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Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Humans crave walkable neighborhoods. American and Canadian infrastructure is the main reaso
by henryhenryhenry 3y ago
Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Humans crave walkable neighborhoods. American and Canadian infrastructure is the main reason we have so many mental health problems.
- wombat-man 3y agoYeah, visited a few smaller cities in Spain and they were all very nice and walkable, at least in the areas I was at. Made me kinda sad to think about how we miss the mark on this. Feels like NYC is the only place, and it's great, just expensive to live in.
- anon291 3y ago> Feels like NYC is the only place, and it's great, just expensive to live in. There's actually a lot of walkable areas of many American cities or alternatively smaller rural towns. Generally, the older the city the easier these neighborhoods are to find. even LA has walkable neighborhoods (even though you'll still need a car to get around in general). But yes... expensive.
- bin_bash 3y agomost college towns, for example
- blueyes 3y agoMany parts of SF are walkable and many neighborhoods within the city do not have the crime problem that is so visible downtown.
- Zigurd 3y agoBoston and San Francisco are walkable, too, but on a much smaller scale. There are small cities, mainly in the eastern US that are walkable. I hope the rising popularity of e-bikes makes some lower density cities more navigable without a car. Pretty much all "stroads" should be converted to 2 car lanes and a turning lane in the middle, which would leave room for protected bike lanes.
- ericmcer 3y agoBeyond walkable just removing the constant noise and air pollution would have an instant positive affect on mental health.
- eBombzor 3y agoThis 1000%. I live in Seattle and I was lucky enough to find a 30min walkable commute to work but holy hell it is unbelievably stressful. Crazy drivers not respecting pedestrians, super loud trucks everywhere, constant road rage with blaring horns, sketchy looking sidewalks. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'm pretty sure I have hearing loss from walking next to trucks that make an unbelievable amount of noise. Garbage trucks are the worst offenders in my experience. It's definitely gotten to the point where I have to find alternative routes from the main streets for my own safety. And isn't Seattle supposed to be one of the most walkable cities in the US?
- RankingMember 3y agoI'm not a fan of the condescending tone of a lot of NotJustBikes' videos, but he made a solid piece about the sheer sound impact of vehicles in cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTV-wwszGw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTV-wwszGw8
- tptacek 3y agoI buy the value of walkable neighborhoods, but it's hard to make this epidemiological claim hold up; Canada and the US have broadly similar infrastructure but sharply different rates of mental illness; similarly, mental illness rates don't appear to track walkability in Europe.
- loandbehold 3y agoWalkability is good for physical health. Walking is a light exercise. Physical health improves mental health. But I'm not sure if walkability directly improves mental health.
- eBombzor 3y agoCanada also has free healthcare. There are an infinite number of cultural differences that could affect the mental health rates in EU/CA more positively than in the US.
- glonq 3y ago"free", but you often get what you pay for. source: am canadian.
- groby_b 3y agoAs opposed to overpaying for things that aren't actually helping you, but sure make the insurance company happy? Source: Am USian. (Also worth noting that you can add private health care to your menu. If you balk at the cost, welcome to the US model)
- grumple 3y agoIn the US, you'll empty your bank account and still get terrible service - you've spent money but received terrible care. Maybe things change if you can afford your own full-time doctor for 500k / year. Canada ranks above the US in every healthcare measure.
- glonq 3y ago
- automatic6131 3y ago>Why do you feel better when you go to Europe, or even to Disneyland? Probably because you're on vacation? Why is there nothing that walkable city enthusiasts will claim walkable cities won't fix?
- loandbehold 3y agoRight. I also feel good on road trips.
- CalRobert 3y agoI'm not on vacation and Europe has been great for me mentally. Similarly, I hate when I go back to the US.
- chrononaut 3y agoFor me the walkability benefit in Europe is almost offset by the overabundance of diesel exhaust fumes.
- CalRobert 3y agoWhereabouts are you? I remember in 2008 I visited and it seemed like the whole continent stank of diesel but it's much better now, or my sense of smell has weakened. I'm in the Netherlands and there's not too many cars on the road compared to many other places, though.
- blueyes 3y agoModern America reserves walkability for college campuses (which explains some of the nostalgia that attaches to them); golf courses and shopping malls -- which may explain part of their popularity.
- mrguyorama 3y agoActually, American shopping malls are a great example of UNwalkability, because they are usually out in the middle of nowhere with respect to the closest population center, mostly to fit giant parking lots but also because American Malls were a weird result of a certain retail and real estate situation. In America, "going to the mall" is almost always a trip you get into your car for, even if you live in a big city! You can't just drop in to get something as you walk around.
- vonnik 3y agoBut what I'm saying is: they're privatizing and selling walkability, as long as you get inside them. So walkability is no longer part of the commons. Agree with you that the parking lots contribute to sprawl, and in general v sad about it.
- henryhenryhenry 3y agoGreat points here. Walkability is the main reason people enjoy their college experience so much. Imagine having to drive from your dorm, to class, then to hang out with friends, then back. It would be a nightmare. Unfortunately, this is the everyday experience for most Americans.