Despite everyone wanting perfect neighbours and keeping the "problems" far away from ourselves, I truly think everyone ends up better off with economically diverse neighbourhoods. The "preserving of character" is just indirectly taking away time with family and opportunities by shoving lower income people into either crappy neighbourhoods.
Kids who grow up with neighbours owning business, or friend's parents able to put in a good word at "the firm" have so much more opportunity. Making the only way to afford housing moving to the edge of the city also means you put the burden of car ownership on those least able to afford it, or people eat up a huge chunk of their time on transit instead of being their for their kids.
Kids with good homes and good opportunities means less crackheads to step over at the train station in 20 years.
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