Submitted by Downtown On the Go.
Housing and transportation are inextricably linked; dense housing needs connected and frequent transit to succeed while transit needs demand to fuel expansion. Learn more about this intersection while we explore the question: how can we plan future development and transit expansion in concert for the benefit of both? This free virtual Friday Forum panel event will be held on February 25th from noon – 1:30 p.m. and will feature panelists Chris Karnes (Tacoma Planning Commission), Amanda DeShazo (Affordable Housing Consortium), Bebhinn Gilbert (Hopelink Mobility), and Kenzie Knapp (Pacific Lutheran University).
Register in advance for this webinar at tinyurl.com/DOTGFebForum. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. A recording of the panel will be available on DOTG’s Facebook and YouTube accounts. Downtown On the Go’s annual Friday Forum series is a space to discuss transportation issues and opportunities in Tacoma, to recognize real challenges facing downtown commuters and residents, and to learn about new ideas in the transportation world. The 2022 forums are framed around the question what does it mean to be Home in Tacoma? and explore the intersection of housing and transportation as Tacoma looks towards significant housing policy updates.
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There are a couple of assumptions that need to be challenged. Who exactly prefers to live in dense housing districts in city centers and why should the public be responsible for that housing decision? Same could be said for suburbia and rural areas. You would think that those living in city centers do so for the convenience of services and closeness to work…..walking distance perhaps. Those living outside such areas value their privacy, homes, peace and quiet. Take your choice but be willing to pay for your choice. 80-90% of public transportation’s revenue comes from tax (often sales tax) paid by you whether you use the service or not. As a former Commissioner for Pierce Transit I once asked the question of the other 8 members “Who among you used public transit to get to this meeting?” Not a hand went up. That says volumes.
I agree with Mr. Arbeeny in that public transportation should not be looked at as a free ride for select individuals, but rather as an affordable option to owning and maintaining an automobile.
Same goes for dense housing in close proximity to public transportstion.
As a young man, I rented a single room in a house with others doing the same. When I could afford to do so, I got my own place.
As the saying goes, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”, so is there no such thing as a free ride.
Let’s stop fooling ourselves with feel-good arbitrary rules, and instead invest the public money in a manner that makes economic sense for all.
Earning, saving and investing is the path to prosperity, not “free”stuff.
Anything worth having comes at a cost and brings with it pride of accomplishment and ownership.
Why has this become so difficult for so many to subscribe to?
Most of the social workers I’ve met, who are paid to engage with people that are adrift with the realities of life, don’t seem to know what I’m even talking about.
I can easily quantify the savings of living close to where I worked for many years.
These savings along with investment, made it possible to afford other options.
To not take this very basic fact into account is to miss the real opportunity here.
So let’s ask these five proponents (Jumper, Karnes, DeShazo, Gilbert, Knapp) the same question.
“How many of you used public transportation to get to this photo shoot and to get from your residence to you place of work?”
This should be a question asked of every government employee or elected official trying to get you to do with your money what’s best for them.