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There's a self-build TV show in the UK called 'Grand Designs' that had a great episode[0] whereby their children were suffering badly with allergies (even being

There's a self-build TV show in the UK called 'Grand Designs' that had a great episode[0] whereby their children were suffering badly with allergies (even being hospitalised at times). They stayed within London (albeit moving to a slightly better area for pollution) but built their house with filtered air systems and low VOC products in mind - and their children's symptoms improved dramatically. It's concerning how big of a role air pollution seems to be playing, considering it doesn't seem to be a mainstream concern. [0] - https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/home-garden/interiors/design-news/grand-designs-healthy-house-built-for-kids-with-lifethreatening-allergies-is-a-wakeup-call-for-all-a124476.html https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/home-garden/interiors/des...

toothandtail 7y ago
Wouldn't it be better for a) their children and b) the environment (extra materials being used in the house) if they just moved out of London?
- majewsky 7y ago
  For their children, perhaps. For the environment, probably not. Moving to a suburb means more air pollution from the longer commute.
- alex_duf 7y ago
  It depends on if you can get a job outside of the capital right?
- IAmEveryone 7y ago
  High-density urban living is far better for the environment than rural. People usually live in less space, and with far less outside surfaces, reducing energy usage for heating and cooling. Distance to work, shopping, and other destinations is shorter, and use of public transport is far higher. Far less land is wasted on manicured single-family lawns rarely used. Density also allows sharing of rarely used manufactured goods between a neighbors or via renting (power tools, washing machines, even cars).
  - butteroverflow 7y ago
    Related podcast: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2018/11/12/episode-22-joe-walston-on-conservation-urbanization-and-the-way-we-live-on-earth/ https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2018/11/12/epis...
- pjc50 7y ago
  We're back to "that's where all the well paying jobs are"; given that they spent £750k on the land before even building the house, they probably can't maintain that lifestyle with a non-London job, and commuting in from greater distance is pretty gruelling.
megaremote 7y ago
And I bet they still drove. Big SUVs if they are like most families.
- gambiting 7y ago
  I know it's super fashionable to hate on driving, but there's a reason why people drive - because they value their own time. I don't live in London but in a large city in the North, and when driving my commute is about 20 minutes, vs. at least an hour on public transport. Add kids to the mix and if you have to drop off your dearest at 8am but also be at work at/around 8am, then it might simply be impossible to do it on public transport in the right timeframe. I'm trying to switch away from driving as much as I can nowadays, but there's a reason why people do it, especially with kids that have to be places. Ultimately, I don't think it's the issue with driving - it's the issue with cars being polluting. My next car is definitely going to be electric if possible.
  - butteroverflow 7y ago
    What gets me is how entitled many drivers are. I know a lot of people who drive instead of walking every single time, even when the destination is not more than 200 meters away. Almost every day I see drivers parked on the side of the road, who, when they need to get to the other side of the road, get in their car and drive. Holy shit, the road is like 6 meters wide, and and crosswalk is never far away. How lazy can they be? A lot of them find it too complicated to shut their engines when they're waiting for somebody, or when they go inside a store. They don't listen to music, they're not using AC (all windows are open), the weather is fine. This can only be explained by entitlement and laziness.
    - gambiting 7y ago
      Well yes, I think can both agree that this kind of behaviour is gross and unacceptable.
    - fyfy18 7y ago
      At least in the UK, the highway code requires you to switch off your engine when you are stationary for a prolonged period of time. The fine is only £20 though, so I doubt it's really enforced.

toothandtail 7y ago

Wouldn't it be better for a) their children and b) the environment (extra materials being used in the house) if they just moved out of London?

majewsky 7y ago
For their children, perhaps. For the environment, probably not. Moving to a suburb means more air pollution from the longer commute.
alex_duf 7y ago
It depends on if you can get a job outside of the capital right?
IAmEveryone 7y ago
High-density urban living is far better for the environment than rural. People usually live in less space, and with far less outside surfaces, reducing energy usage for heating and cooling. Distance to work, shopping, and other destinations is shorter, and use of public transport is far higher. Far less land is wasted on manicured single-family lawns rarely used. Density also allows sharing of rarely used manufactured goods between a neighbors or via renting (power tools, washing machines, even cars).
- butteroverflow 7y ago
  Related podcast: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2018/11/12/episode-22-joe-walston-on-conservation-urbanization-and-the-way-we-live-on-earth/ https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2018/11/12/epis...
pjc50 7y ago
We're back to "that's where all the well paying jobs are"; given that they spent £750k on the land before even building the house, they probably can't maintain that lifestyle with a non-London job, and commuting in from greater distance is pretty gruelling.

megaremote 7y ago

And I bet they still drove. Big SUVs if they are like most families.

gambiting 7y ago
I know it's super fashionable to hate on driving, but there's a reason why people drive - because they value their own time. I don't live in London but in a large city in the North, and when driving my commute is about 20 minutes, vs. at least an hour on public transport. Add kids to the mix and if you have to drop off your dearest at 8am but also be at work at/around 8am, then it might simply be impossible to do it on public transport in the right timeframe. I'm trying to switch away from driving as much as I can nowadays, but there's a reason why people do it, especially with kids that have to be places. Ultimately, I don't think it's the issue with driving - it's the issue with cars being polluting. My next car is definitely going to be electric if possible.
- butteroverflow 7y ago
  What gets me is how entitled many drivers are. I know a lot of people who drive instead of walking every single time, even when the destination is not more than 200 meters away. Almost every day I see drivers parked on the side of the road, who, when they need to get to the other side of the road, get in their car and drive. Holy shit, the road is like 6 meters wide, and and crosswalk is never far away. How lazy can they be? A lot of them find it too complicated to shut their engines when they're waiting for somebody, or when they go inside a store. They don't listen to music, they're not using AC (all windows are open), the weather is fine. This can only be explained by entitlement and laziness.
  - gambiting 7y ago
    Well yes, I think can both agree that this kind of behaviour is gross and unacceptable.
  - fyfy18 7y ago
    At least in the UK, the highway code requires you to switch off your engine when you are stationary for a prolonged period of time. The fine is only £20 though, so I doubt it's really enforced.