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There is a correlation with urban sprawl and the autonomy of children[1]. Depending on where you live, it's harder young people to get around compared to 40 ye

There is a correlation with urban sprawl and the autonomy of children[1]. Depending on where you live, it's harder young people to get around compared to 40 years ago. Like this HN user's experience in this same thread[2]. By making society car centric we have made it difficult for children to exercise independence even if their parents allowed them to. In a non metro area your options as a teen to go somewhere are to beg your parents to drive you somewhere or to walk for hours to a bus stop. These barriers and the rise in pedestrian fatalities do not incentivize autonomy. [1] https://youtu.be/oHlpmxLTxpw https://youtu.be/oHlpmxLTxpw Why we won't raise our kids in suburbia [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35417776 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35417776

throwaway290 4y ago
A city planned for humans is automatically difficult to access with private cars (gotta have narrower pedestrian-only streets, public transport), which are required to get away unseen smoothly in case of legitimate kidnappings. A city planned for humans is dense, walking anywhere alone your kid is seen by a neighboring grandma, the likely existence of whom in any of the hundreds of flats within earshot also acts as a deterrent. In a city optimized for cars, easy access by a car means easy way of transporting a number of large firearms without being seen.
lolinder 4y ago
> In a non metro area your options as a teen to go somewhere are to beg your parents to drive you somewhere or to walk for hours to a bus stop. I had a bike as a kid, and got my driver's license as soon as I turned 16. The bike isn't the fastest option, but it was just fine for getting to school, to friend's houses and to the local Walmart. And once I had a driver's license, I could and did borrow the family car, and many of my peers had a car that was specifically designated for the kids. Being able to drive a car used to be a symbol of independence for us, but today fewer and fewer teens are even getting a driver's license. Yes, not every family has a car that's available to borrow, but most in suburbia do.

throwaway290 4y ago

A city planned for humans is automatically difficult to access with private cars (gotta have narrower pedestrian-only streets, public transport), which are required to get away unseen smoothly in case of legitimate kidnappings. A city planned for humans is dense, walking anywhere alone your kid is seen by a neighboring grandma, the likely existence of whom in any of the hundreds of flats within earshot also acts as a deterrent. In a city optimized for cars, easy access by a car means easy way of transporting a number of large firearms without being seen.

lolinder 4y ago

> In a non metro area your options as a teen to go somewhere are to beg your parents to drive you somewhere or to walk for hours to a bus stop. I had a bike as a kid, and got my driver's license as soon as I turned 16. The bike isn't the fastest option, but it was just fine for getting to school, to friend's houses and to the local Walmart. And once I had a driver's license, I could and did borrow the family car, and many of my peers had a car that was specifically designated for the kids. Being able to drive a car used to be a symbol of independence for us, but today fewer and fewer teens are even getting a driver's license. Yes, not every family has a car that's available to borrow, but most in suburbia do.