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A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

chrisbarber.co

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Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#181

Post by thegrim33 »

bix6 wrote: post #15

My dream is for my section of my town to ban cars. It’s already heavy pedestrian but if the cars went away (and everyone had to walk or e-bike or mobility scooter in the zone) it would be a utopia. Sure there’d be some issues to address and frustrations but we’d figure it out. The net would be amazingly positive.

For the young people, 20 years ago the line was "nobody is coming for your cars you stupid conspiracy theorist", etc. Now such people, including actual politicians, have absolutely no issue openly advocating for the straight up banning of cars.

It's not specific to the car issue either, it's many issues. They lie to your face and gaslight you for years on end as to their true motivations, while they slowly pry the door further and further open for their ideology, until they've finally garnered enough support that they can switch phases and now be open about their true goals.

I'm not quite sure what the end plan is, since they're forever burning bridges with people like me. I guess they plan on the newest generations having the viewpoint forced on them from a young age, overriding people like me who are quite disgruntled.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#182

Post by matty22 »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #167
barbazoo wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is people not cars or bikes because we rarely take into account how what we do affects other people. Riding my bike, I try to always consider the delta in speed between me and other folks. Sure I can speed along the walkway if there's no one else but as soon as there are or could be people around, I better slow down. Not only for safety but also to reduce stress on whoever is slower. Maybe we're too focus…

> Maybe we're too focussed on ourselves, maybe our community has broken down, maybe we don't consider each other real fellow humans. I think this is unquestionably a problem in modern society. Too many interactions are purely transactional. People are isolated and lonely. Many people are only out for themselves. Community has definitely broken down I don't know how to fix this and I'm definitely part of the problem,…

This is essentially the premise of Bowling Alone. The solution is not easy, but it is simple. We as individuals need to rebuild community in our towns and cities. Start a club, start a pickup soccer game that meets regularly, join existing fraternal societies that are aching for new members or start your own new society. Volunteer at your local food bank regularly.

If you know your neighbors, you are less likely to run them down on your e-bike.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#183

Post by marssaxman »

1234letshaveatw wrote: post #179
marssaxman wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After you've had a taste of life in a walkable neighborhood, it is really hard to go back.

It's much harder to give up having a large piece of property

What does the property do for you, I wonder, which makes it worth the maintenance?

For me, moving to a townhouse was a genuine relief - no more yard work making unwelcome demands on my time! The old place was not a large property, though, just an ordinary suburban-style lot.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#184

Post by barbazoo »

matty22 wrote: post #182
bluefirebrand wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe we're too focussed on ourselves, maybe our community has broken down, maybe we don't consider each other real fellow humans. I think this is unquestionably a problem in modern society. Too many interactions are purely transactional. People are isolated and lonely. Many people are only out for themselves. Community has definitely broken down I don't know how to fix this and I'm definitely part of the problem,…

This is essentially the premise of Bowling Alone. The solution is not easy, but it is simple. We as individuals need to rebuild community in our towns and cities. Start a club, start a pickup soccer game that meets regularly, join existing fraternal societies that are aching for new members or start your own new society. Volunteer at your local food bank regularly. If you know your neighbors, you are less likely to r…

> If you know your neighbors, you are less likely to run them down on your e-bike.

And if you know your neighbor and maybe even rely on them somehow, it makes it much easier to accept certain behavior or opinions for example. It's much too easy to dismiss other people because they don't look like us or think like us, there is no downside because everyone only needs themselves.

It's sad but my hope is that the climate breakdown, wealth inequality for example will eventually lead to a "rebuilding" of a more localized society where we depend and help each other. Maybe hard times will come and give us a bit of a shake as a species.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#185

Post by Animats »

mr3martinis wrote: post #161
Animats wrote: post #76

About half of the items in that list are satisfied by Peter Cooper Village in NYC.[1] Go there and see if you like it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_Town%E2%80%93Peter_...

