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Of course, this pattern of human settlement is silly. Cities used to be hospitable to families, often with multiple generations living in them. Instead of needi

Of course, this pattern of human settlement is silly. Cities used to be hospitable to families, often with multiple generations living in them. Instead of needing a daycare and lots of miles in a car, grandparents and relatives were nearby to help with young children. On the other hand, forcing people outside of the city to afford a family means more GDP from building roads, selling tyres, replacing cars, petrol sales, oil refining…

api 2y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_rent https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_rent Cities tend to be vulnerable to this effect, which ruins them for long term family and wealth building (which are closely related things). Cars are only incidentally about transportation. A car is a machine that offers leverage in property markets. That’s its primary function. They do move you around but if I could get around without one I’d prefer it that way. The only antidote to this in cities is very liberal zoning and construction policy, and that’s hard to maintain because city residents love seeing their property values rise. Cities tend to become real estate cartels of property owners. It’s easier to get another twenty miles of roads and infrastructure built in the exurbs than to fight political trench warfare against NIMBY urbanites. If you want to blame something for car dependence and sprawl, blame zoning and city planners not cars.
- trollbridge 2y ago
  Don’t cities usually have less restrictive zoning than exurbs (particularly parking requirements)? The reasons I hear young families move out of cities are cost, school quality, and crime. I don’t think unrestricted zoning and construction would help much with that. And no, I don’t blame cars - they’re a symptom of the fact cities get hollowed out to just be a zone where there are some cool bars and restaurants to go to.
watwut 2y ago
I read an article just today about how parents today expect a lot more childcare from their grandmoms then they used to be. Where grand parents in the past were expected to yell at kids here and there when those misbehaved or be their friends, they were not expected to be full caregiver the way they are now. They used to have their own things to do - whether work or fun. Grandparents as a complete replacement of a daycare where she (it is gendered) has to do all of it was not a thing. And the expectations on childcare were much smaller then today. Grandparent to take care of a kid an afternoon a week or so was a thing. Grandparent watching a kid every day whole day, not really.

api 2y ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_rent https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_rent Cities tend to be vulnerable to this effect, which ruins them for long term family and wealth building (which are closely related things). Cars are only incidentally about transportation. A car is a machine that offers leverage in property markets. That’s its primary function. They do move you around but if I could get around without one I’d prefer it that way. The only antidote to this in cities is very liberal zoning and construction policy, and that’s hard to maintain because city residents love seeing their property values rise. Cities tend to become real estate cartels of property owners. It’s easier to get another twenty miles of roads and infrastructure built in the exurbs than to fight political trench warfare against NIMBY urbanites. If you want to blame something for car dependence and sprawl, blame zoning and city planners not cars.

trollbridge 2y ago
Don’t cities usually have less restrictive zoning than exurbs (particularly parking requirements)? The reasons I hear young families move out of cities are cost, school quality, and crime. I don’t think unrestricted zoning and construction would help much with that. And no, I don’t blame cars - they’re a symptom of the fact cities get hollowed out to just be a zone where there are some cool bars and restaurants to go to.

watwut 2y ago

I read an article just today about how parents today expect a lot more childcare from their grandmoms then they used to be. Where grand parents in the past were expected to yell at kids here and there when those misbehaved or be their friends, they were not expected to be full caregiver the way they are now. They used to have their own things to do - whether work or fun. Grandparents as a complete replacement of a daycare where she (it is gendered) has to do all of it was not a thing. And the expectations on childcare were much smaller then today. Grandparent to take care of a kid an afternoon a week or so was a thing. Grandparent watching a kid every day whole day, not really.