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  #1  
Old Posted Mar 9, 2011, 3:30 PM
tgannaway89 tgannaway89 is offline
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Inner City Declines, Sprawl Continues

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...st-1044510.php

I know this will shock many of you that somehow thought San Antonio had a radical change in mindset over the last decade.
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  #2  
Old Posted Mar 9, 2011, 5:46 PM
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By "many of you," I'm sure you mean me, and by "radical change," I'm sure you mean common sense.

I never thought that the suburbs would decline, I just know that common sense will kick in at some point and people (some not all) will choose to live closer to their work or in a better neighborhood.
I also never even thought that the inner city could outpace growth in the suburbs, especially in the last 10 years (it is geographically impossible based on land availability,) but neither you or I can predict the future. Couple of questions though; as the suburban fringe continues to expand further out, does that give different meaning to "inner city?" at what point do we expand the "inner city" boundaries?

Of course North and West "grew" faster; its easy to grow when your baseline is 0 and the growth comes in the form of new construction. It isn't proving anything, just stating the obvious; because we waste land building suburban pods and parking lots, we need to go farther out to clear land to build more homes and parking lots..... and so on.... 10-20 years ago the areas outside 410 and inside 1604 outpaced everywhere else, are they still "booming?" Do you think that Stone Oak, Alamo Ranch or areas around Encino Park will be dark blue shades in 2020 or 2030?

In places that were some of the densest (look up the Census Block Stats) in SA, it is easy to "decline;" all that has to happen is a few people move away and population automatically "declines."

Using that same logic however, the inner city will grow "faster" than the suburbs for the few months when people move into 1221, Cevallos Lofts and the Pearl apartments; does that mean the suburbs are done for?

With gas prices going up (again) and people spending more and more time in their cars, it shouldn't take a "radical" change to make people want to find alternate means of moving and living; but common sense doesn't always come easy for most people.

I get why you like the suburbs; it's new, its clean, and its whats available to you in this city 98% of the time. I like them too. I don't have a problem with single family homes on 1/8 or 1/4 acre lots if walkability and transit were taken into account when designing the neighborhood and builidings around them. Its not about location, it's about design. I just want better (smarter) design and better planning for the burbs. It doesn't make sense to build an environment primarily for cars (which costs money) when we (humans, with a naturally free mode of transportation,) are the primary users.
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Last edited by miaht82; Mar 9, 2011 at 6:02 PM.
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  #3  
Old Posted Mar 9, 2011, 6:09 PM
Schertz1 Schertz1 is offline
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Without verifying census numbers, I would also say the decline inside 410, especially inner city, has slowed when compared to 1990 to 2000.
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  #4  
Old Posted Mar 9, 2011, 8:37 PM
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I think there's been a shift towards downtown-centric thinking, even if the statistics don't reflect that. If we as a city didn't give a damn about downtown and the inner city, things like the Hemisfair redevelopment and Midtown wouldn't be getting the level of attention and public participation that they are.
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  #5  
Old Posted Mar 11, 2011, 3:54 AM
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Vigorous Co-sign.

Quote:
Originally Posted by miaht82 View Post
By "many of you," I'm sure you mean me, and by "radical change," I'm sure you mean common sense.

I never thought that the suburbs would decline, I just know that common sense will kick in at some point and people (some not all) will choose to live closer to their work or in a better neighborhood.
I also never even thought that the inner city could outpace growth in the suburbs, especially in the last 10 years (it is geographically impossible based on land availability,) but neither you or I can predict the future. Couple of questions though; as the suburban fringe continues to expand further out, does that give different meaning to "inner city?" at what point do we expand the "inner city" boundaries?

Of course North and West "grew" faster; its easy to grow when your baseline is 0 and the growth comes in the form of new construction. It isn't proving anything, just stating the obvious; because we waste land building suburban pods and parking lots, we need to go farther out to clear land to build more homes and parking lots..... and so on.... 10-20 years ago the areas outside 410 and inside 1604 outpaced everywhere else, are they still "booming?" Do you think that Stone Oak, Alamo Ranch or areas around Encino Park will be dark blue shades in 2020 or 2030?

In places that were some of the densest (look up the Census Block Stats) in SA, it is easy to "decline;" all that has to happen is a few people move away and population automatically "declines."

Using that same logic however, the inner city will grow "faster" than the suburbs for the few months when people move into 1221, Cevallos Lofts and the Pearl apartments; does that mean the suburbs are done for?

With gas prices going up (again) and people spending more and more time in their cars, it shouldn't take a "radical" change to make people want to find alternate means of moving and living; but common sense doesn't always come easy for most people.

I get why you like the suburbs; it's new, its clean, and its whats available to you in this city 98% of the time. I like them too. I don't have a problem with single family homes on 1/8 or 1/4 acre lots if walkability and transit were taken into account when designing the neighborhood and builidings around them. Its not about location, it's about design. I just want better (smarter) design and better planning for the burbs. It doesn't make sense to build an environment primarily for cars (which costs money) when we (humans, with a naturally free mode of transportation,) are the primary users.
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  #6  
Old Posted Mar 11, 2011, 5:48 AM
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I think one of the most important things here is housing. People want new housing. For a long time there was so little of it. However now there is lots happening that is bringing in new housing to the inner core. Once these developments start filling in the area should see an increase.

I for one hate sprawl, a long time ago I would have loved to live out by 1604. Now I despise the whole area. But everyone has there right to live where the want. I love being in the city. And I love that there is new life coming to the DT area. It will be awesome to see it all come together...

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Old Posted Mar 11, 2011, 3:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keep-SA-Lame View Post
I think there's been a shift towards downtown-centric thinking, even if the statistics don't reflect that. If we as a city didn't give a damn about downtown and the inner city, things like the Hemisfair redevelopment and Midtown wouldn't be getting the level of attention and public participation that they are.
And they (stats) won't show that for a very long time. It also won't mean the end of the burbs, just a change in the way that they are designed and built (sprawl.)

Here is an article (for those interested and with some free time,) that explains how this is already happening across the country (for those that think it is just me imagining things.)

http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2011/Mar/McMahonStrip
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It is the city trying to escape the consequences of being a city
while still remaining a city. It is urban society trying to eat its
cake and keep it, too.
- Harlan Douglass, The Suburban Trend, 1925
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 11, 2011, 10:43 PM
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sakyle04 sakyle04 is offline
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Awesome article... Thanks for posting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by miaht82 View Post
And they (stats) won't show that for a very long time. It also won't mean the end of the burbs, just a change in the way that they are designed and built (sprawl.)

Here is an article (for those interested and with some free time,) that explains how this is already happening across the country (for those that think it is just me imagining things.)

http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2011/Mar/McMahonStrip
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