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The Not Just Bikes [1,2,3] YouTube channel also has an excellent series of videos based on work from Strong Towns. I link to these videos whenever a friend ask

The Not Just Bikes [1,2,3] YouTube channel also has an excellent series of videos based on work from Strong Towns. I link to these videos whenever a friend asks why I chose to leave the United States. :) [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfQUOHlAocY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfQUOHlAocY [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORzNZUeUHAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORzNZUeUHAM [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOdQsZa15o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOdQsZa15o

HungSu 5y ago
Could you share which destination city you chose and/or why?
- benrbray 5y ago
  Tokyo! I'm not sure if I'll stay here forever, but so far I really enjoy life here. I had many reasons, including: * Car culture was really grating on me. Before I moved to Tokyo, I lived in Atlanta, a city carved up by I-75/85, where getting almost anywhere takes a 15+ minute drive on the highway. Highway traffic regularly spills onto neighborhood streets, and I felt like I was risking my life every time I went out walking / biking. I've also lived in downtown Seattle and suburban Michigan, and the situation was slightly better, but with the same car-first paradigm. * As I've gotten older it started to dawn on me how isolating American cities can be, especially without the community structure imposed by a school / university. People talk about America losing its "third place", and with permant-WFH we now seem pretty eager to get rid of our "second place" as well. * By comparison, Tokyo is designed at human-scale. I have everything I need within a 5 minute walk, which means I regularly run into the people who live near me. When I want to go farther I can always choose the appropriate mode of transportation for the journey: feet, bicycle, train, car, all in perfect harmony. For this reason, I also found it easier to maintain and build friendships -- no need to organize transport, just hop on a train. * I'm still young with few obligations and I want to learn more about the world before I choose a place to settle down. I know what life in America looks like. I'm learning about Japan. I hope to spend some time in Europe, eventually. * The political situation in the US concerns me. I'm not confident the US will be a nice place for me to live/retire 40 years from now. So for me, choosing to stay put seemed at least as risky as moving somewhere unfamiliar. Even if I eventually decide to return, I'd like to know that it was my own choice and not just inertia.
  - laurent92 5y ago
    The tax strings which tie me to every former country I’ve lived in is what keeps me from changing again… This, and retirement which is tied to a country, I can’t spend 4 decades in 4 countries and hope to have enough retirement at the end.
    - tharkun__ 5y ago
      Interesting. Do you mind if I ask which countries? I did hear that the IRS 'gets you' where ever you are but I assumed it was sort of unique in that. Aren't most countries either no longer interested in you once you leave (tax wise) or have tax treaties with one another? Including government pensions in the treaty?
CalRobert 5y ago
He recently did a great interview on the strongtowns podcast! Just got my EU citizenship and considering Utrecht. The US is a horrible place to try to raise an independent kid.
- benrbray 5y ago
  Indeed! I grew up in a typical suburb where my agency as a child was strictly limited by my parents' ability / willingness to drive me places. Most parents don't realize how hard this is for their kids, mine certainly didn't. It's no wonder kids trapped at home end up spending so much time on the internet. I'm not old enough to really be thinking about kids, but I would never, ever inflict the suburban lifestyle a child of my own.
  - foreigner 5y ago
    Counterpoint: I moved to England to a walkable town, but my kids still want to spend all their time on the internet. When I limit "screen time" they just want to hole up in their rooms and read the same books over and over again.
  - CalRobert 5y ago
    I grew up in suburbia, but starting in high school just rode my bike everywhere. In retrospect it's hard to believe I survived, taking the lane on 55 mph roads (around northeastern Sacramento suburbs) was really dumb, in retrospect.
  - refurb 5y ago
    Sounds like your parents? The suburbs were great childhood for me. Lots of families so other kids to play with, lots of big parks, with a bike you could go anywhere.
    - benrbray 5y ago
      Yeah, you're right there are other factors. My neighborhood had busy roads on both ends, and was mostly empty-nesters. There are certainly worse places to grow up, but I don't think we should be satisfied with the baseline set by suburbs either. In places like Germany and Japan, children walk themselves to school as young as 6 years old! I only experience that freedom after getting a license at 16!

