Green cities

Atrios quotes a story of a man who drives 200 miles to work and back every day, because of the problem of finding affordable housing in a good neighborhood.

Guettinger lives on Arena Way in rural Livingston, where he moved a few years ago with his wife and kids because he couldn't bear the thought of his sons growing up in an unsafe Bay Area neighborhood.

A great improvement in quality of life comes from not having to spend so much time on commuting. Less commuting also means less gasoline consumed.

It is interesting that fixing our greenhouse gas problem will to some extent require fixing the chronic crime problem in our cities. I think this will prove to be a general rule that a greener earth requires fixing problems of poverty, crime, homelessness.

Another point - amply evident to someone who has observed India, but forgotten by the compassionate conservatives in the US - is that to enjoy what you earn in peace and safety and without the constant fear of being robbed or worse, you need the people around you to also be earning and productive to a similar level as you. Inequality, especially of the extreme sort, is a great downer on quality of life. A billionaire can have his bodyguards of course, but the rich-but-not-plutocrat-types should reflect on this, if they want to enjoy life outside little fortified enclaves.