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> Modern cities are simply too big for walking across in a time-efficient manner. I'm a big proponent of transit, but I realize that transit has one downside -

by wenc 6y ago

> Modern cities are simply too big for walking across in a time-efficient manner. I'm a big proponent of transit, but I realize that transit has one downside -- time. The time dimension is oft forgotten aspect of accessibility. You may be able to get somewhere, but if it takes several connections and a transit time of over 1 hr, you're not likely to do it frequently. There are invisible barriers to connectivity that are time-related (or more broadly, friction-related). As a younger person my time was worth less so I thought nothing of trading off time. But I'm older now, and I realize in order to get more done, I need to get to more places quicker. (Anecdotally I hear people forgoing dates because they don't think they can sustain a relationship with someone who lives one borough too far away. Almost no one owns a car in NYC, so the MTA is generally the only option, and getting from Queens to Columbia University say can take an hour.)

helen___keller 6y ago
This may be true for an individual musing whether to purchase a car in a given city where they happen to have a choice, but from an urban planning perspective, designing a city for cars imposes the same issue as a result of decreased density. All that automobile speed is wasted passing highways and parking lots. As the joke goes: Houston is an hour away from Houston.
- wenc 6y ago
  I've worked in Houston (and have driven on the I-45 during rush hour) so I know what you mean. I've also been to NYC many times so I know the other extreme too. I think a good urban environment accommodates mixed-mode transportation, with a preference for mass transit but also reasonable accommodation for motor vehicles. I live in Chicago where mass transit is a big thing (an anomaly in the midwest) especially downtown and the north side, but the driving experience here isn't that bad either. The congestion -- even pre-covid -- is never really too bad (at least not by LA or Houston standards), and parking is expensive but not astronomical. I guess in Chicago there are options. If I want to get somewhere quick by car (and am willing to pay for it), I can. Or if I want to pay way less and use public transit, I can too. Toronto is similar.
xtiansimon 6y ago
> "You may be able to get somewhere, but if it takes several connections and a transit time of over 1 hr, you're not likely to do it frequently." That's exactly my experience living on North Shore of Nassau County, Long Island, NY. I don't have a car. A primary factor which permits me to live without a car is in-town taxi service (not Uber). Shopping, laundry, etc. are all within 20 minute walk. The town is compact, unlike most suburban sprawl. Previous to COVID I commuted 4 days to Midtown by rail, which was ~1.25h one way. Now I work from home. I consider the Ami an ideal vehicle to fit my lifestyle, and would be much more desired if the in town taxi service were 2+ times more expensive, if I needed to go out more, and if the weather was more reliably rainy or cold and icy, and if needed to wear 'adult clothes' which I didn't wish to ruin walking in dirty streets.

by wenc 6y ago

helen___keller 6y ago

This may be true for an individual musing whether to purchase a car in a given city where they happen to have a choice, but from an urban planning perspective, designing a city for cars imposes the same issue as a result of decreased density. All that automobile speed is wasted passing highways and parking lots. As the joke goes: Houston is an hour away from Houston.

wenc 6y ago
I've worked in Houston (and have driven on the I-45 during rush hour) so I know what you mean. I've also been to NYC many times so I know the other extreme too. I think a good urban environment accommodates mixed-mode transportation, with a preference for mass transit but also reasonable accommodation for motor vehicles. I live in Chicago where mass transit is a big thing (an anomaly in the midwest) especially downtown and the north side, but the driving experience here isn't that bad either. The congestion -- even pre-covid -- is never really too bad (at least not by LA or Houston standards), and parking is expensive but not astronomical. I guess in Chicago there are options. If I want to get somewhere quick by car (and am willing to pay for it), I can. Or if I want to pay way less and use public transit, I can too. Toronto is similar.

xtiansimon 6y ago

> "You may be able to get somewhere, but if it takes several connections and a transit time of over 1 hr, you're not likely to do it frequently." That's exactly my experience living on North Shore of Nassau County, Long Island, NY. I don't have a car. A primary factor which permits me to live without a car is in-town taxi service (not Uber). Shopping, laundry, etc. are all within 20 minute walk. The town is compact, unlike most suburban sprawl. Previous to COVID I commuted 4 days to Midtown by rail, which was ~1.25h one way. Now I work from home. I consider the Ami an ideal vehicle to fit my lifestyle, and would be much more desired if the in town taxi service were 2+ times more expensive, if I needed to go out more, and if the weather was more reliably rainy or cold and icy, and if needed to wear 'adult clothes' which I didn't wish to ruin walking in dirty streets.