Conversation

Dec 1, 2020

What’s wrong with it being just what it is? Presumably, it is acceptable for some place to be an aging, silver retirement community. Why not Palo Alto? Being “more” would be something different, which sounds like it’s at odds with the retirement community vibe residents enjoy.

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What's wrong with that?

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How is it harming people? What's wrong with the world having some places with more expensive and less dense housing than other places?

Cliff Bargar

@thecliffbar

Those places shouldn't be in the middle of one of the regions that are simultaneously among the most productive and experience the most displacement of anywhere in the country

Mike Dunham

@mldunham

Correct. Palo Alto's privileged place in the world is not because its residents are so savvy or its local government so brilliant. It's because of a large number of factors, some within but most outside the city's control, that lead to an economically strong region.

Mike Dunham

@mldunham

12:00 AM · Dec 3, 2020Twitter Web App

Palo Alto has the dumb luck of being located next to a world-class university and directly in the middle of Silicon Valley. It's very reasonable for society to expect PA to behave responsibly as part of having that luck. The city has not and has instead indulged selfishness.

Replying to

Or is it the world-class university that has the dumb luck of being next to Palo Alto? Whether it was luck at one time doesn't mean it's been luck for the existing set of real estate owners/investors who priced in the land, the laws, zoning rules and proximity to good stuff.

Replying to

The value of a piece of land is largely outside the control of the landholder and is instead created by the community at large. This is why a land value tax makes economic sense. This billboard is sarcastic but Palo Alto acts the same way, unironically: