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Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

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Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#11

Post by damnitbuilds »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #6
damnitbuilds wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Barcelona has some pedestrian areas but to call it "very pedestrian friendly" when it is mostly small blocks divided by busy roads is a stretch. And I fear its anti-tourist movement is really an anti-foreigner movement.

https://www.sidewalkchorus.com/p/barcelona

Ah yes, the planners' great idea of mixing cars and people on the same street.

I don't know why we wasted all that money on totally unnecessary sidewalks and bike paths.

Oh yes: It. Does. Not. Work. For. Pedestrians.

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#12

Post by whoodle »

smt88 wrote: post #10
whoodle wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate the suggestions, thank you. I actually grew up in Ohio and know the cities there well. They’re just too small and public transit leaves a lot to be desired. To me, there’s just something different about the cities that got big before cars that the southern cities, Ohio cities, etc can’t capture. It’s hard to explain if you’re not that type of person. I think we will consider Chicago though (if I can sell…

I lived in NYC and understand what you mean. I now live in a walkable Southern city and don't own a car. The quality and ease of life are so much better here, I wouldn't go back to NYC if you paid me $50k per year. Ymmv of course, but I've found the "extras" of ultra-urban cities are fun when you're young and a huge source of friction when you're just trying to survive a day of work + parenting.

I lived in Raleigh and then Charlotte about a decade ago and can’t picture living in those places without a car. That said, I may be out of date on what it’s like there now.

Would you mind sharing what city you live in? If not, no worries, I understand wanting to keep anonymity.

I completely get what you’re saying about friction though. In my friend circles the only parents raising kids in cities are Philly and London, the latter of which is so big at some point you’re basically in a different town anyway.

Thanks, I appreciate your responses here. It’s been a weird realization knowing I hate where I live but not having an exact answer to where we should live that also is best for the kids.

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#13

Post by schnitzelstoat »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #3

Have you considered Barcelona? It is, arguably, one of the most kid friendly cities in Europe and is very pedestrian friendly. If your employment or financial arrangement can support it, it is hard to beat (imho). Spain has a digital nomad visa, renewed one year at a time unless you apply from in country while on the tourist visa (within the 90 day visa), in which case it is a three year term (with one renewal before…

I live in BCN and just had a kid but I want to move out of the city to be able to have a car.

It's been quite stressful relying on public transport to have to take the baby to medical appointments etc. and when the child is older there is no public transport to the nearby castles, calas etc. that you might want to visit.

The city is also quite dirty and there is a growing homeless problem, some areas of the city like El Raval are downright dangerous too.

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#14

Post by toomuchtodo »

damnitbuilds wrote: post #11
toomuchtodo wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.sidewalkchorus.com/p/barcelona

Ah yes, the planners' great idea of mixing cars and people on the same street. I don't know why we wasted all that money on totally unnecessary sidewalks and bike paths. Oh yes: It. Does. Not. Work. For. Pedestrians.

Has not been my experience with two children under 10. YMMV. I would pay much more than I pay today for the walkable and bicycling I’m able to have when in BCN (vs say, Chicago).

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#15

Post by smt88 »

whoodle wrote: post #12
smt88 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in NYC and understand what you mean. I now live in a walkable Southern city and don't own a car. The quality and ease of life are so much better here, I wouldn't go back to NYC if you paid me $50k per year. Ymmv of course, but I've found the "extras" of ultra-urban cities are fun when you're young and a huge source of friction when you're just trying to survive a day of work + parenting.

I lived in Raleigh and then Charlotte about a decade ago and can’t picture living in those places without a car. That said, I may be out of date on what it’s like there now. Would you mind sharing what city you live in? If not, no worries, I understand wanting to keep anonymity. I completely get what you’re saying about friction though. In my friend circles the only parents raising kids in cities are Philly and Londo…

I'll probably get doxxed by AI at some point in the future, but since you can never delete HN posts, I'd prefer to stay anonymous if I can. Send me an email at this temporary address and I'd be happy to chat: quiet.hay0076@fastmail.com

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#16

Post by damnitbuilds »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #14
damnitbuilds wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yes, the planners' great idea of mixing cars and people on the same street. I don't know why we wasted all that money on totally unnecessary sidewalks and bike paths. Oh yes: It. Does. Not. Work. For. Pedestrians.

Has not been my experience with two children under 10. YMMV. I would pay much more than I pay today for the walkable and bicycling I’m able to have when in BCN (vs say, Chicago).

You trust the lives of your under-10s to the good behavior of cars driving down your street?

I would not do that.

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#17

Post by toomuchtodo »

damnitbuilds wrote: post #16
toomuchtodo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has not been my experience with two children under 10. YMMV. I would pay much more than I pay today for the walkable and bicycling I’m able to have when in BCN (vs say, Chicago).

You trust the lives of your under-10s to the good behavior of cars driving down your street? I would not do that.

In Barcelona? I do, and have never had a problem like I had in the US where I was afraid someone wasn't paying attention and was going to hit them (with multiple near misses). Call it urban planning, call it people in a European city taking more care, whatever the root cause, that is my anecdotal observation. You can always compare vehicular pedestrian deaths in the US to those in Europe if you're looking for something more data driven.

Exactly How Far U.S. Street Safety Has Fallen Behind Europe, in Three Bombshell Charts - https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/10/10/exactly-how-far-u-s-s... - October 10, 2020

Trends in pedestrian fatalities per capita [graphic] - https://lede-admin.usa.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/si...

Shifting Gears: How Driving Cultures Influence Pedestrian Safety Across Continents - https://medium.com/@noamaital/shifting-gears-how-driving-cul... - Jan 8, 2024

Re: Ask HN: Raising Kids in the City? Where?

#18

Post by damnitbuilds »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #17
damnitbuilds wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You trust the lives of your under-10s to the good behavior of cars driving down your street? I would not do that.

In Barcelona? I do, and have never had a problem like I had in the US where I was afraid someone wasn't paying attention and was going to hit them (with multiple near misses). Call it urban planning, call it people in a European city taking more care, whatever the root cause, that is my anecdotal observation. You can always compare vehicular pedestrian deaths in the US to those in Europe if you're looking for somethi…

We are not discussing general accident figures on normal streets.

We are discussing the comment you replied to: "the planners' great idea of mixing cars and people on the same street." which was in reply to a link discussing that idea.

And you wrote that you thought that was safe for 10-year-olds. Which it is not. A street with pedestrians and cars on it is called a "street" and is not a safe place for any pedestrian, let alone a 10-year-old. Which makes it a stupid, dangerous idea, but one that is cheap for the planners to implement, hence its popularity.

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