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Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

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Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#511

Post by hnuser847 »

fwsgonzo wrote: post #272

I live in a small remote town on an island, and I could not be happier. Silent, big houses, everything I need in shops and restaurants, and incredible scenery every day. I used to live in the big city when I was studying, and it was horrible. I used to have a window open just to get some air into the horrible apartment I lived in, and the windowsill would have a layer of asphalt dust. The big city has a few things th…

Do you mind revealing what island you live on, or at least the general region? I've always fantasized about living in a small town on an island.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#512

Post by aaaddaaaaa1112 »

dang wrote: post #452
paulmd wrote: post #445

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

You posted this comment once, it was flagged by users, and you deleted it. If your intention was to post a new version that didn't break the site guidelines, I think that's probably ok (albeit borderline). But in that case you should have removed this too: > Love the "gosh if you want to eat we need to fund lifestyle ruralism with billions of dollars of infrastructure annually" whataboutism, like that's supposed to b…

No post body was provided.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#513

Post by mancerayder »

FearlessNebula wrote: post #473
mancerayder wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

NYC has an insane number of bikes on the sidewalks, especially e bikes, and especially in Manhattan, and especially in the non touristy areas.

It sucks for pedestrians but I can't blame the bikers when the alternative is getting ran down in streets without bike lanes. But if there's a proper protected bike lane then there's no excuse for being on the sidewalk or going the wrong way.

Not blaming bikers (especially e bikers going 30 mph) for threatening pedestrian safety because theirs is threatened by cars on the road is utter nihilism, and the type of attitude that encourages me to leave the city.

Another point against high density, so-called walkable cities. Going to my main rant above, high density without law enforcement is misery for any normal person.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#514

Post by wizofaus »

alistairSH wrote: post #500
wizofaus wrote: post #497

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be about what I'd expect (except I don't use miles!). But I'm wondering if that's typical for most Americans of your or older generations. I always figured the LA story gag of driving 5 metres to your neighbour's house was only a mild exaggeration of reality...

I always figured the LA story gag of driving 5 metres to your neighbour's house was only a mild exaggeration of reality... It's not far from reality. But mostly because so much of the US lacks sidewalks, so driving is the safest way to get A-to-B. When getting anywhere useful requires navigating places like this [1], using the car for everything quickly becomes the default. 1 - https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqj…

Wow that really is taking pedestrian-unfriendliness to the next level. I admit I struggle to understand the mindset of people who'd consider that a desirable place to live. I admit I chose the suburb I live in now precisely because it was so walker and cyclist friendly (many of the houses actually face on to a dedicated walking/cycling path. I tried to find a good photo but this was the best I could do: http://cdn-assets.alltrails.com/static-map/production/at-map.... We're ~4km (2.5mi?) from the city centre "downtown", but most shops/ facilities we need regularly are within 1km, mostly via that pathway)

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#515

Post by baby »

bart_spoon wrote: post #374
baby wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment only makes sense in the US

This thread is about American urbanism.

The idea of the post is that American cities are badly designed, and IMO current criticism makes no sense without looking at European cities and how American cities could look more like them.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#516

Post by tmh88j »

digdugdirk wrote: post #79
refurb wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spent time in Singapore where living in dense high rises and traveling on a very well run public transit system is commonplace. Same thing. I found that people who could afford cars bought them for the convenience (despite the 100% import duty and $100,000 COE charge for 10 year permit). And same with detached housing. It’s was pretty much the ideal for families. Constant complaints of noise in apartment buildings,…

The problem is the vast middle ground between those two extremes that just doesn't exist in America. In Europe they seem to be more commonly called some variation of "villages". Single family homes with small lots, with larger community greenspace, and a small central hub with some shopping for necessities and a reliable connection to a larger public transit system. Meanwhile, the American suburb seems to have been m…

>Meanwhile, the American suburb seems to have been modeled after manor estates but shrunk down to a level where it doesn't make sense. Each property has more personal land, but not enough to be "self-sufficient".

> remember, you need to keep the "estate" supplied with the necessities from a store located a 20-30 minute drive away)

People don't live in the suburbs to start a mini-farm. If you have to drive 20-30 minutes just for necessities you live in a rural area, not suburbs.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#517

Post by [deleted] »

bb88 wrote: post #507
FFRefresh wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an extreme example: Times Square in NYC is considered a "Walker's Paradise" with a walkability score of 100 on Walk Score. But it seems like the worst possible place to walk, and most NYC locals I know avoid that area like the plague. Link: https://www.walkscore.com/score/Times-Square-New-York

I agree with this. Having been in times square, it was nothing but being constantly bumped, having to say "No" to people hawking their CD to support their burgeoning music career, and keeping your wallet close by to avoid being pickpocketed. The strip in Las Vegas is not far behind. While people didn't tend to bump me, there was a never endings series of people trying to get me to buy their prostitutes for the night.

[deleted]

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#518

Post by bobthepanda »

frumper wrote: post #479
bobthepanda wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that the overwhelming majority of land in the US is zoned in such a way where this is not legal, and as a result the relatively few locations that do accommodate this lifestyle have high premiums (both on a per unit and per sq ft basis)

There are plenty of homes near grocery stores in the suburbs. Not every home, but plenty if that's important to you. Location, location, location.

Given the premium, there’s not enough. Let’s create more locations.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#519

Post by frumper »

bobthepanda wrote: post #518
frumper wrote: post #479

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty of homes near grocery stores in the suburbs. Not every home, but plenty if that's important to you. Location, location, location.

Given the premium, there’s not enough. Let’s create more locations.

There is no premium in any city I've ever lived in for that. $/sq ft doesn't change if you're a block from the grocery store, it might actually be cheaper. That said, you don't need more, you just need one.

Re: Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

#520

Post by dividefuel »

igouy wrote: post #489
dividefuel wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I have yet to live in an apartment with a sense of community. In the apartments I lived in, neighbors barely acknowledged each other. I lived in one complex for six years and couldn't tell you the names of any neighbor: most folks just quietly walked in, shut their door, and stayed inside. When I moved to the suburbs, I actually had more community, as neighbors actually came to introduce themselves when we move…

When you moved into the apartments, did you go and introduce yourselves to your neighbors?

Nope, nor did anyone introduce themselves to us when they moved in. I also very rarely saw other sets of neighbors interact with each other.
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