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> And it can be a lot of wasted space, and a deterrent to using public transit. After all, there is always easy parking. It's not just that it makes driving be

> And it can be a lot of wasted space, and a deterrent to using public transit. After all, there is always easy parking. It's not just that it makes driving better. It makes everything else worse, too. Ever tried walking from a house to a strip mall to run errands? Now compare that to walking for errands in a European or Japanese city. The difference is enormous; I've lived in several parts of the US, currently live in Germany and have traveled around a decent amount, most US cities are just terrible for anything other than driving.

MBCook 8y ago
I’ve been downtown in some of the cities in the west/midwest of US and you still need a car. Sometimes a bit of walking works in older parts of the cities but it’s still kind of a mess. But I’ve been to the downtown area is on the East Coast from before cars were common and everything is packed close together. You can actually walk from place to place and live without needing a car. It’s so incredibly different. Which is to say nothing of the suburbs which are basically impossible to walk and often dangerous or atleast totally unsuitable for bikes.
closeparen 8y ago
>Ever tried walking from a house to a strip mall to run errands? Absolutely. Mostly the problem is the absurd amount of space between houses, because "not everyone wants to live packed in like sardines on top of each other" (quote from a zoning meeting where the outlawed ADUs).
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  Parking/car space is also part of why houses are so spread out, too.
  - closeparen 8y ago
    I don’t think that’s true. Most houses in San Francisco have their parking in the required setback, basement, or 1st floor. That’s extrmely dense compared to standard suburbia, where space between houses is drastically in excess of car storage needs. America would be ~10x as dense (still suburban, but a very different character) if car storage were the limiting factor.

MBCook 8y ago

I’ve been downtown in some of the cities in the west/midwest of US and you still need a car. Sometimes a bit of walking works in older parts of the cities but it’s still kind of a mess. But I’ve been to the downtown area is on the East Coast from before cars were common and everything is packed close together. You can actually walk from place to place and live without needing a car. It’s so incredibly different. Which is to say nothing of the suburbs which are basically impossible to walk and often dangerous or atleast totally unsuitable for bikes.

closeparen 8y ago

>Ever tried walking from a house to a strip mall to run errands? Absolutely. Mostly the problem is the absurd amount of space between houses, because "not everyone wants to live packed in like sardines on top of each other" (quote from a zoning meeting where the outlawed ADUs).

TulliusCicero 8y ago
Parking/car space is also part of why houses are so spread out, too.
- closeparen 8y ago
  I don’t think that’s true. Most houses in San Francisco have their parking in the required setback, basement, or 1st floor. That’s extrmely dense compared to standard suburbia, where space between houses is drastically in excess of car storage needs. America would be ~10x as dense (still suburban, but a very different character) if car storage were the limiting factor.