5 ms·

I would love to see a new era of affordable mid sized cities with quality public transportation. Chicago might just be my favorite city, it was so cheap compar

I would love to see a new era of affordable mid sized cities with quality public transportation. Chicago might just be my favorite city, it was so cheap compared to LA , the people ( including my first real girlfriend!) are nicer, and the public transportation is top notch. I really really hate driving. Many cities are the worst of both worlds,congested, mean places, where you need to own a car. I imagine a perfect suburb, small enough to be serviced by a few light rail trains， where you can have a big house without a car. Maybe this already exists, but somewhere in Europe

giantg2 5y ago
I feel like you're definition of midsized city might be different from mine. Chicago is a major/ large city in my view. Even most large cities have limited rail options, especially in suburbs. Maybe Europe would be more likely to have that. There's also the option of starting or revitalizing one. There are enough people bringing this sort of thing up on here. If you get someone with a ton of name recognition and financial support (eg Musk), you could make it happen. It would likely require large land purchase in a rural area. Or, it would be great to revitalize a dying Appalachian city if the residents would be amenable to it.
- 999900000999 5y ago
  I didn't mean Chicago was a midsize city. Although honestly each neighborhood feels so different. Lakeview feels like a different city compared to Wicker Park It's probably the only affordable city in America with real public transit. I can imagine a billionaire techie creating a planned city with public transit, but it doesn't sound like a good place to live. It would be super expensive, and miss the character that real cities have
  - giantg2 5y ago
    Pretty much every large city is expensive, unless in a bad neighborhood. I would think that there would be plenty of tax money to fund it based on the type of people to go there, and the fact that land would be cheap in the beginning would make it attractive to build and hopefully attract somewhat offset the construction cost (vs pricing in existing large cities). " but it doesn't sound like a good place to live." I don't mean they would be some ultimate ruler. You would need others to go too. But you need someone with a big name for people to believe in it. That said, I don't think current cities are good places to live, but that's just me. I would imagine a new city would be able to beat the metrics that many are measured by (affordability, crime, schools, etc).
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
> I imagine a perfect suburb, small enough to be serviced by a few light rail trains， where you can have a big house without a car. Maybe this already exists, but somewhere in Europe All but the last requirement (big house without a car). You can live in a nice place like Lausanne with a nice metro in a 2 bedroom flat that you might be able to afford on a standard swiss salary, but the big houses are still reserved fro million and billionaires. Big houses for the everyperson are more of a Canadian/Australian/American thing.
- Leherenn 5y ago
  You're very unlikely to own a flat in Lausanne, given that over 90% of the people living in Lausanne rent. But given the price-to-rent ratio is close to 40, renting is not a bad deal.
mcntsh 5y ago
Chicago manages to have the worst weather of any city on earth (hyperbole, kind of). In the summer it hits triple digits with humidity, and in the winter it's in the negatives with icy wind storms.

giantg2 5y ago

I feel like you're definition of midsized city might be different from mine. Chicago is a major/ large city in my view. Even most large cities have limited rail options, especially in suburbs. Maybe Europe would be more likely to have that. There's also the option of starting or revitalizing one. There are enough people bringing this sort of thing up on here. If you get someone with a ton of name recognition and financial support (eg Musk), you could make it happen. It would likely require large land purchase in a rural area. Or, it would be great to revitalize a dying Appalachian city if the residents would be amenable to it.

999900000999 5y ago
I didn't mean Chicago was a midsize city. Although honestly each neighborhood feels so different. Lakeview feels like a different city compared to Wicker Park It's probably the only affordable city in America with real public transit. I can imagine a billionaire techie creating a planned city with public transit, but it doesn't sound like a good place to live. It would be super expensive, and miss the character that real cities have
- giantg2 5y ago
  Pretty much every large city is expensive, unless in a bad neighborhood. I would think that there would be plenty of tax money to fund it based on the type of people to go there, and the fact that land would be cheap in the beginning would make it attractive to build and hopefully attract somewhat offset the construction cost (vs pricing in existing large cities). " but it doesn't sound like a good place to live." I don't mean they would be some ultimate ruler. You would need others to go too. But you need someone with a big name for people to believe in it. That said, I don't think current cities are good places to live, but that's just me. I would imagine a new city would be able to beat the metrics that many are measured by (affordability, crime, schools, etc).

seanmcdirmid 5y ago

> I imagine a perfect suburb, small enough to be serviced by a few light rail trains， where you can have a big house without a car. Maybe this already exists, but somewhere in Europe All but the last requirement (big house without a car). You can live in a nice place like Lausanne with a nice metro in a 2 bedroom flat that you might be able to afford on a standard swiss salary, but the big houses are still reserved fro million and billionaires. Big houses for the everyperson are more of a Canadian/Australian/American thing.

Leherenn 5y ago
You're very unlikely to own a flat in Lausanne, given that over 90% of the people living in Lausanne rent. But given the price-to-rent ratio is close to 40, renting is not a bad deal.

mcntsh 5y ago

Chicago manages to have the worst weather of any city on earth (hyperbole, kind of). In the summer it hits triple digits with humidity, and in the winter it's in the negatives with icy wind storms.