[mhays]

Proximity is pretty important. If you're renting <$1,000, there's a good chance you don't have a car. If there's not at least a bus running every 15 minutes, life would be pretty hard.

Decent housing prices are important in the core too. It can be very hard for the free market to provide that in the core, but it can be done with cheap land (plentiful zoned capacity), low/no parking, and small units....workforce-affordable at least, and livable for a single or couple.