4 ms·

Many people buy houses for their utility, not because it makes them a special snowflake.

by hueving 10y ago

aaronbrethorst 10y ago
I live in an apartment in a major city for the utility and because it makes me happy. I am within walking distance of a cooperative food market, a Trader Joe's, and four supermarkets. I am within walking distance of dozens of bars, restaurants, concert venues, cafes, and bookstores. I can walk to my community darkroom, where I spend hours developing film and black and white prints. I can walk to work. It's between 1.67 and 2.5 miles each way, depending on the route. The walk back includes an elevation gain of about 300 feet, giving me a pretty decent cardio workout just by commuting. I drove briefly today because I had to go to purchase containers to store my overflowing material possessions (oh, irony). I was stuck in traffic, and it sucked. I love getting to bus, or take the light rail, or the street car, or walking. I love living in a dense neighborhood overflowing with interesting people and shops, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. If that makes me a special snowflake, then so be it.
- hueving 10y ago
  This conversation is about architecture. Walkability of a neighborhood is a different discussion.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - thomasz 10y ago
    The architectural monoculture guarantees that there will never be a cafe, restaurant or bookstore.
    - hueving 10y ago
      That's not correct. Many of these housing developments specifically have sections zoned for small shopping areas that have precisely those things.
  - CalRobert 10y ago
    If it's a different discussion, it's extremely related. Storefronts with no doors on the street (because everyone uses the lot in the back), or buildings set back 80 feet from the sidewalk, all make a neighborhood more hostile.
  - lintiness 10y ago
    no, this conversation's about people telling other people what to like and how to live.
    - CalRobert 10y ago
      As are zoning requirements, parking minimums, and HOA's, so apparently prescribing a particular lifestyle is something folks are quite fond of. Given that the winning side has generally been the one fond of low-density, sprawling, single-use architecture, it seems worthwhile to discuss the merits of said architecture and its impact on the people who live in it.
- pc86 10y ago
  And some people love a quiet suburb and are willing to have a longer commute to get that. Some people just don't like cities, don't want to take mass transit to work, or want to have a lot of space at their home. It's almost as if different people like different things and the anti-suburb circlejerk on HN is not representative of reality.
  - sctb 10y ago
    > ... the anti-suburb circlejerk on HN Please don't include things like this in comments. It's neither necessary nor OK.
- ashark 10y ago
  That's great, and I'd certainly rather live somewhere with higher population density, but if there's anywhere in my city that 1) is not a horrible mcmansion suburb, 2) has good schools, and 3) isn't ZOMGWTF high priced, I haven't seen it. Lots of people live in suburbia not because they love it, but because they can't afford a decent place in/near the city and a good private school for their kids. Probably 75% of the cool houses in my city are in high(ish) crime areas with awful schools, and the rest are way out of my price range (and often still have bad public schools)
  - Noos 10y ago
    Some people love suburbia. You don't have to worry about mugging, loud neighbors, the blight of most urban architecture, piss-stained subways, the ability to own space as opposed to rent it, and more. Being able to have woods in your backyard, being able to walk out to see a stream, being able to get in a car at any time you like and go out to explore...those are sizable benefits. Oh, and you can bicycle for pleasure with far more safety in most suburban areas, and jog too. You can own your own garden, build a shed or workshop on your own property, and do a lot of things that the worker drone lifestyle of an urban apartment won't let you do.
    - CalRobert 10y ago
      "Oh, and you can bicycle for pleasure with far more safety in most suburban areas" Cycling for transport, on the other hand, is hell on Earth. My rib still aches now and then from the driver who hit me while I rode home from work (and then was shocked I wanted to call the police).
  - maxsilver 10y ago
    I wish people would discuss this more often. You get "horrible mcmansion suburbs", in large part because they are cheap. People have to live somewhere, and anything that isn't a suburban detached house is unaffordable for 95+% of the American population. People pose this as a choice, but when the only alternative is crappy apartments or being homeless -- it's not really a choice. I'd love to live in a Brownstone, or a Townhouse, or a Highrise, or a "dense urban area" that can support some form of functional public transit. Someday, I might be a millionaire who can afford that. Until that happens, I live in a suburban box, and drive everywhere, just like every other person in this entire state. Suburbs aren't cheap -- but they're the only somewhat-affordable housing option in the nation.

