Transit can mean buses, including upscale buses like the Google buses or intercity buses in Mexico. 1/

It’d be great if the US had trains everywhere and a capacity to build out more, but it doesn’t and won’t for at least a while. That doesn’t mean new districts can’t be built and integrated with surrounding communities by transit, if we are flexible and creative about forms of transit. 2/

As a person who lived almost 9 years in SFBA, this claim that there’s nowhere to build in high-priced US metro areas strikes except super contentious infill directly in someone’s neighborhood strikes me as laughable. 3/

Much of the valley from San Mateo through Santa Clara is undeveloped outside of the 101/Camino Real corridor. The coast from Pacifica to Half-Moon Bay to Santa Cruz as well. Plus tons of land in Marin, Napa, Solana, and around the bay. 4/

Sure, there’s always a reason why it can’t be done there or isn’t good enough. The commute would be too long, it’s important for nature, the terrain isn’t right, wildfires. 5/

But nowhere is perfect, every piece of land has stakeholders that will object to changes. Quantity and intensity matter. Yes, people will object to developing a nearby greenfield, fearing traffic, parking, etc. 6/

But the number and intensity of objections declines with direct proximity to people’s homes and single, overwhelming, highly levered financial assets. 7/

These things are not the same, as much as YIMBYs with sunk psychological investment in fighting on the most costly and difficult front possible might find it comforting to tell themselves it is. /fin