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AwareFaithlessness68 t1_isa5l0b wrote

The ideas behind this—land trusts that keep affordable housing affordable in perpetuity are important and have been shown to work. The issue is always funding them initially. But if cities support it as a whole then it can be done. You will have powerful interests not in favor, such as the real estate industry, so it is tough. Most people think of housing as a commodity, somewhere to build wealth, which makes it harder to support sustainable/affordable housing. But unless we want to turn into wealthy s***holes with lots of boarded up places too expensive for folks to rent or start businesses then you MUST have a variety of housing for people along all incomes. It’s what makes providence great. I’m the past we have had housing that artists, teachers, new business owners can afford. If you stick to market based models of housing you loose this, and you loose the backbone of your community. No one wants a bunch of 20 y/o working for tech as the only residents of a city.

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RandomChurn t1_iselosm wrote

>It’s what makes providence great. In the past we have had housing that artists, teachers, new business owners can afford.

Yes, this is tragic. You know the bumper sticker, "Keep Providence Weird"? Well, we're not.

Microcosm of what's underway, city-wide, is what happened to Thayer St over the past 20 years.

Before: every nook and cranny from basement to 2nd floor being filled with unique, independent shops and restaurants, serving as a mecca for foot traffic and shoppers, and hosting twice-yearly street festivals.

Now: sterile chains, no reason to go there 😣

That's the fate I don't see how we can avoid befalling all of Providence. And as one of those artists who moved here back in the day, I grieve.

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