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How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

citylab.com

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Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#71

Post by uiri »

dpeck wrote: post #58
eysquared wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Seattle with a 2 year old and one more on the way. I can't believe I ever considered leaving the city to have kids. I can walk to a coffee shop 3 blocks away without taking 15 minutes to strap my kid in a car seat and the amount of parks we have access to in a short walk in incredible. We take the bus to the zoo and aquarium and my son loves seeing all the people and looking out the window. Being out and ab…

I’m surprised by this, we visited a friend in Seattle with my son and it felt like the least child friendly city that I’ve ever been to. After seeing people tieing off to shoot up midday in Freeway Park any thought of having my kid play in the park was gone, no need to risk a needle stick. I will say as far as cities go those effected with homelessness were not as aggressive towards me/us as I’ve experienced in other…

Those are basically the city core neighbourhoods. Seattle city limits stretch rather far north into neighbourhoods like Ravenna and Phinney Ridge. I am not sure which neighbourhood the person you are replying to is in, but their story doesn't sound unbelievable outside of Capitol Hill plus the "core" neighborhoods you mentioned.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#72

Post by [deleted] »

dpeck wrote: post #58
eysquared wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Seattle with a 2 year old and one more on the way. I can't believe I ever considered leaving the city to have kids. I can walk to a coffee shop 3 blocks away without taking 15 minutes to strap my kid in a car seat and the amount of parks we have access to in a short walk in incredible. We take the bus to the zoo and aquarium and my son loves seeing all the people and looking out the window. Being out and ab…

I’m surprised by this, we visited a friend in Seattle with my son and it felt like the least child friendly city that I’ve ever been to. After seeing people tieing off to shoot up midday in Freeway Park any thought of having my kid play in the park was gone, no need to risk a needle stick. I will say as far as cities go those effected with homelessness were not as aggressive towards me/us as I’ve experienced in other…

[deleted]

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#73

Post by ef4 »

EpicEng wrote: post #21
goodells wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally, I am in Madison, WI and it would be feasible with kids in the right neighborhood here. Lots of bikes have little carriages for small children.

I grew up in Rockford IL. Pretty sure you have an issue between September and May.

A road that is plowed and salted enough to safely drive a car is clear enough for me to drive a bike too.

As for cold, the kids can stay under a bubble canopy if it's really bad. I have this bike, though we've never bothered with a canopy, we just dress them warm (in New England): https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=workcycles%20kr8%20...:

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#74

Post by lev99 »

claydavisss wrote: post #49
couchand wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's true that America isn't only New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, but those three areas do make up over 10% of the population, which is nothing to sneeze at.

LA is almost entirely car-focused. SF only has a population of one million. Basically the US has NYC and parts of Chicago as emblems of urban density.

The US has over 200 zip codes with a population density of 20k/sqmile. While 20k/sqmile isn't an 'emblem of urban density' it does show there are several locations a person that enjoys high density can live in.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#75

Post by jessaustin »

antt wrote: post #36

One thing I have always found odd is how no one talks about treating cars like guns. Both have reasonable use cases. Both are fun to tinker with. Both are the main ways people kill other people. And you shouldn't need to use either daily in a civilized society. That's not even talking about the rest of the problems mass car ownership creates, from climate change to destroying neighborhoods to the health crisis sittin…

This is great. Both gun people and car people like to use the other as a distraction.

"Yes guns are dangerous, but they're meant to be. They still don't kill as many people as cars do!"

"Yes cars are dangerous, but they're fulfilling a real need. Transportation is more valuable than violence!"

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#76

Post by flaque »

yosito wrote: post #4

Anecdotally, I always loved having a car and the sense of independence and freedom that came with it. Then at the age of 25, I moved out of the country to a small, walkable town in Latin America where I either walked, drove my scooter, or took motorcycle taxis everywhere. After two years of living there, I moved back to the US, bought a Jeep, and was super excited to have the autonomy and ability to travel between ci…

Cars are only a symbol of freedom when it's an option provided to you. When it's the _only_ option, then it's not really freedom.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#77

Post by maerF0x0 »

I find there are a number of things I cannot do without someone having a car.

1) Go hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking 2) Drive fast on road courses 3) Come home from the airport after midnight 4) Purchase more than 2 bags of groceries (including TP, laundry detergent et al) 5) Go on road trips 6) Isolate myself from the mentally ill or obnoxious behaviors and smells I'm surrounded by, including their fecal matter 7) Isolate myself from the constant crime that I am surrounded by 8) Isolate myself from the constant excessive sound that I am surrounded by 9) Easily move around tools and supplies to maintain my home

on and on it goes. A life without a car is a life of either hiring everything out (expensive), doing without (no hikes for me) or constantly renting (what's the point?)

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#78

Post by flaque »

claydavisss wrote: post #14

Americans want to be "apart"! Most people in America see high-density living as a negative. Most want a yard and a garage. The country is huge - you can fit three UKs into the state of Texas alone. We have the space, we have the roads, we like our yards. I have moved our family into progressively rural environments and will continue to do so until the distance to basic necessities is intolerable. In most rural enviro…

That's not true though. 80% of Americans live in an urban areas: https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/uafacts.html

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#79

Post by davidw »

roymurdock wrote: post #12
yosito wrote: post #4

Anecdotally, I always loved having a car and the sense of independence and freedom that came with it. Then at the age of 25, I moved out of the country to a small, walkable town in Latin America where I either walked, drove my scooter, or took motorcycle taxis everywhere. After two years of living there, I moved back to the US, bought a Jeep, and was super excited to have the autonomy and ability to travel between ci…

What happens if/when you have kids. I’ve seen many people biking around Amsterdam with their kids in protective bike high seats. But this is unheard of in many US cities. Minivans are the usual solution. Would you teach them to take public transport or try to live within walking distance of everything? Obvs doesn’t apply if u don’t plan on it, but curious if anyone has found a solution in US cities.

Here's how it worked out for me in Italy, with a 3 and a 6 year old: "the right tool for the job".

In our immediate vicinity we had everything we needed, day to day: the kids' schools, a grocery store, cafes, a bakery, pizza shop, and a tram stop. All of this was walkable.

The tram stop was what we'd use to go downtown. There is no parking there, and parking is a hassle, and the tram runs frequently, so it was an easy choice.

Lastly, we also had a car, to go for a hike outside town, or go on a trip or something, but many weeks it would just sit there. Most American couples, even without kids, have two that get used all the time.

We lived in a 6-unit building, without much yard, but would frequently go to the park with the kids. As the quote goes, "kids don't need a big yard to play, they need other kids". Back here in the US, they don't use our yard much, but miss having other kids to play with on a spur of the moment basis.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#80

Post by flatline »

maerF0x0 wrote: post #77

I find there are a number of things I cannot do without someone having a car. 1) Go hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking 2) Drive fast on road courses 3) Come home from the airport after midnight 4) Purchase more than 2 bags of groceries (including TP, laundry detergent et al) 5) Go on road trips 6) Isolate myself from the mentally ill or obnoxious behaviors and smells I'm surrounded by, including their fecal matter…

If you live in a walkable area, that means a city, and if you ever want to get out of the city you’ll need a car, or a serious dedication to biking. There are exceptions, I had no trouble getting out of the city on foot in Boulder for example, the bus will even take you out to semi-rural areas.

A motorcycle is one potential solution but they are incredibly dangerous and not very practical in many parts of the country due to weather.

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