> Here is an idea. If to have a continent store you need to buy a full block, have minimum parking for 200 people attached to 6-lane strode, your not gone get m

> Here is an idea. If to have a continent store you need to buy a full block, have minimum parking for 200 people attached to 6-lane strode, your not gone get many 'small & local business' operating those stores. Small towns have plenty of small businesses & they are great. They have soul & the people are far more pleasant. Also people can operate a business out of their homes. There are regulatory hurdles one must overcome to own a business, especially wrt food. Some states are better than others. California makes it particularly difficult to start a small business for example. Business friendly states such as Texas, Tennessee, Florida enable more small businesses. Also, the cost of rent of a store front, electricity costs, commodity costs also affect the feasibility of a small business. > If to buy a coffee you have to go into a huge parking lot and then wait at the Starbucks drive threw for 10 min, then you are not gone have many 'small & medium' business operating those business. There are many cafes that are small businesses. I have not had a Starbucks in years. I prefer organic cafes myself. The large chains tend to not be as healthy or tasty. I've even bought home cooked meals & meals cooked on a neighborhood grill outside the house. Not legal because there was no commercial kitchen, but it was very tasty & I wish it was legal. > If your commercial zoning plots are 80x80m and your not allowed to develop it in a mixed use way, your not gone get many local and small business. I would love more mixed use zoning & I think most people in the USA agree. It would reduce the need to commute. Business friendly states, communities, & unincorporated/low regulatory towns tend to allow more mixed used housing/businesses. There are large interests who don't want such freedom though as it would affect local/regional markets. > Stop blaming foreign considerations, credit markets, those are all things directly related land use policy. I don't need a lecture. I'm just stating facts. You may not like them but they are still here whether you want me to acknowledge them or not. > These are choices made by Americans, by American planners and American governments. Foreign interest didn't do any of those things, and foreign interest are not trying to destroy America. Not true. There's plenty of money from foreign entities that are influencing the media, politics, land ownership, etc. Large tracts of farmland are bought by Americans & foreigners with no intention of the owners living on the land. BlackRock among other multinational companies own huge swaths of property to rent...leading to an increase in rental prices. People who buy a bunch of AirBnB's & now prices are going astronomical.. This is more of an American phenomenon but there's also foreign capital involved. Much of the rental owneship is leveraged with credit, making it more expensive to rent & to one to own one's own house. Don't get me wrong, I love people from other countries, but there are high net worth people who influence the state of affairs with their money from all over the world. This will probably correct in a more favorable direction once the USD stops being the world reserve currency. It is far less expensive to buy property in Italy or India than it is over in the US, but there is still plenty of inexpensive land available which can be bought without credit. > I would actually like to visit the US more, as I like the US, but in most places without a car is simply not very practical and I can't drive. You might like NYC. You don't need a car there. Uber/Lyft is available in other areas. The SF Bay Areas has BART & the bus system, though I would steer clear of some parts of Oakland. Downtown LA or Venice, CA are doable without a car. Chicago, parts of Miami, Austin, Nashville, etc. are nice. Smaller towns with a nice downtown area & a college scene tend to also be good. I guess it depends on what you like. I really like the Asheville NC area...it's magical here in nearby small towns outside of the city. But having a car is nice. I'll need to look more into the public transportation options. Ashland, OR, Shasta, CA, Boulder, CO, or Colorado Springs are really nice & doable without cars if you like nature, good water, & you get to know people there. I know people in those areas & I think you would do well there. If you like hiking, there are long trails such as the Appalacian trail or the High Sierra tail. Take a look at Eva Zu Beck, who is a German national. She has a converted Land Rover but has some great stories about traveling up & down North & South America.