I don't have all the answers for why more people with kids don't live downtown,
but I think it is expensive only in the very narrowest sense. For the last
5-years my family has lived downtown with a 9-year old and 7-year old and we've
more than saved on gas and cars and time what little extra we pay in groceries,
etc. And for me, I actually like living downtown because of the bike/ped
friendliness and greenspace! We live on an isthmus between two lakes and we're
a short bike ride from the Arboretum, Olin Park, Picnic Point, etc. My kids
love it. We also save a ton by taking the kids to all the free kid-friendly
activities downtown (kids in the rotunda, the monona terrace events, the
memorial union terrace, etc.).I like the east side, but I find it much easier
to bike/ped/bus around living and working downtown. I always assumed it was
the ingrained car culture that kept people with families from downtown, not the
expensive shopping. My experience, however, is that we spend a fraction of
what my two sisters spend living in autocentric suburbia with their families.
And on top of that we have much more free time. We've been car free for the
last two months and I didn't even think much about it until my relatives
reminded me how this was !!impossible!! at a recent family party. Pete> >
>From today's state journal:> > "Cieslewicz, who wants to address the problem
by encouraging commuters to > live Downtown and ride a streetcar to work or to
the store...."> > http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=130755>
> walkable/bikeable schools are one part of the big picture of encouraging >
alt. transporatation use. What's been bothering me with the whole nooo! > don't
consolidate the schools! discussion on this listserv and elsewhere is > the
limited (if any) conversation about the population that lives downtown. > There
was an article a couple months ago about the few, intrepid and brave > people
who are raising small children downtown (why do they have to be > characterized
as brave for doing that?), but did anyone look into why the > population
downtown is so kid-little?> Downtown is expensive.> Downtown doesn't have
enough green space (or clean green space) for kids.> Is there enough (of number
_and_ type) job diversity for people to work > downtown, so that they'd want to
move there?> Downtown isn't all that pedestrian friendly (ok, maybe that's why
having > kids downtown is seen as brave).> Downtown is filled with a lot of
boutique stores. It's a destination for > tourists. Are there enough stores in
bike/walking distance that sell basic > goods, reasonably priced?> > I'm sure
there are many other perspectives about how to encourage less > driving. But I
don't think we can talk about schools without talking about > the school
population and how/why/if that's changing, and figuring out what > we can do
about that.> > speaking of green space... if anyone's interested in helping out
in Period > Park (at the corner of Pinckney and Gorham--you may've seen the
pink tulips > after cresting the hill on Gorham past James Madison park), let
me know!> > -Monica H.> > p.s. to the BTA folks--is there a BTA position about
the streetcars?> >
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> > > ------------------------------> >
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Bikies Digest, Vol 37, Issue 27> **************************************
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