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I'd have to argue against the notion that towns/ European style cities are "economically obsolete". Yes, they are virtually impossible to build from scratch at
by jppope 5y ago
I'd have to argue against the notion that towns/ European style cities are "economically obsolete". Yes, they are virtually impossible to build from scratch at the moment (zoning, building codes, developers, etc), but the economic value of walkable cities has never been higher. If you cross reference walkscore against our metropolitan areas in the US walkable cities (that are in warm climates) are our most valuable real estate... not to mention that they are the location for most of our companies participating in the "information economy" (military-industrial complex aside).
Basically most Americans want to live in a walkable city with charm and community, but the way we built America post 1950 makes it very difficult.
- helen___keller 5y agoJust to be clear: existing towns are not economically obsolete. The economic conditions that led to the founding of small towns no longer exist, and in this sense the idea of "building a new small town" is obsolete (with some exceptions: eccentric millionaire building a planned community, an ideological sect with hundreds of people willing to uproot their lives to build somewhere that is not yet livable, "theme park" style for-profit destination towns like your disneylands or The Villages in Florida). This isn't a matter of zoning, building codes and developers (thats mostly a problem for existing towns/cities), this is a matter of economics. It takes impetus to create a new town/city, and in the modern economy that impetus almost always involves automobiles. Edit: updated my wording in the above post to make clear that existing towns aren't obsolete, just the creation of new ones
- judge2020 5y agoThis was basically Walt Disney's idea of E.P.C.O.T. before his passing, and specifically focused on commuting via 'peoplemovers' and walking instead of cars. https://youtu.be/tKYEXjMlKKQ https://youtu.be/tKYEXjMlKKQ
- sjg007 5y agoI live in a thriving small town.
- chrisco255 5y agoThe Villages is interesting as an example because they mostly drive golf carts everywhere. There are gas stations / charging stations specially made for the carts, tunnels and bridges to allow the carts to pass under/over highways, and small parking spaces everywhere for them. Carts are honestly a lot more practical, in my opinion, for a modern city design. You can still easily run errands and carry kids with them, you can drive on slower roads comfortably, they remove a lot of traffic off the roads, and they're cheaper to build special lanes / paths for.
- asdff 5y agoGolf carts are sort of a scourge. I've spent time in Avalon where residents use a lot of golf carts. The gas ones are insanely loud and leave the street smelling like a lawn mower well after they've gone. Gas or electric, due to the nature of their transmission they are jerky at crawling speed and somewhat dangerous around pedestrians compared to a car or moped that can more smoothly crawl at low speed. They also seem to foster a culture of DUIs since they feel like a toy rather than a serious vehicle capable of harming other people, and there isn't enough enforcement to catch them all even though the police are constantly pulling people over in golf carts. They banned golf carts from some streets and made them pedestrian only, and it was far more pleasant.
- mywittyname 5y agoA lot of established cities today were planned shortly after founding. They were just planned with a grid pattern conducive to the flow of traffic from carriages, streetcars, or railroads rather than pedestrians. It's completely reasonable to plan a new city today with the goal of being walkable. Given the fact that so many of our most valuable cities are navigable without a car, it seems that there may be a strong economic incentive for such cities, just no one has really tried to capitalize on it. We are seeing a lot of walkable microtowns popping up around the USA, but these are more centered around renters than owners. Which might be due to zoning issues than market forces.
- majormajor 5y ago> If you cross reference walkscore against our metropolitan areas in the US walkable cities (that are in warm climates) are our most valuable real estate... not to mention that they are the location for most of our companies participating in the "information economy" (military-industrial complex aside). > Basically most Americans want to live in a walkable city with charm and community, but the way we built America post 1950 makes it very difficult. How do you know that this means Americans want to live in that style, versus that high concentration fosters today's thriving companies and job markets, and so the people follow the jobs at the expense of cheaper and more desirable housing? Single family homes reduce walkability for everyone else, but are more valuable than a condo next door in those thriving American cities. The ultimate desire is to have your cake and eat it too. And that economic value and company presence aspect argues against forming new small towns - the $$$ shows that all the desire and demand is in bigger metro areas, right now.