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The one thing you can count on based on decades of experience living with the anti car crowd is they are uniquely ill-equipped to change the hearts and minds of

The one thing you can count on based on decades of experience living with the anti car crowd is they are uniquely ill-equipped to change the hearts and minds of the average American. Their Modus Operandi is shrill hectoring about how the lifestyle of the average American is a “problem”, when the average American is either quite satisfied with their situation or actually aspire to the “problematic” low density lifestyle. When that argument fails, they devolve to an apocalyptic vision of social collapse unless their vision wins. Hearts and minds? Yeah, US in Afghanistan all over again… Neither of these anti car strategies will ever gain traction with any but the youngest, most easily duped Americans, who are already stuck in high density housing for a combination of economic and career trajectory reasons. The approach America has taken for many decades with these young people is “they’ll outgrow it”. And they do, when children arrive and these young people, as their parents and grandparents before them, aspire to that “better family life” that low density housing affords.

lelandbatey 2y ago
I keep getting older and my desire to live with greater density grows stronger, not weaker. I've recently been able to buy a house, and I just wish I could have gotten one even closer to the city than I did. This patronizing "they'll grow out of it" is a self fulfilling prophecy when suburbanism is the only option. To give a concrete example of the apocalyptic talk you mention: We aren't going to be able to do this forever, there isn't enough land. Sure it worked for a couple dozen years while the USA built new highways and sold off it's now-close-enough-for-commuting land, but that time is running out. We can kick the can down the road, but the interest in what's borrowed will come due, though probably in a monetary collapse not a social one. After all, who doesn't want a private island all their own (if they can afford it, and it's maintenance)? But let's say we can kick the can down the road forever, or functionally forever. Even in that world, for those of us that only want a 1500sq/ft house and a nearby corner store, can we please make that just a possibility? Like, legally? Similarly, can we get some legislative support for 3 or 4 bedroom apartments since as it stands they feel incredibly rare... The suburbs have a lot of appeal, can we please also build other things at all, sometimes?
supertrope 2y ago
Americans complain about unaffordable housing, car prices, gas prices, and car insurance premiums. But very few connect the dots between zoning and our housing and transportation ills. If your state DOT spends 98% of their budget on car traffic and 2% on walking, biking, and non-single occupancy vehicles that's what you'll get.

lelandbatey 2y ago

I keep getting older and my desire to live with greater density grows stronger, not weaker. I've recently been able to buy a house, and I just wish I could have gotten one even closer to the city than I did. This patronizing "they'll grow out of it" is a self fulfilling prophecy when suburbanism is the only option. To give a concrete example of the apocalyptic talk you mention: We aren't going to be able to do this forever, there isn't enough land. Sure it worked for a couple dozen years while the USA built new highways and sold off it's now-close-enough-for-commuting land, but that time is running out. We can kick the can down the road, but the interest in what's borrowed will come due, though probably in a monetary collapse not a social one. After all, who doesn't want a private island all their own (if they can afford it, and it's maintenance)? But let's say we can kick the can down the road forever, or functionally forever. Even in that world, for those of us that only want a 1500sq/ft house and a nearby corner store, can we please make that just a possibility? Like, legally? Similarly, can we get some legislative support for 3 or 4 bedroom apartments since as it stands they feel incredibly rare... The suburbs have a lot of appeal, can we please also build other things at all, sometimes?

supertrope 2y ago

Americans complain about unaffordable housing, car prices, gas prices, and car insurance premiums. But very few connect the dots between zoning and our housing and transportation ills. If your state DOT spends 98% of their budget on car traffic and 2% on walking, biking, and non-single occupancy vehicles that's what you'll get.