I can just go outside and do the things, then I’m back in time for my next meeting.
Do they? I just moved back to the rural area I grew up in after spending ten years in Cleveland.
Cleveland’s not the greatest, but there’s dick around here outside of Walmart. I can drive 30 minutes into the nearest small city if I need a Home Depot or something, but Cleveland had tons of choices by comparison. Not a ton of restaurants, most are same ish or eaten up by Applebee’s. Fast food is even pretty limited.
Back in the day we had small shops, but most are dead now…
It’s also close to groceries, bars, theaters, museums, social services, and jobs that need you to be there in person, like working at any of the above.
We had cities before we had cars for a reason. Let’s make them somewhere we want to live.
It’s so nice to have everything within a 5 block radius. Everything I need is there. No cars, no traffic, just lots of constant exercise and fresh air. When I want to go to a museum, I go to a museum–no gas, driving, parking. When I want to go to a concert, I jump on the subway and go to a concert. But go on, tell us how living in suburbs and breathing the fumes from the car in front of you is better.
Nobody drives in the city, there’s too much traffic.
Who said anything about living in the suburbs?
We didn’t all build our towns wrong.
The one thing i disagree about is the fresh air
This isn’t 1980. Cities are really not polluted. Those who live in the suburbs tend to be less healthy due to lack of activity and increased exposure to the pollution emitted from cars.
If you are in the US or EU, maybe? Look at the third words though. This fresh air claim does not apply to everywhere in the world: especially when talking about downtown.
We’re going to take the exception and apply it to the whole, gotcha.
Looks like you love opening your mouth without thinking much so here are a few Actual stats before i block your ass.
I was not even disagreeing with you as a whole but apparently even arguing one point with you makes you entitled to a point you become defensive stale and resort to indulge in the mindset a 5 year old would be ashamed of.
https://www.unep.org/interactives/air-pollution-note/?gad_source=1
https://earth.org/data_visualization/pollution/
Now tell people again exactly how the air is actually fresh in cities, downtown, nonetheless where traffic is peaking. Adios.
Downtowns can become very nice neighborhoods once all those offices and car space are transformed in housing, parks and walkable spaces.
Students