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Why is it that most surburbs have no parks in walking distance, but most older “inner city” neighborhoods do? And supposing you could pick between a cul-de-sac

Why is it that most surburbs have no parks in walking distance, but most older “inner city” neighborhoods do? And supposing you could pick between a cul-de-sac or a park at the end of your block (holding everything else about the neighborhood the same), which would you prefer? One of the reasons older neighborhoods have more amenities sprinkled throughout is that narrower streets and rectangular blocks cost a lot less to build and yield more homes (with the same average yard size) compared to wide curvilinear streets. That extra money could be used for parks, schools, shops, libraries, etc. If there are people out there who would prefer more pavement in exchange for less of everything else, I think that’s fine as long as they pay the cost of it. But as for me I’d rather have a more efficient neighborhood design that leaves funding left over for other things besides asphalt.

teeray 6y ago
In the suburbs, the whole neighborhood is basically a park with houses in it. Kids care far less about imaginary lines on a deed than adults do. Consequently, they bomb around the whole place and they’re all still in earshot as you work in the garage with the door open. By unspoken agreement your neighbors take over when the kids end up in their yard, since their kid is also among the horde. You can yell when dinner is ready. By contrast, the park at the end of the street requires far more ceremony. You round the kids up, and go with them. You have to haul whatever they will play with with you (and back). You sit there as they play. Sure, you chat with folks in the neighborhood, but everyone is a little restless since nothing is getting done other than supervision. Some eventually task nannies with this duty since there aren’t enough hours in the day. It’s basically a space-efficiency vs. time-efficiency tradeoff. I’ve looked at it from a family raising perspective, but you could certainly consider it from a single twenty-something perspective, DINKs, retirees, etc. and have each shown in different light.
- RhysU 6y ago
  This. In eight days I am decamping from a dense urban area with 2 amazing, world class parks to a suburban environ. We want to tell the kids to go play outside without the ceremony and the need for dedicated supervision. Because there's not enough time.

teeray 6y ago

In the suburbs, the whole neighborhood is basically a park with houses in it. Kids care far less about imaginary lines on a deed than adults do. Consequently, they bomb around the whole place and they’re all still in earshot as you work in the garage with the door open. By unspoken agreement your neighbors take over when the kids end up in their yard, since their kid is also among the horde. You can yell when dinner is ready. By contrast, the park at the end of the street requires far more ceremony. You round the kids up, and go with them. You have to haul whatever they will play with with you (and back). You sit there as they play. Sure, you chat with folks in the neighborhood, but everyone is a little restless since nothing is getting done other than supervision. Some eventually task nannies with this duty since there aren’t enough hours in the day. It’s basically a space-efficiency vs. time-efficiency tradeoff. I’ve looked at it from a family raising perspective, but you could certainly consider it from a single twenty-something perspective, DINKs, retirees, etc. and have each shown in different light.

RhysU 6y ago
This. In eight days I am decamping from a dense urban area with 2 amazing, world class parks to a suburban environ. We want to tell the kids to go play outside without the ceremony and the need for dedicated supervision. Because there's not enough time.