Your mileage may vary, literally, but I walk 1-2 hours everyday and am 10/10 on self-assessed happiness and mental health.
Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
11–20 of 120 posts
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#12Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Humans crave walkable neighborhoods. American and Canadian infrastructure is the main reason we have so many mental health problems.
>Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland?
Probably because you're on vacation?
Why is there nothing that walkable city enthusiasts will claim walkable cities won't fix?
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#13The main reason I like walking is just to feel like I am among people, even if I am not actively interacting with them. In the Bay area, my favorite place used to be the airport, because that's the only place I could see people other than my coworkers. And this may just be me but I feel that the reason I liked being among people is because it creates the illusion of possibilities. Possibilities of friendships, a date…
> illusion of possibilities
I wouldn't say it's an illusion.
> People who live on heavily trafficked streets, which cater mostly to motorists, count on average about one friend. People who live on walkable streets, however, count three—and twice as many acquaintances, to boot. If your neighbors are within walking distance, and it’s easy for you to walk, it’s much more likely that you’ll bump into them, strike up a conversation, get to know them a little.
https://qz.com/1421323/for-the-good-of-all-humankind-make-yo...
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#14Are there any studies that show that walkability improves mental health?
Not living in the suburbs improves mental health.
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#15IMHO we're going to look back historically at single-family-detached-suburban-sprawl as not just the fulcrum in destroying the environment, but also actively harmful to the people that live there, especially children. Its easy for it to feel "normal" or even aspirational to us now, but its basically only ~3 generations old, and the first generation raised in suburbs was usually larger families in closer-in suburbs, people that could still walk and bike to more-than-nothing and would be able to interact with extended family and cousins more frequently than just the holiday mega-travel. So really its only the children of baby boomers and their children that have exhibited the full force of the mental health and social development impacts of the extremely isolating environment.
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#16Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Humans crave walkable neighborhoods. American and Canadian infrastructure is the main reason we have so many mental health problems.
Yeah, visited a few smaller cities in Spain and they were all very nice and walkable, at least in the areas I was at. Made me kinda sad to think about how we miss the mark on this. Feels like NYC is the only place, and it's great, just expensive to live in.
Many parts of SF are walkable and many neighborhoods within the city do not have the crime problem that is so visible downtown.
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#17Expected a study, got an ad. Literally the "above-the-fold" piece is an ad to buy a MAWA hat and then a beg for a documentary that isn't yet produced. Ugh.
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#18Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Humans crave walkable neighborhoods. American and Canadian infrastructure is the main reason we have so many mental health problems.
Yeah, visited a few smaller cities in Spain and they were all very nice and walkable, at least in the areas I was at. Made me kinda sad to think about how we miss the mark on this. Feels like NYC is the only place, and it's great, just expensive to live in.
Boston and San Francisco are walkable, too, but on a much smaller scale. There are small cities, mainly in the eastern US that are walkable.
I hope the rising popularity of e-bikes makes some lower density cities more navigable without a car. Pretty much all "stroads" should be converted to 2 car lanes and a turning lane in the middle, which would leave room for protected bike lanes.
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, visited a few smaller cities in Spain and they were all very nice and walkable, at least in the areas I was at. Made me kinda sad to think about how we miss the mark on this. Feels like NYC is the only place, and it's great, just expensive to live in.
> Feels like NYC is the only place, and it's great, just expensive to live in. There's actually a lot of walkable areas of many American cities or alternatively smaller rural towns. Generally, the older the city the easier these neighborhoods are to find. even LA has walkable neighborhoods (even though you'll still need a car to get around in general). But yes... expensive.
most college towns, for example
Re: Lack of Walkability in the US is destroying mental health
#20Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Humans crave walkable neighborhoods. American and Canadian infrastructure is the main reason we have so many mental health problems.
Modern America reserves walkability for college campuses (which explains some of the nostalgia that attaches to them); golf courses and shopping malls -- which may explain part of their popularity.