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The city center in many European cities does not have street parking of any sort, private cars are largely or entirely banned, and they are some of the most liv

The city center in many European cities does not have street parking of any sort, private cars are largely or entirely banned, and they are some of the most livable, walkable, and vibrant urban areas.

kijin 3y ago
That's because most of those cities were built up before cars existed, and even horse-drawn carriages were a luxury for the few. Many American cities on the other hand have grown up with the car, with wide streets dividing neighborhoods, and essential facilities scattered far away from one another. Reducing car usage in a typical American city (not downtown Manhattan) is not just a matter of banning cars or replacing them with public transportation. The city itself needs to be redesigned in a more compact way. Property values will skyrocket in the CBD, and crash everywhere else.
- felixfbecker 3y ago
  This is untrue. Most American cities were built before the car and even had wide streetcar networks. Buildings and (often poor and black) neighborhoods were torn down to make way for urban highways. Car manufacturers literally bought up streetcar companies just to rip out tracks and sell more cars. Europe picked up on this trend too a little delayed in many places, but luckily not to the same degree and realized the bad direction more quickly.
  - amanaplanacanal 3y ago
    I’ve spent time looking at a map of my city, and it’s pretty easy to see the transition. The older streetcar suburbs have streets on a grid, and alleys down the middle of every block. The post WW2 areas are all widely separated and full of cul-de-sacs, and the alleys are gone. Walking anywhere in the older areas is easy, though a lot of the amenities like mom and pop stores are now gone. Walking anywhere in the newer areas is pretty much impossible. The streets don’t connect and there is nowhere to walk to.
  - ianburrell 3y ago
    I live in between-wars streetcar suburb and it is very walkable and very desirable. It is mostly single family homes, but smaller ones on smaller lots. The other differences with later suburbs are sidewalks, garage in back or none at all, which means street parking. In addition, there are shops along the major streets so there is something to walk to. Plus, it is close to transit ans to downtown and more vibrant neighborhoods. It would be easy to build new suburbs like this but without the location. Or add features to existing suburbs.

kijin 3y ago

That's because most of those cities were built up before cars existed, and even horse-drawn carriages were a luxury for the few. Many American cities on the other hand have grown up with the car, with wide streets dividing neighborhoods, and essential facilities scattered far away from one another. Reducing car usage in a typical American city (not downtown Manhattan) is not just a matter of banning cars or replacing them with public transportation. The city itself needs to be redesigned in a more compact way. Property values will skyrocket in the CBD, and crash everywhere else.

felixfbecker 3y ago
This is untrue. Most American cities were built before the car and even had wide streetcar networks. Buildings and (often poor and black) neighborhoods were torn down to make way for urban highways. Car manufacturers literally bought up streetcar companies just to rip out tracks and sell more cars. Europe picked up on this trend too a little delayed in many places, but luckily not to the same degree and realized the bad direction more quickly.
- amanaplanacanal 3y ago
  I’ve spent time looking at a map of my city, and it’s pretty easy to see the transition. The older streetcar suburbs have streets on a grid, and alleys down the middle of every block. The post WW2 areas are all widely separated and full of cul-de-sacs, and the alleys are gone. Walking anywhere in the older areas is easy, though a lot of the amenities like mom and pop stores are now gone. Walking anywhere in the newer areas is pretty much impossible. The streets don’t connect and there is nowhere to walk to.
- ianburrell 3y ago
  I live in between-wars streetcar suburb and it is very walkable and very desirable. It is mostly single family homes, but smaller ones on smaller lots. The other differences with later suburbs are sidewalks, garage in back or none at all, which means street parking. In addition, there are shops along the major streets so there is something to walk to. Plus, it is close to transit ans to downtown and more vibrant neighborhoods. It would be easy to build new suburbs like this but without the location. Or add features to existing suburbs.