People from elsewhere might cause change

[shootingstar]

Ok, not to cause a huge debate here.

But my observation over the decades of living in both medium sized cities (ie. under 200,000) and several large cities (over 1 million), I've noticed that sometimes major change in having residents support and make changes to their city for: better cycling infrastructure, more walkable/liveable communities/cities, money for transit development, etc. tends to come more easily from:

*people who have moved into our sprawly city/area and have had the experience of living in other parts of their country/other continents at least for several years, where there may be better systems and communities for all/some of the above

Certainly in working with people who have lived like myself in Toronto, VAncouver, Montreal, wherel there are some of the above traits in various parts of each city, with each city having a vibrant downtown core, these folks tend to be way more open to limiting surburban sprawl, etc.

But if it weren't for that, honest I do feel like a fish out of water now. Before I was in denial, but now it is for real.

The discussion of strategic residential densification (multi-family developments), having more on-road bike lanes, etc. is making the people I work with/know harden their opinion of "No" to much of this.

Change is a long, long, long, hard road.