\ \ \ TANKSHOTS (1) \ \ \

Note: Test-driving a new series—TANKSHOTS—big on images, small on words…

In typical American consumerist cities, a big thing like a sofa can often become more of a liability than an asset.  We move a lot; we buy too much stuff; the stuff we buy is not built to last; space to keep our stuff is becoming more constrained as the city densifies.

And so the value of that plush matched sofa set becomes zero—not even worth the hassle of selling on Craigslist. All the more ludicrous when you consider the global financial, manufacturing, and transportation networks necessary to put those pieces of furniture on the showroom floor.

The $35k car in the photo will also become a liability before too long.  But directly behind that empty lot on MLK Way in the Central District is the city’s first LEED-certified townhouse project, which is shooting for at least a 30 percent reduction in energy use compared to the current norm—in other words, it will be an asset with increasing value over time as energy costs inevitably rise.

One of the many potential payoffs from the renewed attraction to city living in places like Seattle is that it should help cure us of our addiction to stuff, so that we can invest more in true assets.

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Photo by the author—click to enlarge.