This thought runs through my mind all the time with certain family/friends. My Sister-In-Law spends $2100/month for a rent-controlled apt in Brooklyn, which closely resembles a warzone. I thought I saw low-quality in some of my working class rural family homes, but this just took the cake. Couldn't even stand in the tub because it'd cut your feet. Hallways were a disgusting cinderblock that reminded me of...I don't know...the USSR?
And why are there no alleyways? Who piles their garbage on the street like that?!
Outrageous. I assume there are a lot of places within NYC where rent is cheaper, but the attitude towards Queens was...low. And Staten Island? Apparently she went there once and it was "The worst experience ever."
The lack of alleys can be blamed on greedy developers who realized that designing neighborhoods without alleys allowed them to cram more houses, and bigger yards, into the suburbs. The tradeoff is that all the trash collection has to be done from the main street.
That probably varies by town. In my hometown, alleys were too expensive because you couldn't get the state to foot the maintenance bill for them. They're not 28' paved streets that fit the urban roads guidelines, so screw you and your sensible development ideas. -_-
On the original topic, I'm ashamed that I'm about to be paying 30-35% (though I'm enjoying a few months of 0%). But, I pay for my place and my fiancee's until she finishes school in 1.5 years. However, if you added to my housing costs the cost of plane tickets to get between my place and hers, it's holding about steady because we're about done with that!
