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By highwater (registered) | Posted November 30, 2011 at 09:41:00 in reply to Comment 71704
We've obviously been reading different threads because this discussion is all about choice and the fact that up until now people have had no choice but to flee to the suburbs because perverse incentives created the illusion that it was more affordable. As the cost of energy increases, and the repair bills on the post-war infrastructure that enabled sprawl come due, it's no surprise that this trend is starting to reverse.
I haven't seen anyone here suggesting that people who choose to live in suburban or rural areas shouldn't be respected, only that their choice is often a false one predicated as it is on the massive subsidies that support this type of development.
We are now seeing the economic, social, and yes, environmental (thanks for pointing that out) costs of our choice as a society to promote an unsustainable living arrangement. At the same time, as Ryan points out, these costs are beginning to be felt at the individual level and many people are making different choices about where they want to live as a result.
Our cities can no longer afford to subsidize their sprawling fringes and still be the economic engines we need them to be. As well, we can no longer afford the continued loss of food producing lands. We can't shy away from this discussion just because some of the people who made their lifestyle choices based on perverse incentives might take it personally.
Perhaps you and mystoneycreek would like to get together and discuss the values that underlie people's lifestyle choices. The rest of us will continue to discuss the dollars and cents.
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