You could say the same thing about colonial Williamsburg. The list seems focused on removing restrictions and red tape. It doesn’t dictate form. You could still build a typical single family McMansion in an area that adopted this list… if that’s what you’re into.

Colonial Williamsburg is a theme park.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#186

Post by 1234letshaveatw »

marssaxman wrote: post #183
1234letshaveatw wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's much harder to give up having a large piece of property

What does the property do for you, I wonder, which makes it worth the maintenance? For me, moving to a townhouse was a genuine relief - no more yard work making unwelcome demands on my time! The old place was not a large property, though, just an ordinary suburban-style lot.

I'm sure I'll feel that way when I am retired

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#187

Post by Aurornis »

Animats wrote: post #165
Aurornis wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (and everyone had to walk or e-bike or mobility scooter in the zone) E-bikes are very popular where I live. At first it was great to see people of all ages out biking everywhere. But now everyone has started modifying their e-bikes to be overpowered and not require any pedaling. A lot of the cheap e-bikes have trivial procedures to unlock the power limit. Anyone who can search Reddit can figure out what to buy and…

It's just an electric motorcycle... Fat tire E-bikes, recommended by Bicycling magazine.[1] 1933 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.[2] It is an electric motorcycle. It would be better to treat the more powerful E-bikes as electric scooters. Lose the pedals, lower the CG, require license plates, turn signals, and helmets. That's standard practice in China, which encourages electric scooters but discourages high-speed E-bikes…

> It is an electric motorcycle.

The laws generally require that an e-bike must be under a certain power limit and the user has to pedal to keep it going. The power is for pedal assist only.

This is the difference between your links. The e-bike and the electric motorcycle have very different power limits and are controlled differently.

The unlocks remove the power limit and the mods can add a throttle so the user doesn’t have to pedal.

These turn it into an electric motorcycle under the law.

One is allowed on certain bike trails. An electric motorcycle is not.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#188

Post by hexis »

tptacek wrote: post #177
hexis wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet it moves.

Given the data you're up against you're doing more of a flat Earth thing here.

I appreciate your political commitments and I understand how that makes this topic unproductive for us to discuss.

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#189

Post by Animats »

Aurornis wrote: post #187
Animats wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's just an electric motorcycle... Fat tire E-bikes, recommended by Bicycling magazine.[1] 1933 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.[2] It is an electric motorcycle. It would be better to treat the more powerful E-bikes as electric scooters. Lose the pedals, lower the CG, require license plates, turn signals, and helmets. That's standard practice in China, which encourages electric scooters but discourages high-speed E-bikes…

> It is an electric motorcycle. The laws generally require that an e-bike must be under a certain power limit and the user has to pedal to keep it going. The power is for pedal assist only. This is the difference between your links. The e-bike and the electric motorcycle have very different power limits and are controlled differently. The unlocks remove the power limit and the mods can add a throttle so the user does…

That's a US definition pushed by the E-bike industry.[1] The EU has a completely different classification system.[2] Anything above a US class 1 e-bike comes with more restrictions.

Good E-bike vs. Motorcycle discussion.[3]

[1] https://bikexchange.com/electric-bike-classes/

[2] https://www.voltriderz.com/european-e-bike-regulations/

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM8Xli2KTzI

Re: A list of changes to make it easier to build beautiful and walkable places

#190

Post by lazyasciiart »

potato3732842 wrote: post #150
lazyasciiart wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle! Violent crime is way down from the 90s. People don’t think this is obvious because violent crime rate is not actually an immediately visible problem, since the majority of violent crime takes place in or around homes (followed by hidden places like alleyways and parking garages, chosen for not being seen). The actual visible stuff (homeless people, trash, smell of public urination, people on drugs in public,…

The late 80s early 90s was the all time crime peak for a lot of places. That's like saying the economy is up from the 1930s. Personally I think two things are true, crime ain't that bad and you're basically framing the problem to let you lie through your teeth a politican.

What insulting shit.
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