4 ms·

This is fluff. Sure if you build a few multi families in 10% of lots it wont affect neighborhood characteristics much because you're only adding 10-20% more hou

by rb808 7y ago

This is fluff. Sure if you build a few multi families in 10% of lots it wont affect neighborhood characteristics much because you're only adding 10-20% more housing. Its doubling and quadrupling (even 10x) the number of housing units that is really needed and that affects everything - more cars, more schoolkids, more water, more trash, more crowds.

magduf 7y ago
>and that affects everything - more cars This right here is the root problem. If you increase housing density in America, everyone expects a place to put their car, and to be able to use a car to get around, so you don't improve stuff that much. We need to get rid of cars altogether as a primary people-mover; then you can really build things closer together, and not have to waste so much space on parking lots. Trash and water aren't problems; they don't take up a lot of space, though you do need a source of freshwater to supply the city, but unless you're in the desert that shouldn't be that big a problem. Schoolkids aren't a big problem in urban areas: people aren't having kids any more.
- milkytron 7y ago
  I think attitudes will change when owning a car becomes more of an inconvenience than a convenience. Dense housing is the start of making it more inconvenient. Then, once owning a car is less convenient than other modes of transit, will we see alternatives that are better for those areas.
ahoy 7y ago
If your city is dense enough that you live within walking/bus distance of your work and basic necessities (groceries, etc) you dont need to have every single person own a car. The cars are a big part of the problem and as long as we keep building to accomodate them and not people things aren't going to improve
thatfrenchguy 7y ago
> Its doubling and quadrupling (even 10x) the number of housing units that is really needed and that affects everything - more cars, more schoolkids, more water, more trash, more crowds. If you're 10x the number of housing units, there will be less cars though.
lukeschlather 7y ago
There's only more cars if there are more jobs, at least if you're looking at rush hour traffic. Adding residences in megacities like LA and SF isn't likely to increase the number of jobs, it will reduce the number of people commuting 30+ miles into the city, and thereby reduce the number of cars on the road (even if everyone still drives.)

by rb808 7y ago

magduf 7y ago

>and that affects everything - more cars This right here is the root problem. If you increase housing density in America, everyone expects a place to put their car, and to be able to use a car to get around, so you don't improve stuff that much. We need to get rid of cars altogether as a primary people-mover; then you can really build things closer together, and not have to waste so much space on parking lots. Trash and water aren't problems; they don't take up a lot of space, though you do need a source of freshwater to supply the city, but unless you're in the desert that shouldn't be that big a problem. Schoolkids aren't a big problem in urban areas: people aren't having kids any more.

milkytron 7y ago
I think attitudes will change when owning a car becomes more of an inconvenience than a convenience. Dense housing is the start of making it more inconvenient. Then, once owning a car is less convenient than other modes of transit, will we see alternatives that are better for those areas.

ahoy 7y ago

If your city is dense enough that you live within walking/bus distance of your work and basic necessities (groceries, etc) you dont need to have every single person own a car. The cars are a big part of the problem and as long as we keep building to accomodate them and not people things aren't going to improve

thatfrenchguy 7y ago

> Its doubling and quadrupling (even 10x) the number of housing units that is really needed and that affects everything - more cars, more schoolkids, more water, more trash, more crowds. If you're 10x the number of housing units, there will be less cars though.

lukeschlather 7y ago

There's only more cars if there are more jobs, at least if you're looking at rush hour traffic. Adding residences in megacities like LA and SF isn't likely to increase the number of jobs, it will reduce the number of people commuting 30+ miles into the city, and thereby reduce the number of cars on the road (even if everyone still drives.)