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Many Europeans live in inner cities. Shops are nearby. Kids walk, take public transport or ride bikes like the rest of us. Why choose to live in such a way were
by rorykoehler 9y ago
Many Europeans live in inner cities. Shops are nearby. Kids walk, take public transport or ride bikes like the rest of us. Why choose to live in such a way were a car is necessary? The amount of time, money and effort that is saved by working, eating, sleeping and generally living in the same place is well worth any added housing costs.
- zhdc1 9y agoThis is also true for a growing number of Americans. When I lived in DC (I now live in Europe), the worst thing about getting an otherwise beneficial job lateral was the need to get a car. And this comes from someone who enjoys driving.
- achamayou 9y agoMany, but not as many as the HN crowd thinks. In France, 80%+ households have at least one car, and 70%ish of commutes to work happen by car. It’s easy to forget if you live in the centre of the capital city of course.
- icebraining 9y agoYes. Western Europe actually has more cars per capita than the US: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/its-official-western-europeans-have-more-cars-per-person-than-americans/261108/ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/it... That said, I know many people who only use them occasionally. Gas is expensive here.
- achamayou 9y agoI do too, but I mostly know people who live in a city center, or a close suburb. I saw the statistics about the various commute mechanisms recently, and it was an interesting reminder that my intuition about this was way off (I would have guessed 50%+ public transport, when it's really 70%+ car).