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> My counter would be: what are the reasons to fight against automobile oriented infrastructure and urban sprawl? Well for one thing there was a study that fou

> My counter would be: what are the reasons to fight against automobile oriented infrastructure and urban sprawl? Well for one thing there was a study that found that divorce rates spike 40% when commutes exceed 45 minutes! There’s a wealth of data out there that indicates that compact communities are better for people’s health, well-being, and they’re cheaper on municipalities too. I don’t really know how to answer because questioning whether sprawl is bad is a bit akin to asking a climate scientist if CO2 emissions are bad. There’s a broad consensus amongst urban planners on the overwhelming benefits in all sorts of categories of compact communities. I haven’t seen anyone promoting suburban sprawl as a superior alternative. You’re right that autonomous vehicles could mitigate some of the downsides of sprawl. For example many communities are “car captive” in that they have no amenities and to escape this amenity desert and do any errand a car is required. This obviously becomes a big problem when one becomes elderly and is no longer legally able to drive. Autonomous cars are a solution to this problem. Another solution however, is to design communities such that common errands can all be easily accomplished within a 20 minute walk. This solution has the added benefit of allowing people to be active, which improves health and mobility as one ages. One negative point about sprawl I will specifically point out is that it’s simply a waste of land. In certain areas this may not matter so much, but in some places the land has real value beyond urban uses. Vancouver for example is surrounded by an agricultural land reserve. The area of prime agricultural land produces 7% of North America’s cranberry crop. Real estate is incredibly expensive in Vancouver and I’m sure there are a lot of real estate developers that would love to pave over that land and build more suburbs. If this occurred however that export crop would be lost forever and there would be a real reduction in the economic potential of the region.

mikeash 10y ago
A climate scientist should be able to pretty simply explain why CO2 emissions are bad. They trap heat, which warms the planet. Unlike climate science, urban planning doesn't get much attention, so you'll have to forgive me for being ignorant of things which experts consider obvious. For your divorce rate statistic, is that for any commute over 45 minutes, or is it specifically for car commutes? Because lots of dense cities with good public transportation still have long commutes. This is why I asked what the reasons were. If they're things that don't apply to an autonomous car future, then we should welcome them. If they still apply, then autonomous cars won't solve the problem. When I see people complaining about sprawl, it's usually because of things that will go away in an autonomous car future. But that's not necessarily a comprehensive listing of the problems.

mikeash 10y ago

A climate scientist should be able to pretty simply explain why CO2 emissions are bad. They trap heat, which warms the planet. Unlike climate science, urban planning doesn't get much attention, so you'll have to forgive me for being ignorant of things which experts consider obvious. For your divorce rate statistic, is that for any commute over 45 minutes, or is it specifically for car commutes? Because lots of dense cities with good public transportation still have long commutes. This is why I asked what the reasons were. If they're things that don't apply to an autonomous car future, then we should welcome them. If they still apply, then autonomous cars won't solve the problem. When I see people complaining about sprawl, it's usually because of things that will go away in an autonomous car future. But that's not necessarily a comprehensive listing of the problems.