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Oh I don't think communities should go away. Cities can have communities if you build them in the right way. I just think these communities need to evolve from

Oh I don't think communities should go away. Cities can have communities if you build them in the right way. I just think these communities need to evolve from the particular format of a single family house with a lawn, car and garage. Plus I'm a little perplexed at the library analogy. I'm not saying we need to lower funding or anything. If anything we should be pumping more money into suburbs so that they can build and create more healthy, flourishing communities. These communities should just be built in a way that's space and energy efficient.

greedo 7y ago
It's the idea that if someone doesn't like something, it doesn't matter if others do. In my town, a typical midwest college town, we have suburbs, we have more urban areas with smaller/older houses in row neighborhoods. We have apartments galore, and condos in downtown areas. A bit of something for everyone. Expecting a community to "evolve" means losing something of this. Other than young people who want to live in the downtown area, nobody wants to give up their homes. Apartment living is no fun with families. And this is normal America. These cities can't be re-designed, can't really evolve. New cities, sure. Build them that way if you can (though I think the market won't support it), but expecting existing cities to evolve into urban worlds with no cars, great public transportation, and centrally located jobs and services won't happen in the majority of US cities.
- nostrebored 7y ago
  'apartment living is no fun with families' ... why? I've lived in apartments with my family for the last three years. It's honestly been great.
- _hardwaregeek 7y ago
  First of all, I get that people like living in the suburbs. But people also like eating beef and like driving Hummers. Unfortunately we need to do less of all of these. > Apartment living is no fun with families. That is a gigantic assumption. I grew up in an apartment and it was great. My parents wouldn't trade living in an apartment in a major city for a house in the suburbs for anything. Plenty of families all around the world do just fine in apartments. I disagree that existing cities can't be redesigned. Sure, we'd need to invest in public transportation. And sure, we'd have to build other infrastructure. But the case in the article is a pretty obvious case for expansion. You have a town that is 30 minutes by rail from SF, an epicenter of insanely expensive real estate, and yet nobody can expand because people are worried it'll destroy their precious suburbs.

greedo 7y ago

It's the idea that if someone doesn't like something, it doesn't matter if others do. In my town, a typical midwest college town, we have suburbs, we have more urban areas with smaller/older houses in row neighborhoods. We have apartments galore, and condos in downtown areas. A bit of something for everyone. Expecting a community to "evolve" means losing something of this. Other than young people who want to live in the downtown area, nobody wants to give up their homes. Apartment living is no fun with families. And this is normal America. These cities can't be re-designed, can't really evolve. New cities, sure. Build them that way if you can (though I think the market won't support it), but expecting existing cities to evolve into urban worlds with no cars, great public transportation, and centrally located jobs and services won't happen in the majority of US cities.

nostrebored 7y ago
'apartment living is no fun with families' ... why? I've lived in apartments with my family for the last three years. It's honestly been great.
_hardwaregeek 7y ago
First of all, I get that people like living in the suburbs. But people also like eating beef and like driving Hummers. Unfortunately we need to do less of all of these. > Apartment living is no fun with families. That is a gigantic assumption. I grew up in an apartment and it was great. My parents wouldn't trade living in an apartment in a major city for a house in the suburbs for anything. Plenty of families all around the world do just fine in apartments. I disagree that existing cities can't be redesigned. Sure, we'd need to invest in public transportation. And sure, we'd have to build other infrastructure. But the case in the article is a pretty obvious case for expansion. You have a town that is 30 minutes by rail from SF, an epicenter of insanely expensive real estate, and yet nobody can expand because people are worried it'll destroy their precious suburbs.