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I think you are misunderstanding the argument. Yes, there have always been rich neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods in cities, but the idea was that with every

I think you are misunderstanding the argument. Yes, there have always been rich neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods in cities, but the idea was that with everyone "packed in" together and making use of shared resources like sidewalks, stores, and subways, that people would essentially be forced to come into contact with others from different socio-economic levels. I agree with AnimalMuppet's comment - car-centric behavior kills this. For example, if you go to older cities that were developed "pre-car" in the US like NYC or Boston, I feel like you get more interaction just because you're likely to interact with more people on the sidewalks or subway/T. Living in a car-centric city like Austin is totally different. As much as Austin likes to promote its progressive ethos, this is definitely one of the most segregated cities I've ever experienced, even more so now that housing prices have gotten insane - poorer people live further out, and the public transportation system is pretty abysmal and there is much more of a socioeconomic divide in people who use it (primarily because, and I see this all over the US, but many people love to talk about the need and benefits of light rail, but buses are often seen as "for the poors").

wongarsu 3y ago
But in cities that aren't car centric you commonly have stores embedded into the neighborhood at walkable distance. For everyday needs like groceries you just go to whatever shop is closest, which will be a posh Whole Foods in a rich neighborhood and a cheap discounter in a poor neighborhood. You share sidewalks, public transportation, etc when going for work or shopping for something that isn't a daily necessity. But the same could be said about less urbanized places. The counter argument are towns and villages that only really contain one socio-economic group. You can have small towns that are basically only rich people, or only poor people. Cities provide less segregation than that.
mathgradthrow 3y ago
Nothing makes you hate people like interacting with them on public transit.
- tremon 3y ago
  Try interacting with them via the button on your steering wheel.
  - 4848484 3y ago
    I can't speak for the whole country but having lived most of my life around dense parts of California I'd choose dealing with fighting traffic over the dregs on public transit every single time. I still distinctly remember back when I'd take the the bus to the local community college for my pre-transfer credits where a few times I had to intervene to help women who were being harassed. And that's just one problem type! It's not counting all the other enjoyable public transit experiences like when I'd stand for the entirety of my bus ride because the only open seats were beside some junkie mumbling erratically or even sometimes inaccessible because a hobo had brought a literal sack of trash to fill the space beside them.
vladvasiliu 3y ago
I’ve never been to Boston or Austin, but here in Paris many people take the public transit, be it metro or buses: rich, poor, and in-betweens. Talking to random strangers when out and about is very much not the norm. Being forced to come into contact with the others is seen more as a negative than a positive. The only places where I see some kind of mingling is where that’s the goal, such as bars, and possibly “hobbies”. Although, IME, even those tend to have people from similar “categories”.

wongarsu 3y ago

But in cities that aren't car centric you commonly have stores embedded into the neighborhood at walkable distance. For everyday needs like groceries you just go to whatever shop is closest, which will be a posh Whole Foods in a rich neighborhood and a cheap discounter in a poor neighborhood. You share sidewalks, public transportation, etc when going for work or shopping for something that isn't a daily necessity. But the same could be said about less urbanized places. The counter argument are towns and villages that only really contain one socio-economic group. You can have small towns that are basically only rich people, or only poor people. Cities provide less segregation than that.

mathgradthrow 3y ago

Nothing makes you hate people like interacting with them on public transit.

tremon 3y ago
Try interacting with them via the button on your steering wheel.
- 4848484 3y ago
  I can't speak for the whole country but having lived most of my life around dense parts of California I'd choose dealing with fighting traffic over the dregs on public transit every single time. I still distinctly remember back when I'd take the the bus to the local community college for my pre-transfer credits where a few times I had to intervene to help women who were being harassed. And that's just one problem type! It's not counting all the other enjoyable public transit experiences like when I'd stand for the entirety of my bus ride because the only open seats were beside some junkie mumbling erratically or even sometimes inaccessible because a hobo had brought a literal sack of trash to fill the space beside them.

vladvasiliu 3y ago

I’ve never been to Boston or Austin, but here in Paris many people take the public transit, be it metro or buses: rich, poor, and in-betweens. Talking to random strangers when out and about is very much not the norm. Being forced to come into contact with the others is seen more as a negative than a positive. The only places where I see some kind of mingling is where that’s the goal, such as bars, and possibly “hobbies”. Although, IME, even those tend to have people from similar “categories”.