Oddly enough, I opened this up expecting an article on Thimphu.
Secrets of the world's happiest cities
11–20 of 68 posts
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#12Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#13The car is a textbook case of catastrophically bad scaling. For sporadic use (errands, long trips, leisure) it's amazing. For daily commuting (60 miles per day, plus parking) it's horrible. Space-consuming, polluting, expensive (except cheap relative to, e.g., Amtrak because no one uses the latter) and unsafe when abused to the point that cars are (operated while drunk, while seriously ill, or at unreasonable speeds given congestion).
The problem is that people, individually, don't want to give up the freedom. It's "other drivers" that are the problem. Add to this the fact that so few people can use other means of transportation-- those have fallen into ruin.
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#14Downtown Bogota at night was one of the scariest places I've ever been. On the flip-side, Bogota itself is awesome, made more awesome by Colombians, who are also double awesome!
I love Colombia and the Colombians but Bogota is one of my least favourite places in the world. Most Colombians would agree, I think. Traffic is horrible.
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#15The article mentions something along the lines of people who walk to work are happier than if they drove to work. I wonder how remote working from home compares in happiness to walking to a separate but nearby place of work? When I've worked from home for sustained periods, I've felt happier when taking regular walks than if I stay indoors all day. I've found walking before the work day starts to be the most benefici…
I spent a bit over a year working from home in my past. At first, I loved it. Then I found myself "at work" for longer every day. I reduced the amount I was getting out and socializing, until it got to the point I was plain miserable. Finally I made a change and got a job at an office, where I was MUCH happier (until the office was reduced to 2 people, myself included, and I found I missed the social interaction once again).
Now I work at a company of about 80, with some 30-35 working from the office, and I love it. The commute is very short (<10 minutes most days), and I bike in summer. The little conversations every day keep me sane and enjoying work far more than when I'm on my own.
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#16The car is a textbook case of catastrophically bad scaling. For sporadic use (errands, long trips, leisure) it's amazing. For daily commuting (60 miles per day, plus parking) it's horrible. Space-consuming, polluting, expensive (except cheap relative to, e.g., Amtrak because no one uses the latter) and unsafe when abused to the point that cars are (operated while drunk, while seriously ill, or at unreasonable speeds…
This is why I love zipcar. I use it just for the odd times when I need a car. Which is rare.
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#17Extra space, cleaner air, healthier and happier people, safer streets... Is there really any downside to banning personal cars from the city? Leave the roads for cyclists, public transportation, emergency vehicles and delivery vehicles. Suburbanites can park outside of the city can go the rest of the way via bus/train/bicycle. http://ecooptimism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bike-bus-c...
The automobile-industrial complex that destroyed public transportation in the US would never let it happen here. Maybe in other countries it's a possibility. Or maybe in the future when the major car manufacturers FINALLY go under. I support visionary tech like the HyperLoop even if only because it shows that there are some smart people who can actually see the problem and that they are thinking of ways of solving it…
Autonomous taxis may help - it won't completely eliminate cars, but it can effectively eliminate the need to allocate parking in urban areas (cars will either be transporting people or parked outside of the city).
Throw in the safety wins and you have a recipe for massively improved urban spaces.
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#18The car is a textbook case of catastrophically bad scaling. For sporadic use (errands, long trips, leisure) it's amazing. For daily commuting (60 miles per day, plus parking) it's horrible. Space-consuming, polluting, expensive (except cheap relative to, e.g., Amtrak because no one uses the latter) and unsafe when abused to the point that cars are (operated while drunk, while seriously ill, or at unreasonable speeds…
Don't forget the perverse incentives of mandated "free" parking, resulting in every pedestrian, cyclist, and transit user subsidizing everyone who parks somewhere (in addition to the horrible sprawl effects).
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#19Extra space, cleaner air, healthier and happier people, safer streets... Is there really any downside to banning personal cars from the city? Leave the roads for cyclists, public transportation, emergency vehicles and delivery vehicles. Suburbanites can park outside of the city can go the rest of the way via bus/train/bicycle. http://ecooptimism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bike-bus-c...
The automobile-industrial complex that destroyed public transportation in the US would never let it happen here. Maybe in other countries it's a possibility. Or maybe in the future when the major car manufacturers FINALLY go under. I support visionary tech like the HyperLoop even if only because it shows that there are some smart people who can actually see the problem and that they are thinking of ways of solving it…
There are other problems that need to be solved before public transit can fully replace automobiles.
Consider groceries. I can't get two weeks of groceries for two people without a car. Wine bottles get heavy, and stacking bags on my arms risks crushing my eggs. I imagine it's even more complicated for those with larger families.
It's also generally cheaper to pick up furniture with Zipcar than it is to have furniture delivered by retailers.
I know there are some grocery delivery services cropping up, like Instacart, but they're concentrated in very urban areas. I remember using a grocery delivery service in the early 2000s, and it was a disaster: eggs were broken, liquids were spilled, boxes were crushed, etc. We need to see a lot of improvement in this space.
Re: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
#20Extra space, cleaner air, healthier and happier people, safer streets... Is there really any downside to banning personal cars from the city? Leave the roads for cyclists, public transportation, emergency vehicles and delivery vehicles. Suburbanites can park outside of the city can go the rest of the way via bus/train/bicycle. http://ecooptimism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bike-bus-c...
> Is there really any downside to banning personal cars from the city?
The fact that you're stomping all over a person's right to own property and use it as they wish?
Oh sure, the city will prosper as a result, but when you start making rules solely for the sake of the majority, throwing basic principles into the garbage bin, you set a precedent.
A precedent where anything that's for the greater good passes muster, regardless of anything else.
Which seems fine at first. The majority, is the majority of people right? Why not act solely in their interest?
But the truth is that we're all part of some minority or other. In some way, everyone's interests contradict the majority in some way.
If my grandma lives in the suburbs and it takes 4 hours to see her using public transportation and 30 minutes using a car ... well, you just fucked me over, didn't you? And that's just a mild example.