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This thread reminds me of a conversation I overheard between two professors. They were talking about how nobody should live more than a walk away from work. They seemed puzzled when I asked them how a janitor is going to afford one of the near campus houses. Even if you can afford the house, the doubling of the price for an identical house 20 miles away means high property taxes. In Wisconsin, you're talking $2000-$3000 more per year extra just for the tax.
I think this arugment is like the one for using waste vegetable oil. The oil is free, so it makes financial sense... until more than just a couple of people are doing it. Now, you have to pay for the oil, unless you have good connections. The same can be said for housing. How many people are going to be able to live that close to their work? Its nice if you can live that close, but its not as easy as the author makes it seem.
My arguments against the article are a $500 vw diesel rabbit that gets 45mpg. Cost of ownership is $0.03/mile. Fuel is about $0.10/mile. Extra time from not commuting would be spent surfing the net, so no extra cash for me. I can't get any extra money, no matter how much extra I work. Same size house and yard/garage in town would be 3x what I paid for the one I have. No buses or other public transportation is available, unless I move into the city.
Michael
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