Solutions for Suburbs

We have a lot of suburbs now. While some of them were the product of the boom - overbuilding into antiquated infrastructure - most of the building was done in an effort to keep Austin "safe," in the minds of many who believe that safety is only achieved with a yard and a car. These same people push against density partially, I believe, because they think that developers and new urbanites want to bulldoze their houses to the ground and build skyscrapers. With full disclosure in mind, I prefer condominiums and townhomes, and I look at my car - or as I think of it, my oversized purse that picks up all the extra garbage - with disdain.

However, one thing I remember from my childhood is the fact that I was three blocks away from my school, and my school was across the street from the after school day care center. When I came back to Austin, my new neighborhood and bus routes were full of businesses that people ran from their homes: day care centers, architectural firms, consultants, etc. Torchy's Tacos and Salvation Pizza are two small businesses that are always full of people. A couple of my friends have been involved in the Pampered Chef franchise, and more and more people I know are thinking about running their own businesses.

I propose that instead of continuing to let people reject our applications and tell us that we are not worth the investment, that we revitalize the suburbs. How much would the value of homes and the morale of the neighborhoods rise if more people started running daycare centers out of their homes, and how much would neighbors then get to know each other? Environmentally, how much less of a carbon footprint would we all have if more of the working population worked from home, and for those not environmentally motivated, how much more would people save in transportation costs? No, having a home office is not as "impressive" as having a high rise in downtown, and yes, we do need to rent out those spaces so that areas steer clear of dilapidation. Also, marketing is not free and does take time, although thanks to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Craigslist, the time is less than one would think.

However, with so many people out of work, we have a unique opportunity to find out what people really need, people who work full time and need to relieve stress. We know that health care insurance and retirement benefits come with company and government jobs, but we also know that some of the future of business lies in the expansion of small businesses.

"What does this have to do with planning, and what do you think you know about business?" If we revitalize suburbs by supplementing those sleepy neighborhoods with few people home with consultants who walk their children over to their neighbors' daycare centers and take a break in the middle of the day to go to their other neighbors' yoga studios or cooking classes, suburbs can regain a sense of significance in the planning world. They will no longer be the realm of NIMBYs who know only the most "important" of their neighbors, and homeowner's associations will be more affective networking tools, as they will be aware of the true needs of communities, like an evening day care center for people like doctors and professors. One of the many aspects of a safe neighborhood is eyes on the street, and if there were more people working from home, those neighborhoods would be less prone to burglaries and guess what? This style of living is another example of density making those neighborhoods more aligned with the entire city, which is, after all, the goal.

What else? Thanks to transit centers, and all these nodes around Austin, there are many places that are close to where people come home or leave for work, if you decide to run a daycare. Also, thanks to all the networking tools mentioned earlier, you can always pool your resources with other home business owners and all of you could rent a space in the commercial area closest to you so that you can have those all important meetings and conferences and make a professional impression, while spending the rest of the week working from home. One day a week of commuting. Working from home is not for everyone or without risk, but those suburbs need some life and the jobless need some hope. To lead by example, I will take this opportunity to say that I myself will be available on Monday and Wednesday evenings as a writing tutor beginning next week. You can expect to see my ad on Craigslist, my Facebook page, and my LinkedIn page by Friday.