The plague of NIMBY’s may yield if a real plan is put in place to rebuild better. Vast areas could be rezoned for density. A way of addressing the enormous number of displaced people could also address the largest homeless population in the USA. The city that defines urban sprawl could be redefined. How does this play out?
The whole thing is awful for sure. If it happened to me, with my disability, it would be beyond devastating to go through.
I am largely abstracting in a disconnect from my sense of empathy, and that can seem cold. There are many harsh realities that must come from this. Rebuilding might be possible in some instances using updated materials and codes, but I think stuff will play out differently.
It would be interesting to know how many homes were owned by by the residents. I bet at least half or more were not. The opportunity to create the changes and the future we really need is too great to pass up. Creating that future must come at the cost of someone’s present normal. It is a far lower cost to pay for someone that is holding onto nostalgia for a place and time that no longer exists. That harsh reality will take time to sink in and greave. I totally understand that difficulty far more than most. With becoming physically disabled, in many ways I have had to greave my own death, in that I lost most of what previously defined and was important to me.
The best thing possible to help people going through these difficult times of loss is to help them out financially. Zoning changes for density and height greatly increase property values. So whether they are financing or selling, the rezoned property is essentially gifting them a financial buffer without a burden to the taxpayer. The potential for better integrated public transit, cheaper safer housing, and walkable communities could be seen as just a side effect relative to doing everything possible to help those in need. Nostalgia will never recreate the past. Chasing that rainbow leads to heartache.