Many people buy houses for their utility, not because it makes them a special snowflake.

by hueving 10y ago

Many people buy houses for their utility, not because it makes them a special snowflake.

I live in an apartment in a major city for the utility and because it makes me happy. I am within walking distance of a cooperative food market, a Trader Joe's, and four supermarkets. I am within walking distance of dozens of bars, restaurants, concert venues, cafes, and bookstores. I can walk to my community darkroom, where I spend hours developing film and black and white prints. I can walk to work. It's between 1.67 and 2.5 miles each way, depending on the route. The walk back includes an elevation gain of about 300 feet, giving me a pretty decent cardio workout just by commuting. I drove briefly today because I had to go to purchase containers to store my overflowing material possessions (oh, irony). I was stuck in traffic, and it sucked. I love getting to bus, or take the light rail, or the street car, or walking. I love living in a dense neighborhood overflowing with interesting people and shops, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. If that makes me a special snowflake, then so be it.

hueving 10y ago
This conversation is about architecture. Walkability of a neighborhood is a different discussion.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- thomasz 10y ago
  The architectural monoculture guarantees that there will never be a cafe, restaurant or bookstore.
  - hueving 10y ago
    That's not correct. Many of these housing developments specifically have sections zoned for small shopping areas that have precisely those things.
- CalRobert 10y ago
  If it's a different discussion, it's extremely related. Storefronts with no doors on the street (because everyone uses the lot in the back), or buildings set back 80 feet from the sidewalk, all make a neighborhood more hostile.
- lintiness 10y ago
  no, this conversation's about people telling other people what to like and how to live.
  - CalRobert 10y ago
    As are zoning requirements, parking minimums, and HOA's, so apparently prescribing a particular lifestyle is something folks are quite fond of. Given that the winning side has generally been the one fond of low-density, sprawling, single-use architecture, it seems worthwhile to discuss the merits of said architecture and its impact on the people who live in it.
pc86 10y ago
And some people love a quiet suburb and are willing to have a longer commute to get that. Some people just don't like cities, don't want to take mass transit to work, or want to have a lot of space at their home. It's almost as if different people like different things and the anti-suburb circlejerk on HN is not representative of reality.
- sctb 10y ago
  > ... the anti-suburb circlejerk on HN Please don't include things like this in comments. It's neither necessary nor OK.
ashark 10y ago
That's great, and I'd certainly rather live somewhere with higher population density, but if there's anywhere in my city that 1) is not a horrible mcmansion suburb, 2) has good schools, and 3) isn't ZOMGWTF high priced, I haven't seen it. Lots of people live in suburbia not because they love it, but because they can't afford a decent place in/near the city and a good private school for their kids. Probably 75% of the cool houses in my city are in high(ish) crime areas with awful schools, and the rest are way out of my price range (and often still have bad public schools)
- Noos 10y ago
  Some people love suburbia. You don't have to worry about mugging, loud neighbors, the blight of most urban architecture, piss-stained subways, the ability to own space as opposed to rent it, and more. Being able to have woods in your backyard, being able to walk out to see a stream, being able to get in a car at any time you like and go out to explore...those are sizable benefits. Oh, and you can bicycle for pleasure with far more safety in most suburban areas, and jog too. You can own your own garden, build a shed or workshop on your own property, and do a lot of things that the worker drone lifestyle of an urban apartment won't let you do.
  - CalRobert 10y ago
    "Oh, and you can bicycle for pleasure with far more safety in most suburban areas" Cycling for transport, on the other hand, is hell on Earth. My rib still aches now and then from the driver who hit me while I rode home from work (and then was shocked I wanted to call the police).
- maxsilver 10y ago
  I wish people would discuss this more often. You get "horrible mcmansion suburbs", in large part because they are cheap. People have to live somewhere, and anything that isn't a suburban detached house is unaffordable for 95+% of the American population. People pose this as a choice, but when the only alternative is crappy apartments or being homeless -- it's not really a choice. I'd love to live in a Brownstone, or a Townhouse, or a Highrise, or a "dense urban area" that can support some form of functional public transit. Someday, I might be a millionaire who can afford that. Until that happens, I live in a suburban box, and drive everywhere, just like every other person in this entire state. Suburbs aren't cheap -- but they're the only somewhat-affordable housing option in the nation.