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I own the domain AmericanUrbanism[.]org - I've been thinking of setting up some kind of advocacy group (501c4) or even political party there focused on changing

I own the domain AmericanUrbanism[.]org - I've been thinking of setting up some kind of advocacy group (501c4) or even political party there focused on changing this reality. Cars made more sense in the industrial age, when people needed to commute to a factory for work. But, in the age of knowledge work and especially remote work, we aren't commuting as much. So, walkable neighborhoods become far more important and impactful.

weweweoo 2y ago
I think there should be just many types of neighborhoods. Those who need a car for longer distance travel should accept living further away from city center, where there's enough space for parking slots, while the rest can enjoy pedestrian-first neighbourhoods closer to services. Public transport should of course reach all areas, so that the car owners have no real need to use their car much to reach the denser areas.
- chiggsy 2y ago
  >Those who need a car for longer distance travel should accept living further away from city center Strongly feel this acceptance will be difficult to actualize sans coercion.
  - XMPPwocky 2y ago
    How so? We've built huge amounts of infrastructure (parking being the obvious one) to explicitly enable people to have cars in city centers- stop doing that and my gut (scientific, I know!) says that'll get you most of the way there.
  - NoGravitas 2y ago
    The least coercive way to do it is probably by making areas closer to the city center worse for driving — narrow roads, no parking, etc — and better for walking and biking. Then people will naturally sort themselves based on their preferences. The problem being that establishing the needed urban environment is itself a political struggle.
    - graemep 2y ago
      IMO the key is better public transport. I never drive to London because a train will get me there faster, and I can rely public transport to get me to almost anywhere I want to get to. It can definitely be useful to have a car in the suburbs but not enough to be worth the trouble of driving one there. The difficulty of parking and driving around the city centre is a deterrent, but to me it is secondary to the positive factors. I do like pedestrianised areas, because they feel safe and clean. The main danger remaining is the cyclists of the "get out of my say" type, especially couriers and the like.
- philip1209 2y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_city https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_city

weweweoo 2y ago

I think there should be just many types of neighborhoods. Those who need a car for longer distance travel should accept living further away from city center, where there's enough space for parking slots, while the rest can enjoy pedestrian-first neighbourhoods closer to services. Public transport should of course reach all areas, so that the car owners have no real need to use their car much to reach the denser areas.

chiggsy 2y ago
>Those who need a car for longer distance travel should accept living further away from city center Strongly feel this acceptance will be difficult to actualize sans coercion.
- XMPPwocky 2y ago
  How so? We've built huge amounts of infrastructure (parking being the obvious one) to explicitly enable people to have cars in city centers- stop doing that and my gut (scientific, I know!) says that'll get you most of the way there.
- NoGravitas 2y ago
  The least coercive way to do it is probably by making areas closer to the city center worse for driving — narrow roads, no parking, etc — and better for walking and biking. Then people will naturally sort themselves based on their preferences. The problem being that establishing the needed urban environment is itself a political struggle.
  - graemep 2y ago
    IMO the key is better public transport. I never drive to London because a train will get me there faster, and I can rely public transport to get me to almost anywhere I want to get to. It can definitely be useful to have a car in the suburbs but not enough to be worth the trouble of driving one there. The difficulty of parking and driving around the city centre is a deterrent, but to me it is secondary to the positive factors. I do like pedestrianised areas, because they feel safe and clean. The main danger remaining is the cyclists of the "get out of my say" type, especially couriers and the like.
philip1209 2y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_city https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_city