19-06-2016: j reacts to silence about taxation as a distributive tool during gentrification debates

if chinese investors want to come in and drive up property taxes, the truth is that that benefits everybody in the long run. you just need to get those property taxes spent on transit options and real estate developers looking towards more modest developments. i've never understood the arguments against gentrification; the focus should be on pushing governments to help people adapt to gentrification by ensuring that the money gets (re)distributed fairly.

that said, there's no excuse for idle property and i would support laws against idling property.

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-housing-affordability-crisis-making-neighbourhoods-inhospitable-for-middle-class-trudeau

i've run into some anti-gentrification activists in detroit, and they just end up spinning themselves around in circles.

you realize that the source of the problem in detroit is that the city has no tax base, right?

"yes"

so, you must realize that the city should be doing everything it possibly can to bring back it's tax base, then?

"it's destroying the character of the city."

well, the "character of the city" is literal urban decay. the city is falling apart.

"we need to spend more on infrastructure, and our schools are falling apart and .... "

but, you're bankrupt because you don't have a tax base.

"absolutely true."

so, shouldn't you be trying to attract wealthier people to the city?

"no, because it will change the city."

but, the city is falling apart. shouldn't it change?

"absolutely. we should be spending millions on ..."

but you're bankrupt.

"yup."

so, shouldn't you be trying to attract wealthier property owners?

"no. because ..."

eventually, i provide an answer.

ok. i understand that gentrification destroys neighbourhoods. but, then why don't we take that tax money and build new social housing?

"that's....that's...that's communism!"

i thought you were an anarchist?

"sure. but, you'll never get city council to agree."

so, you've deduced that you're better off barricading out the wealthy and trying to be happy in poverty, then.

"we need to spend more money on schools. that will help us out of poverty."

i see.

see, in canada we actually do this: we tax the rich to build low income housing projects. we build neighbourhoods with both types of housing. it's not weird to us. you'll hear the odd grumble about communism, but most of us don't mind. so, we don't really have the debate about gentrification. it does seep it's way up here, but it's usually badly applied by the clueless and generally doesn't actually make any sense because you're usually actually talking about city owned property. and, in the rare circumstance when you actually are talking about market rents, the real issue is that the city has a really long wait to get into subsidized housing - and that what the city needs is not a stop on development but a boost in it.