3 ms·

Walking is good for your health. It's basically impossible to walk anywhere in the suburbs. Many don't even have sidewalks. In a car oriented suburb where you

• int_19h 10y ago
  Again, you're pointing out issues that are about a specific implementation of low-density living, and not inherent to the concept itself. Why can't we have suburbs with sidewalks, for example? FWIW, the suburb where I live is on the edge of a wilderness area. There are several great walking, cycling and hiking trails within a 2 mile radius. Some of those are fairly steep, too, so even one mile provides a good workout. I find that I engage in these activities far more often than what I lived in a large city, and had to drive for quite a bit before getting anywhere bigger than a tiny block-sized park.
  • Tiktaalik 10y ago
    Sure implementation details matter. There's lots of good, traditionally built, well crafted small towns (with sidewalks!) outside of major cities that are "suburbs." Typically when an urbanist is disparaging the suburb they're talking about the common strip mall, cul-de-sac suburb type that isn't this. There's studies that show that these poorly built suburbs discourage walking and negatively affect health. Pick up the book Happy City if you're interested. It discusses how the differences in design of cities has implications on people's lives