5 reasons urban living trumps suburban

Book Review: 'Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier' by Edward Glaeser

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson
Inman News™

Love and economics. Outside of marital economic conversations, like dowries, prenuptials and divorce settlements (and maybe even inside them!), the two seem to be strange conceptual bedfellows.

Apparently, someone forgot to mention this to economist Edward Glaeser, whose book "Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier" is a veritable love letter about the metropolis, laden with economic proof points that cities deserve not just Glaeser's, but the undying affection of every world citizen -- rich and poor, laborer and businessperson, suburban and rural alike.

Glaeser's central theory -- which he proceeds to prove and prove again throughout the book with vivid case studies of slums, skyscrapers, asphalt and sprawl from Detroit to Dubai, from Bangalore to Singapore -- is that large cities the world over have a strong track record over history of improving the lot in life of both their residents and their fellow non-urban countrymen.

This, he holds, creates opportunity, economies of scale, and even concentrates brainpower at a scale and so efficiently and synergistically that citizens and residents become wealthier, up their intellectual games, live more eco-friendly lives, and on many other levels are happier and healthier than they would have been living elsewhere.

Glaeser is a Manhattanite, born and raised, so his love for cities does not surprise; most native urbanites I know, from Manhattan to London to Vancouver to San Francisco, need very little prodding to start reeling off the reasons they live, work and play in their town. Usually, this list includes a few names of restaurants, retail centers, a university, library or park, and a blurb or two about how diverse/creative/smart their neighbors are.

However, having personally grown up in a distant suburb with many semi-rural neighborhoods, only moving to an urban area as an adult, I was fascinated by Glaeser's various economic/philosophical definitions of what exactly a city is that renders it worthy of his designation as humanity's greatest invention.

In fact, that is a large part of what Glaeser does in "Triumph of the City" -- he tweaks the most elemental way in which readers understand what a city actually is. Viewed though Glaeser's learned, well-documented, inspired lens, a city is much more than buildings and people crammed together. In fact, one of his earliest definitions of a city is "the absence of physical space between people and companies," which facilitated factory productivity in the last century, and facilitates knowledge sharing today.

Throughout the love letter to and about cities that is "Triumph of the City," Glaeser defines and explores cities variously as hubs for productivity and prosperity, gateways to ideas and innovation; as people, not buildings; as cultural centers and luxury resorts; and as the home to slums that, while seemingly impoverished, actually offer economic, sanitation and health care opportunities to their residents totally unavailable to their non-urban counterparts.

Glaeser defines cities as the locations that power the lowest rates of gasoline consumption and lowest carbon footprints of any human living pattern.

He then segues into a sharp critique of seemingly "green" public policies mandating greenbelts and imposing "draconian" caps on urban development, as overly simplistic ("California would have more than enough water for its citizens if it didn't use so much of it irrigating naturally dry farmland") and having the undesirable effects of keeping property prices prohibitively high for all but the elite economic classes and encouraging sprawl to the suburbs (and the corresponding, higher carbon footprints that go along with commuting and big suburban houses on big, grassy lots).

The book also offers a nuanced contrast between cities that work and cities that don't. In fact, Glaeser uses the contrast between New York City -- with its troubled past and triumphant present -- and Detroit -- with its troubled past and even more troubled present -- to isolate and explore what he deems "the essential ingredients of urban reinvention."

It made me want to run for mayor -- it seems there is a handbook for smart transformation of a city, and a set of cautionary tales about what doesn't work, all to be found inside "Triumph of the City."

Whether you live in a city, troubled or triumphant, or are one of the millions of Americans whose disgust with $4-plus per gallon gas prices has you contemplating the sometimes intimidating move to your area's big city, this book will restore your faith in what cities can be, and inspire and energize you to play your role in manifesting that possibility in your own city, if you choose to.

Tara-Nicholle Nelson is author of "The Savvy Woman's Homebuying Handbook" and "Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions." Tara is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com. Ask her a real estate question online or visit her website, www.rethinkrealestate.com.

View original article: http://lowes.inman.com/newsletter/2011/04/20/news/141544

Sneak Peek! -- 528 E. Duffy Street

528 E. Duffy Street is coming along. The Hardie board siding is up and cabinets are in.

521 E. Charlton Update

We're ready now for our framing inspection, which means we will insulate and then drywall, so very soon these pictures will show a total different level of finish.


We've opened the 2nd window back up in the kitchen.














Hard to see unless you know what you're looking for, but we've flipped the position of the tub and the sink in the 2nd bath.














We still need to get rid of this clawfoot tub.














The carpet is up, but the linoleum is still down to protect the hardwood floors.














Another change, this will be a L-shaped piece of glass in the master bath shower.

528 E. Duffy Update--Drywall is up

It's amazing the difference a little drywall makes.





















It's so much easier to visualize a room when there are walls, not studs.





























Kitchen















Kitchen looking into great room. That's a walk-in pantry on the right.















Master Bedroom--closet on right, door to master bathroom in center.















Back bedroom with double closets.

510 E. Waldburg Update

There's not a lot of framing that needs to go on at Waldburg since the layout is already excellent, but we'll be adding some additional closet space and opening some walls to carve out a little "found space" between rooms. So there should be some built-ins or niches that we're able to create. The plumbing rough-in is also completed and the tubs are set in place--literally, they're not out of their boxes yet, but they're in place.

Just Listed - 559 E. Jones Street

I've listed the cleanest condominium you will ever see. It's absolutely immaculate with new bamboo flooring in the living areas, beautiful new cherry cabinets and granite in the kitchen, as well as stainless steel appliances. It's a great location at the end of tree-lined Jones Street. It has two bedrooms, two baths, and the rare off street parking space. We've priced it very aggressively at $215,000.

Home-selling Tactics to Beat the Deadbeats

Bankrate.com is full of useful information regarding mortgage rates and real estate advice. Competing against foreclosures is a reality of our current housing market, so the following is worth a read.

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Read the full article: http://www.bankrate.com/system/util/print.aspx?p=/finance/real-estate/home-selling-tactics-to-beat-the-deadbeats-1.aspx&s=br3&c=real%20estate&t=guide&e=1&v=1

Cleverest Space-Saving Folding Chair Designs

Even if you live in a large house, and not a small space, these chairs are still very interesting, and everyone can use seating that can be stashed somewhere easily.

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By: Annie Hauser, This Old House online

Every holiday entertainer could use some extra seating this time of year. If run-of-the-mill metal folders aren't your style, you'll love these innovative chair designs from some of today's top talent.

While most of the chairs fold flat for easy storage, others are small wonders that can go from one-seaters to six-seaters, and some even transform into tables and benches.

Keep reading for 12 of the most clever takes on chairs you've ever seen. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/print/0,,20443638,00.html