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Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

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Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#291

Post by Dig1t »

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #123
Dig1t wrote: post #107

Seeing the UK’s implementation of 15 minute cities, where cars are locked down to zones, movement is tracked by ubiquitous camera surveillance, and residents have to apply for a special pass to leave their zone. Talk of 15 minute cities in the US makes me nervous. When we talk about 15 minute cities here, do we mean zoning changes to build things differently? Or are we talking about authoritarian enforcement? Edit: O…

My family lives in the UK and they all own cars. None of them have ever had the experience that you're describing. Either you're confused, or making it up, or there's something happening as an experiment in a few cities that you're blowing out of proportion.

I admit that the way it was described to me was probably exaggerated, but this is what I'm talking about:

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23073992.traffic-filters-w...

"People can drive freely around their own neighbourhood and can apply for a permit to drive through the filters, and into other neighbourhoods, for up to 100 days per year. This equates to an average of two days per week."

This is enforced with surveillance cameras.

As I said in another comment: it does seem to me that enforcing movement like this and adding bureaucracy to drive through certain places is a solid step in the direction of authoritarianism.

The article is titled "Traffic filters will divide city into "15 minute" neighbourhoods"

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#292

Post by RandallBrown »

jobs_throwaway wrote: post #128

Do any Seattle-ites not have a car? How do you get around? Asking as a NYer who would consider living there if the car-free life wouldn't be too painful

A friend of mine has lived in Seattle for about 8 years without a car so I have a pretty good idea what it's like. We both live in one of the 15 minute areas from this article.

Public transportation is decent compared to most of the US (but worse than NYC obviously.) There are also lots of other ways to get around like Uber, scooters, bikes, and Gig cars (rental car you pick up and drop in public parking spots.)

The biggest problem is getting to the mountains if that's your thing. That's the main reason I have a car.

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#293

Post by loeg »

teucris wrote: post #114

Incredible analysis! As a Seattleite I can say the conclusions here are very close to accurate, with the key additional note being that distance is not the only thing that defines walkability. Seattle has some of the most confounding civil engineering I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived in five cities and visited dozens more. Here are some things that make a pedestrian life near impossible in my neighborhood: - two high-t…

Where do you encounter roads that lack sidewalks and are also unsafe to walk on? I've frequently experienced the former in Seattle, but usually they're very low speed residential streets that are safe to just walk on. The only real counterexample I can think of is 5th Ave NE by the golf course.

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#294

Post by dullcrisp »

WeylandYutani wrote: post #239
dullcrisp wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward to the day when we all drive semi trucks to work so that we can journey cross country to stock up on goods and not have to deal with the corrupt long-haul trucking industry.

I have a weakness for fresh food so stocking up once a month doesn't appeal to me.

Your food will be flash frozen to preserve taste and nutrition!

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#295

Post by loeg »

Gigachad wrote: post #287
watermelon59 wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle has so many intersections that are completely bonkers. They’re not only poorly walkable, they also make driving extremely stressful.

Do you guys not have red light cameras? Australia has them everywhere so running a red light is almost never seen.

We do not have many red light cameras, although there is some recent talk of increasing them (and rolling out speed enforcement cameras). There are a handful.

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#296

Post by galleywest200 »

insane_dreamer wrote: post #215
purpleturtle22 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you take the corner store model as far as many European, NY, etc cities - You remove the $300-400+/mo cost of a car (ballparking here) Otherwise if the local shops are more expensive (in any meaningful way), consumers would simply drive the additional N miles to the Walmart Supercenter as things kind of are as is

A big part of the problem is that the U.S. doesn't have European-style local grocery stores (and if they do, they're expensive farmer market style boutiques in high-priced areas).

Normal farmers markets, at least where I have lived, not expensive however (excluding your fancy small flock lamb, or whatever). Unfortunately they are not run every day, generally once per week. Olympia, Washington was an exception with a 4 day per week farmer's market.

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#297

Post by poly_morphis »

whateveracct wrote: post #225
jobs_throwaway wrote: post #128

Do any Seattle-ites not have a car? How do you get around? Asking as a NYer who would consider living there if the car-free life wouldn't be too painful

There's a lot of fun places a 20-ish minute drive from Seattle. It's definitely worth it to have a car. And Tacoma is only 45 minutes away.

What's in Tacoma that would warrant a 45-minute drive?

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#298

Post by rootusrootus »

2bitencryption wrote: post #289
teucris wrote: post #114

Incredible analysis! As a Seattleite I can say the conclusions here are very close to accurate, with the key additional note being that distance is not the only thing that defines walkability. Seattle has some of the most confounding civil engineering I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived in five cities and visited dozens more. Here are some things that make a pedestrian life near impossible in my neighborhood: - two high-t…

And my personal favorite: Street traffic is allowed through Pike Place Market. Every weekend I have a grand old time in the market, watching tourists make the worst mistake of their visit, their rental car crawling at 1mph through probably the largest tourist attraction in the PNW.

Right where they throw the fish? I've only been to Pike Place Market a few times, but there's a little road there that looked like an absolute nightmare if you inadvertently turned down it.

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#299

Post by dweinus »

loeg wrote: post #293
teucris wrote: post #114

Incredible analysis! As a Seattleite I can say the conclusions here are very close to accurate, with the key additional note being that distance is not the only thing that defines walkability. Seattle has some of the most confounding civil engineering I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived in five cities and visited dozens more. Here are some things that make a pedestrian life near impossible in my neighborhood: - two high-t…

Where do you encounter roads that lack sidewalks and are also unsafe to walk on? I've frequently experienced the former in Seattle, but usually they're very low speed residential streets that are safe to just walk on. The only real counterexample I can think of is 5th Ave NE by the golf course.

Basically anywhere in District 5, including some of Aurora: https://www.knkx.org/2015-election/2015-10-23/in-seattles-si...

Re: Is Seattle a 15-minute city? It depends on where you want to walk

#300

Post by wenc »

WaxProlix wrote: post #260
wenc wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> International District: Euphemism for Chinatown, not expensive It’s not a euphemism. Euphemism refers to a word that conceals something unpleasant or embarrassing. It is anything but. It is working class yes but nothing wrong with that. The full name (since 1999) is Chinatown-ID. The majority of the inhabitants are Chinese but it encompasses Little Saigon and the less prominent but still existing Japantown (Uwajima…

You are technically correct, the most socially isolating kind of correct. If you can think of a word with different, or fewer connotations I'll gladly swap it in. Mea culpa for the hasty pasting, though.

I appreciate the reply and suggest just stating that it is Chinatown-International District with no additional adjectives other than expensive (or not) like you did with the other neighborhoods listed.

I have a connection with the C-ID and it is a neighborhood like any other and is in my opinion one of the more vibrant neighborhoods food-wise in Seattle despite (or due to it?) being working class.

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