HungSu 5y ago

Could you share which destination city you chose and/or why?

benrbray 5y ago
Tokyo! I'm not sure if I'll stay here forever, but so far I really enjoy life here. I had many reasons, including: * Car culture was really grating on me. Before I moved to Tokyo, I lived in Atlanta, a city carved up by I-75/85, where getting almost anywhere takes a 15+ minute drive on the highway. Highway traffic regularly spills onto neighborhood streets, and I felt like I was risking my life every time I went out walking / biking. I've also lived in downtown Seattle and suburban Michigan, and the situation was slightly better, but with the same car-first paradigm. * As I've gotten older it started to dawn on me how isolating American cities can be, especially without the community structure imposed by a school / university. People talk about America losing its "third place", and with permant-WFH we now seem pretty eager to get rid of our "second place" as well. * By comparison, Tokyo is designed at human-scale. I have everything I need within a 5 minute walk, which means I regularly run into the people who live near me. When I want to go farther I can always choose the appropriate mode of transportation for the journey: feet, bicycle, train, car, all in perfect harmony. For this reason, I also found it easier to maintain and build friendships -- no need to organize transport, just hop on a train. * I'm still young with few obligations and I want to learn more about the world before I choose a place to settle down. I know what life in America looks like. I'm learning about Japan. I hope to spend some time in Europe, eventually. * The political situation in the US concerns me. I'm not confident the US will be a nice place for me to live/retire 40 years from now. So for me, choosing to stay put seemed at least as risky as moving somewhere unfamiliar. Even if I eventually decide to return, I'd like to know that it was my own choice and not just inertia.
- laurent92 5y ago
  The tax strings which tie me to every former country I’ve lived in is what keeps me from changing again… This, and retirement which is tied to a country, I can’t spend 4 decades in 4 countries and hope to have enough retirement at the end.
  - tharkun__ 5y ago
    Interesting. Do you mind if I ask which countries? I did hear that the IRS 'gets you' where ever you are but I assumed it was sort of unique in that. Aren't most countries either no longer interested in you once you leave (tax wise) or have tax treaties with one another? Including government pensions in the treaty?

CalRobert 5y ago

He recently did a great interview on the strongtowns podcast! Just got my EU citizenship and considering Utrecht. The US is a horrible place to try to raise an independent kid.

benrbray 5y ago
Indeed! I grew up in a typical suburb where my agency as a child was strictly limited by my parents' ability / willingness to drive me places. Most parents don't realize how hard this is for their kids, mine certainly didn't. It's no wonder kids trapped at home end up spending so much time on the internet. I'm not old enough to really be thinking about kids, but I would never, ever inflict the suburban lifestyle a child of my own.
- foreigner 5y ago
  Counterpoint: I moved to England to a walkable town, but my kids still want to spend all their time on the internet. When I limit "screen time" they just want to hole up in their rooms and read the same books over and over again.
- CalRobert 5y ago
  I grew up in suburbia, but starting in high school just rode my bike everywhere. In retrospect it's hard to believe I survived, taking the lane on 55 mph roads (around northeastern Sacramento suburbs) was really dumb, in retrospect.
- refurb 5y ago
  Sounds like your parents? The suburbs were great childhood for me. Lots of families so other kids to play with, lots of big parks, with a bike you could go anywhere.
  - benrbray 5y ago
    Yeah, you're right there are other factors. My neighborhood had busy roads on both ends, and was mostly empty-nesters. There are certainly worse places to grow up, but I don't think we should be satisfied with the baseline set by suburbs either. In places like Germany and Japan, children walk themselves to school as young as 6 years old! I only experience that freedom after getting a license at 16!