Quote:
Originally Posted by Khantilever
I don't understand why there is an implicit expectation that traffic, land-use, and commuting patterns of surrounding areas cannot and should not change in response to this new development
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We have two of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city full of high-skill workers next to a blank slate of riverfront land, and for some reason the expectation is that it should be filled with commercial space employing workers from outside the area. I don't get it.
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Again, I don't think anyone is actually arguing that. Of course this development will change lots of things about the surrounding area, and many of those changes will be positive. People in Wicker Park or LP being able to walk to work is great.
The problem is, those neighborhoods (or at least, the portions of them within reasonable walking distance) don't currently and won't for a long time have the capacity to meet the demand that will be created by 23,000 new jobs. So whether we like it or not, most people will need to come in from elsewhere.
As it stands, the best options for "elsewhere" are neighborhoods and suburbs with access to the north suburban metra line or to the highway. That's going to encourage more driving and push more people to the suburbs. I don't think that's the spillover effect that we want. What we want is more vibrant, walkable neighborhoods, but Lincoln Yards won't create those unless people have good non-car options to get there.