Jon Mays, the editor in chief of the Daily Journal, is an astute observer of the local scene--it is his job and he does it well. I particularly liked his editorial about the development opportunities and pitfalls for downtown San Mateo. It applies equally well to B'game and I would guess Jon would agree. Here is a critical section of it with my bolding added
Some of the perceived opportunities are more density and the redevelopment of two city-owned sites at Fifth and Railroad avenues. One buzz term in recent years is transit-oriented development and there could be more development activity near the train station at First Avenue.
So even though downtown is already one of the most dense areas of the city, there is an idea that there is room for growth near the train line to help our traffic congestion and lack of housing affordability. I urge a bit of caution. Many areas of San Francisco are transit-oriented, near BART, Caltrain, Muni, ferries and buses and that has done little to ameliorate the traffic congestion in the city though one could argue it could be much worse if it weren’t for public transit offerings. Housing is a definite need but it should be put into a larger context of both the downtown’s history and its future. Though there is a current need, it doesn’t mean it will be as acute as it is now, and the downtown is too important to be looked at to solve that issue completely right now.
'Nough said!
Mr. Mays, in Bruce Dickinson's opinion, is far more astute than 99% of the local politicians in the bay area. The mere fact that recessions such as the early 90's, the dot.com bust, and the financial crisis all ended up in real estate prices going down, sometimes severely, only reinforces the point that there is no permanent housing shortage, as many allege. Moreover, the population of San Mateo County as well as its component cities has barely increased over the past 40 years.
This "transit oriented development" concept is an already outdated model. Driverless vehicles and managed traffic systems will end up taking many more cars off the road, dramatically reducing congestion. The result: an increase in the number of people living AWAY from the big cities and downtown centers. If your 40 minute no-traffic commute is one during which you can be whisked around in the comfort of your own vehicle, while taking a power nap no less, all these downtown infrastructure developments with small spaces and access to limited service public transportation will be rendered practically useless in the way of providing a superior lifestyle.
Bruce Dickinson thinks state and local politicians would benefit most from driverless cars: no need to keep fixating on the rear-view mirror!!!
Posted by: Bruce Dickinson | April 26, 2017 at 05:27 PM