Posted on 07/22/2009 10:44:16 PM PDT by grey_whiskers
The sustainable city of the future will rest on the revival of traditional institutions that have faded in many of today’s cities.
Ellen Moncure and Joe Wong first met in school and then fell in love while living in the same dorm at the College of William and Mary. After graduation, they got married and, in 1999, moved to Washington, D.C., where they worked amid a large community of single and childless people.
Like many in their late 20s, the couple began to seek something other than exciting careers and late-night outings with friends. “D.C. was terrific,” Moncure recalled over lunch near her office in lower Manhattan. It was an extension of college. But after a while, you want to get to a different ‘place.’”
The ‘place’ Ellen and Joe looked for was not just a physical location but something less tangible: a sense of community and a neighborhood to raise their hoped-for children. Although they considered suburban locations, as most families do, ultimately they chose the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, where Joe had grown up.
(Excerpt) Read more at american.com ...
Cheers!
Shame about all that income inequality in ultra liberal cities.
Right now my number one retirement destination is North Dakota. NYC, Chicago and LA have absolutely no appeal to me.
No matter how much they claim to love diveristy, nobody with any aspirations loves sending their children through the minefield of poor performance that this diversity brings with it.
You’re always going to see the middle class vacating the urban core when it’s time to raise a family. Those who can afford private schools have the option of hanging around, I suppose.
“You’re always going to see the middle class vacating the urban core when it’s time to raise a family.”
Actually the reverse is happening all over the country (though perhaps not in your area; don’t know where you live). Take close-in Washington suburb Arlington, VA — families are flocking to this county, even though real estate is some of the most expensive in the country. Reason? It’s got everything: jobs, terrific infrastructure, subway access, restaurants — and GREAT SCHOOLS. That last one is what really attracts families.
I know, because I’m one of ‘em!
Arlington isn’t an urban core, though. Arlington is a suburb of DC, as you put it. Without DC, there is no Arlington. At least not the one you know.
Now you make a point in that Arlington a a historic downtown that has been preserved, and that this attracts a lot of people. That much is true. But when you start to grow to the point that you’re approaching the size of major American cities, things start to go downhill.
Well, Arlington isn’t just a “suburb” of Washington; it’s one of the most close-in communities you can find. In fact, Arlington started out as part of the District of Columbia. It split away from D.C. in the 1830s and returned to Virginia, but if you look at the map it forms one of the four points of the D.C. “diamond.”
I’m not aware of an “old town” in Arlington. I think you have us confused with Old Town Alexandria next door.
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