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How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

citylab.com

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81–90 of 226 posts

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#81

Post by stevejb »

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…

> committed to a car-free lifestyle, probably for life.

Nothing personal, but I doubt that people are able to commit to any kind of lifestyle' for life. Public transportation can be good, can be miserable, and that perception can change very quickly due to changes in life circumstances.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#82

Post by repiret »

adrian_mrd wrote: post #70

A great Dutch ‘invention’ is what is known as a Bakfiets - effectively a longer, heavier bicycle with a large ‘bucket’ (bak) at the front that can carry two children and/or lots of shopping or goods. Also worth noting is the huge environmental cost of cars - not just in carbon monoxide, huge array of components and metals they require to build, impact on climate change, etc., but also how they create ‘nature barriers…

Lots of pictures on the Dutch Wikipedia: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakfiets

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#83

Post by Karrot_Kream »

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…

Unless you're paying for a private track, #2 makes the road less safe for others that want to use it and cost more to repair. It's the textbook example of abusing the commons.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#84

Post by maerF0x0 »

flatline wrote: post #80
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…

Yeah I actually have a motorcycle as a way to deal with #2 :P I accept the risk. All the gear all the time.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#85

Post by kilroy123 »

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…

I feel the exact same way. Currently living abroad in Latin American and mostly walk or take Uber

When I go back to the US, I now don't like driving and try to avoid it. Family and friends get frustrated that I never want to drive.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#86

Post by dpeck »

uiri wrote: post #71
dpeck wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That makes sense.

I’d guess if we define city living as an affluent neighborhood within city limits that one can live/work/play in without getting in a vehicle there are areas that fit the bill in nearly every city assuming that one has the correct income and profession to slot into it.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#87

Post by andreygrehov »

couchand wrote: post #22
roymurdock wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm a parent to a one-and-a-half year old in New York City, and I grew up in a mid-sized midwestern city. I'm obviously biased, but I think we've got it much better off here. A block and a half away is one of the best playgrounds in the city, and three blocks the other direction is another fine playground. Both of them are packed with kids at all hours of the day. When we go visit family in the midwest, we make a poi…

And then you live in a tiny apartment that looks and smells like shit, otherwise pay $4000 a month for a decent 1 bedroom. Been there, done that. NYC is so much overrated.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#88

Post by mrep »

eysquared wrote: post #34
couchand wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a parent to a one-and-a-half year old in New York City, and I grew up in a mid-sized midwestern city. I'm obviously biased, but I think we've got it much better off here. A block and a half away is one of the best playgrounds in the city, and three blocks the other direction is another fine playground. Both of them are packed with kids at all hours of the day. When we go visit family in the midwest, we make a poi…

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…

Where in seattle because I live in south lake union and there are no parks anywhere near me that I could have used as a kid to play ultimate frisbee, basketball, and football like I did as a kid. They are all way too small, overcrowded, and not generally safe in my opinion.

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#89

Post by stronglikedan »

Karrot_Kream wrote: post #83
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…

Unless you're paying for a private track, #2 makes the road less safe for others that want to use it and cost more to repair. It's the textbook example of abusing the commons.

They specifically say "road courses".

Re: How the Car Keeps Americans Apart

#90

Post by xyzzyz »

mrep wrote: post #88
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…

Where in seattle because I live in south lake union and there are no parks anywhere near me that I could have used as a kid to play ultimate frisbee, basketball, and football like I did as a kid. They are all way too small, overcrowded, and not generally safe in my opinion.

You just need to buy a $1M house in Wallingford or Ballard, it's as easy as that.
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