I edited the original post that Dan and Alexa responded to. In that post I was a little more grumpy/reactionary to what the suburbs represent. I clarified the post to say what I truly do appreciate about Dan’s post. The points that I took out were to the effect that suburbs should be open to mass transit and more density because restricting growth will lead to transportation and sprawl nightmares. I don’t think quality of life has to suffer in the suburbs if more housing is built in an appropriate way.

I personally have a beef with how the current system incentivizes suburban governments to restrict growth in their town so that manageable traffic, less “undesirable” people, and more vistas will cause property values to rise. This denies middle class residents (like me) the chance to own a home within reasonable distance to the city. If a suburb did otherwise, I would have no problem living there. But suburbs have no practical reason to help the larger metro area become more sustainable in regards to transportation and income stratification. Instead, it’s the cities who get stuck with this task. But that is beside the point to Dan’s post about the suburban experience.

Although urbanites may not realize it, people actually LIKE living in the suburbs. I really get irritated at all of the looking down that goes on at people who live in the suburbs (or in the country like my parents).

While sure, sustainability is important, I feel like city/planning people need to respect that people enjoy different lifestyles and that there are good aspects of the suburban experience too (maybe neighborlyness or community) that could be learned from.

I am not too surprised that Seth quickly took my post as a trigger for debate. Many who work in transit or who choose to live in cities feel that they are on a mission to convert and educate others. While the actions of these people are on the whole positive, the tactics are sometimes a bit abrasive.

All in all, I agree with Seth’s points and I am a big fan of mass transit. One thing that I want is to improve the crappy bus system in the Tri Valley. I also agree that making SF, Oakland, Berkeley and other local cities livable for families is important and something that makes this area great.

Seth is a good guy, and I know that he meant no harm. Perhaps the dialog he’s starting will actually bear fruit. Know, however, that I was simply having a good day (really, a good few weeks) and wanted to just express a bit of joy by describing my hometown.