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Most downtowns were built up before they got zoning laws: that's part of why they tend to be a bit better from that point of view. Also, where I lived in Italy
by davidw 7y ago
Most downtowns were built up before they got zoning laws: that's part of why they tend to be a bit better from that point of view.
Also, where I lived in Italy was a suburban area and it still managed to have all those amenities.
- taurath 7y agoTowns and villages in Europe are almost always highly compact compared to the US - I put it to that auto ownership was a bit lower and trains could be more efficient. Plus the relatively homogenized cultured meant there was less of a need to have sub enclaves on things other than economic class.
- davidw 7y ago> Towns and villages in Europe are almost always highly compact compared to the US That's a political choice. I mean, yes, the US has a lot of land and fewer people, but there are plenty of places that might be more compact if it were legal.
- dragonwriter 7y ago> That's a political choice. Well, yes, in that, among other things, many European towns and cities are shaped by political choices made when population to length of enclosing wall ratio was an important political consideration.
- davidw 7y agoThe neighborhood I lived in and described above was mostly all post-WWII construction.
- taurath 7y agoRight, but local control is a pretty large part of our governance. Its not like zoning laws are mandated federally - they remain in place because the representatives of that local area do not remove it.