Real Estate has a suicidal tendency | Beyond Suburbia | Making Sustainable Real!

By Brian Skeele, on July 15th, 2011

I’m looking for the 12 step program and enrolling the country.

A vibrant alive, great place to live gets “discovered”, the prices go thru the roof,  the locals get bought out, and the neighborhood ends up with hard working professionals, empty nesters, and second homes. Some would say this phenomena is a good thing. From my experience, we tend to kill off the very thing we love. Real Estate has a suicidal tendency.

Oh, the neighborhood is still beautiful. The Historical Preservation folks are doing a good job of keeping the architecture out of the hands of our compulsion, but the soul is dying. The streets are quieter. The traffic is lighter. Many young families can’t afford to move in. Most of the neighborhood’s children leave with their working families. Local schools loose enrollment and get closed. The artists are mostly gone. The original locals are now having to commute longer and longer distances to work. The living cultural heritage is going, going, gone.

“Hi, I’m Brian, and I have an American Real Estate Suicidal Tendency”

All together now…  “HI BRIAN!”…

So as we’re designing our Sustainable Urban Village, yet another key component to keep in mind, is taming our inner gentrification beast.

The good news here, is the American Psychological Association has summarized the 12 step program into 6 steps.

The first step is admitting that one cannot control one’s addiction or compulsion.

“The market made me do it. The appraiser and my real estate agent said it was worth twice what I paid for it…What else could I do? If I didn’t take the money, the new owner would get the windfall when she resells it!”

You can see how deeply the compulsion runs.  I’m thinking we are going to have to go to 2 a day meetings. Stay with me brothers and sisters. Together we can make sustainable real!

Friends don’t let friends develop great neighborhoods in an open real estate market.

Image courtesy of AOTAG