3 ms·

Reasonable people can disagree. My quite small yard in the burbs is my oasis with fruit trees, a garden, place for my dog to run, and a lovely place to sit and

Reasonable people can disagree. My quite small yard in the burbs is my oasis with fruit trees, a garden, place for my dog to run, and a lovely place to sit and listen to birds. On top of this, we can walk to amenities and greet our neighbors on the sidewalk. If I lived in a soulless apartment block my mental health by contrast would be in the pits.

ch4s3 3y ago
I think people miss that there are living arrangements other than detached single family homes and tall apartment buildings.
TulliusCicero 3y ago
The solution is soulful apartment blocks. The US is really bad at apartment complexes. I commonly saw way nicer, less depressing ones while living in the outskirts of Munich.
- kxrm 3y ago
  This, I live in DC, and there are neighborhoods that have density without feeling like concrete jungles. In my condo it is possible to go outside and enjoy the trees, greenery and also spend a few hours talking to a group of 5 or 6 neighbors all within 5 ft of my front door. I think American's would be served better by not stereotyping alternative lifestyles and environments and actually explore those alternatives more thoughtfully.
Finnucane 3y ago
'suburb' and 'soulless apartment block' aren't the only choices. It's entirely possible to build denser mixed-use neighborhoods with less car-dependence without making them urban warehouses. THough typically this is not what we build, neighborhoods like that exist here mainly in places where they've grown that way over time.
- chromatin 3y ago
  I agree that I proposed a false dichotomy. By the same token, I disagree with the GP poster that suburbs are inherently un-walkable, among other charges. That being said, mine predates the US Interstate Highway System (which I'll use as a proxy for car centric society) and with exceptions the most recent suburbs tend to be monotonous expansive, and unwalkable.

ch4s3 3y ago

I think people miss that there are living arrangements other than detached single family homes and tall apartment buildings.

TulliusCicero 3y ago

The solution is soulful apartment blocks. The US is really bad at apartment complexes. I commonly saw way nicer, less depressing ones while living in the outskirts of Munich.

kxrm 3y ago
This, I live in DC, and there are neighborhoods that have density without feeling like concrete jungles. In my condo it is possible to go outside and enjoy the trees, greenery and also spend a few hours talking to a group of 5 or 6 neighbors all within 5 ft of my front door. I think American's would be served better by not stereotyping alternative lifestyles and environments and actually explore those alternatives more thoughtfully.

Finnucane 3y ago

'suburb' and 'soulless apartment block' aren't the only choices. It's entirely possible to build denser mixed-use neighborhoods with less car-dependence without making them urban warehouses. THough typically this is not what we build, neighborhoods like that exist here mainly in places where they've grown that way over time.

chromatin 3y ago
I agree that I proposed a false dichotomy. By the same token, I disagree with the GP poster that suburbs are inherently un-walkable, among other charges. That being said, mine predates the US Interstate Highway System (which I'll use as a proxy for car centric society) and with exceptions the most recent suburbs tend to be monotonous expansive, and unwalkable.