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>”I hated growing up in a house with a back yard and a driveway.” May I ask why?

tomtheelder 4y ago
Mostly because it was boring and isolating. To be clear I didn’t dislike the yard! I disliked what living in an area of traditional SFHs (aka the suburbs) entailed. My cousins growing up lived near the core of a small city and visiting them was like a breath of fresh air. So many fun activities nearby, things you could walk to, way more people to meet. Where I grew up I was basically stuck on just my street unless I could convince my parents to drive me somewhere, and even when I had that there was nowhere interesting to go. I guess when I was like <10 years old it didn’t really matter, but the older I got the worse it was. I’d never move back to a suburb personally, and I certainly wouldn’t raise kids there.
- dgunay 4y ago
  I had exactly this experience growing up too. My friends were all _at least_ a 2 mile walk from me, on 8 lane 60mph stroads with nothing but gated communities and strip malls along the way. Biking was not great either because of how hilly it could get. Once I got a car life got much better, but it didn't have to be that way.
anon291 4y ago
For me, it's the fact that new single family developments are unwalkable and a major contributor to childhood depression. Children are meant to be out and about. This can happen in the rural countryside where kids can play in woods and the like. It can happen in the city where kids can hang out around town and see all kinds of people. It cannot happen in a suburb because the cars are too fast, there are too many of them, and there's no safe place for kids to walk by themselves. And even if they could in most bedroom towns, there's nothing to do. For me, I'd live in the country or the city never the suburbs. I had to beg my parents to take me anywhere. My kids just leave the house and find friends or say hi to neighbors. No effort on our part and they get to be free.
- TheCoelacanth 4y ago
  Car-centric suburbs are the worst of both worlds. Not enough space for real outdoor activities. Nothing nearby worth going to.

Mostly because it was boring and isolating. To be clear I didn’t dislike the yard! I disliked what living in an area of traditional SFHs (aka the suburbs) entailed. My cousins growing up lived near the core of a small city and visiting them was like a breath of fresh air. So many fun activities nearby, things you could walk to, way more people to meet. Where I grew up I was basically stuck on just my street unless I could convince my parents to drive me somewhere, and even when I had that there was nowhere interesting to go. I guess when I was like <10 years old it didn’t really matter, but the older I got the worse it was. I’d never move back to a suburb personally, and I certainly wouldn’t raise kids there.

dgunay 4y ago
I had exactly this experience growing up too. My friends were all _at least_ a 2 mile walk from me, on 8 lane 60mph stroads with nothing but gated communities and strip malls along the way. Biking was not great either because of how hilly it could get. Once I got a car life got much better, but it didn't have to be that way.

anon291 4y ago

For me, it's the fact that new single family developments are unwalkable and a major contributor to childhood depression. Children are meant to be out and about. This can happen in the rural countryside where kids can play in woods and the like. It can happen in the city where kids can hang out around town and see all kinds of people. It cannot happen in a suburb because the cars are too fast, there are too many of them, and there's no safe place for kids to walk by themselves. And even if they could in most bedroom towns, there's nothing to do. For me, I'd live in the country or the city never the suburbs. I had to beg my parents to take me anywhere. My kids just leave the house and find friends or say hi to neighbors. No effort on our part and they get to be free.

TheCoelacanth 4y ago
Car-centric suburbs are the worst of both worlds. Not enough space for real outdoor activities. Nothing nearby worth going to.