Rebuild Our Cities

[RethugAssKicker]

I spent all of my young years riding the train from the North Bronx to Manhattan. The view from the trains was horrendous... burnt out neighborhood, after neighborhood. It's been forty F*** years.... and nothing is happening to revitalize these communities.. It is the same in almost every American city....

We are spending billions right now on people noboby (dems too) really give a fuck about, rebuilding ALL their cities!... But we bitch and complain about spending anything on our own people!

However, I have a gut feeing that the tide is going to turn after the rebuilding of NO.... I think in the long run(hopefully) it will be positive... and we will have a push in this counry to do the same for our other cities as well. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but this is more of a gut feeling than an intellectual one... and it is extremely dependent on whether the Dems are in power too.

[Bridget Burke]

1. What kind of "rebuilding" do you mean?

Tearing down the places where "renters" live so yuppies can move into fake "loft" apartments?

People need places to work & gather--Starbuck's & wine bars aren't enough. Some affordable housing is also necessary.

[RethugAssKicker]

2. I agree... Right now there is nothing but rubble

[dcfirefighter]

3. Ever heard of a Land Value Tax?

Shifting taxes off of most other things and onto the assessed land value (not buildings) has a variety of beneficial effects:

Owning land with decrepit buildings, parking lots in high value areas, etc. becomes less profitable. Owners of land in dense areas are economically encouraged to build. Now a person can own a burned out shell - for which he pays very little taxes because the building isn't worth much - and hold on to it, refusing to fix it, only to sell it as-is years later for great profit.

Taxes are removed from buildings, and hopefully wages, sales, etc., making buildings, employment, and commerce relatively cheaper. This means more buildings (more construction jobs, more places to work), more jobs (less unemployment means higher wages for the employed), more commerce (more jobs selling things, wages go further - purchasing more).

The urban building effect of LVT has the effect of reducing development pressures at the edges - cities get built up, not out (not much more you can do for NYC, though). This reduces transport costs, and leaves an ecological buffer around our cities.

LVT's take money that would otherwise go to the previous owner, a large LVT actually reduces the sale price of land. This money, instead of being paid at once to the owner, is paid over time to the taxing authority. This means no finance charge. Because future increases in value will also be taxed, much of the speculative value of real estate is lost. Because vacant and underbuilt lots (in valuable areas) are encouraged to build, more housing becomes available. All of these things combined reduce the cost of housing, making ownership more affordable to all.

LVT's capture public improvements. Rail Transit, good schools, good public safety, good libraries, good parks, etc. all increase land values - paying for themselves.