(And even if I do return to it I definitely won’t be coming at it with the same perspective or priorities).

I’ve long had a suspicion that the desire for ‘cool, neato’ HSR would lead to people selling out smaller cities. Seems I’m right about that…

Not to say I’ll give up on transit and cities forever. Who knows what happens in the next few years. But unless something changes Im okay walking away from it

…isnt going to be popular & unless you have a massive audience already is going to be DOA.

And then there is Alto which you’ve already laid out some of the serious problems surrounding it. Seeing everyone get behind the mystery project while ignoring the collapse of the lakeshore is what broke me

…I really don’t have the time or money or resources to do it properly because the corruption and corporatization has been going on for so long and is so rampant you could write a book on it and still not cover it all. Plus you have to break through existing narratives (ie REM is the future) which…

Even beyond personal circumstances I still have moments where I want to care about public transport. But to be honest I dont just want to be a booster or mindlessly complain all the time. I’d love to do proper research and writing on the corruption causing so many of the problems. But…

But I’ll also be looking through different designs to see if there are any that might provide some cost savings through more efficient design. Basements in particular aren’t cheap so lowering that cost would help a lot

I’m trying not go in with a target number in mind. That said I do already have a lot of knowledge about home building so my initial thought is $150K is probably the lowest (when there is no DIY involved) and $175K when you include ideal options like spray foam insulation and decent windows

And part of me is interested to see how much “upgrades” really add to the costs. How much would you save with a simple baseboard and a non-granite countertop? Basic doesn’t have to mean shitty and for most homes it’s what gets put in it that will define 95% of the feel and vibe anyways

I know land costs distort housing prices a lot in Ontario. That’s why I’m curious about the costs of just the home excluding them. Could you do a ‘wartime’ house on a small rural lot for $300K or even a touch less? That would be a dream for a working class household who wants a cozy, dignified life

As a reference this house below in a bit of a rough and dodgy part of Kingston is listed at $359,000 (you can find an equivalent in similar neighbourhoods in Winnipeg for $140-200K). Nicer examples in Kingston in ‘better’ neighbourhoods are $500K and up (hitting 7 digits for limestone cottage homes)

The Great Lakes Region I’ve always viewed as a Canadian only term used to describe that area, and only really used by geography nerds or bureaucrats.

PNW is definitely an American term and doesn’t include BC. Now that I think about I dont know if Ive ever heard a Canadian use PNW in reference to BC

The fact that people got “rich” b/c the housing market had been broken for 3 decades and no one fixed it isnt the problem of people struggling to buy a home or pay rent. Young people shouldn’t be fucked the rest of their lives and protecting equity above affordability will do zero to fix the problem

This. More new homes mean absolutely nothing to me if I can’t afford them. It’s why so many people call it an affordability crisis lol.

My last phone got smashed beyond repair so I temporarily used an old iPhone 8 that I still had for some reason while I decided what route to go with a replacement. I never bothered getting a new one & I’ll use this one until its completely cooked (99% of the time its perfectly fine for daily needs)

Yeah I get that it sounds like a defeatist attitude (because it is). And maybe an emotionally taxing year of job insecurity and losing family has gotten to me

But its clear people dont want working class people living in cities anymore and I’m over the illusion that will change anytime soon

Yes people in Toronto or Ottawa are excited about the prospect of high speed rail service. But there is a growing frustration & anger in communities not on the Alto corridor (even smaller communities on that route or those west of TO). It’s rarely good when normies start regularly talking about VIA