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I broadly agree, but the assumption that people drive for 30 minutes to on average to buy an item sounds like a stretch. When I don't buy online I simply walk o

I broadly agree, but the assumption that people drive for 30 minutes to on average to buy an item sounds like a stretch. When I don't buy online I simply walk or ride a bike to the store. On the other hand, I live in an urban setting.

ben_w 1y ago
From what I've seen of American cities, I can easily believe there are many in those cities who have a 30 minute drive to a store. And while it's only one specific category of product, I keep hearing about "food deserts" in the USA, where poorer communities are only served by dollar stores that don't have a good range of stuff, so I can easily believe that there's worse than what I've seen in all product categories. I'm in Berlin, so I'm a 25 minutes walk from three supermarkets a bike shop and a pharmacy, despite being in one of the remote corners of the city. Our previous place was much more central so it had a dozen or so supermarkets, a building supply store, and a shopping mall in that distance. Both new and old place have excellent public transport, I have literally seen someone transport a kitchen sink on one of the trams.
- david-gpu 1y ago
  Yeah, that tracks. Even while living in the far end of the Toronto urban fabric we have something like nine grocery stores within 25 minutes of walking distance. And we are not living in an urbanist's wet dream, either. The sort of extreme car-centric urbanism often seen in the US is the exception around the world, not the norm.
scarface_74 1y ago
Because most people ride bikes and walk to the store despite all of the huge parking lots filled with cars.
- david-gpu 1y ago
  Most people in most of the cities around the world get around by walking, transit or cycling. Car-centric development is a pretty recent and relatively localized phenomenon.
  - scarface_74 1y ago
    As is Amazon 92% of the people in the US have access to at least one vehicle https://www.fool.com/money/research/car-ownership-statistics/ https://www.fool.com/money/research/car-ownership-statistics... And this is worldwide https://www.visualcapitalist.com/vehicles-per-capita-by-country/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/vehicles-per-capita-by-coun... The average driver in the US drives 40 miles per day https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/average-miles-driven-per-year/ https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/average-miles-driven-per-year... No most people don’t walk to the store
    - david-gpu 1y ago
      None of the statistics you presented support your last statement. Perhaps try traveling abroad some day.
      - scarface_74 1y ago
        You would be surprised how much traveling I’ve done… I literally just got back from a trip to London and Paris a couple of weeks ago. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44412439 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44412439 Let’s just say I’m Platinum Medallion on Delta (also from racking up miles on partner airlines Virgin Atlantic and Air France) , for 3 years in a row… Are you trying to really say that cars aren’t popular outside of the US? Did I miss the statistic you cited where most people in first world countries walk and ride bikes every where?
        sroussey 1y ago
        I was just in central Madrid and was taken aback by how few cars there were. I think most roads were bus/taxi/delivery only. I’m from LA so every European city seems wild with tons of people walking (and biking in places like Amsterdam and Barcelona). That said, I live in West Hollywood so I actually walk to the grocery stores, restaurants, services, gyms etc except when it’s too hot or too rainy (not that it rains much)

ben_w 1y ago

From what I've seen of American cities, I can easily believe there are many in those cities who have a 30 minute drive to a store. And while it's only one specific category of product, I keep hearing about "food deserts" in the USA, where poorer communities are only served by dollar stores that don't have a good range of stuff, so I can easily believe that there's worse than what I've seen in all product categories. I'm in Berlin, so I'm a 25 minutes walk from three supermarkets a bike shop and a pharmacy, despite being in one of the remote corners of the city. Our previous place was much more central so it had a dozen or so supermarkets, a building supply store, and a shopping mall in that distance. Both new and old place have excellent public transport, I have literally seen someone transport a kitchen sink on one of the trams.

david-gpu 1y ago
Yeah, that tracks. Even while living in the far end of the Toronto urban fabric we have something like nine grocery stores within 25 minutes of walking distance. And we are not living in an urbanist's wet dream, either. The sort of extreme car-centric urbanism often seen in the US is the exception around the world, not the norm.

scarface_74 1y ago

Because most people ride bikes and walk to the store despite all of the huge parking lots filled with cars.

david-gpu 1y ago
Most people in most of the cities around the world get around by walking, transit or cycling. Car-centric development is a pretty recent and relatively localized phenomenon.
- scarface_74 1y ago
  As is Amazon 92% of the people in the US have access to at least one vehicle https://www.fool.com/money/research/car-ownership-statistics/ https://www.fool.com/money/research/car-ownership-statistics... And this is worldwide https://www.visualcapitalist.com/vehicles-per-capita-by-country/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/vehicles-per-capita-by-coun... The average driver in the US drives 40 miles per day https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/average-miles-driven-per-year/ https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/average-miles-driven-per-year... No most people don’t walk to the store
  - david-gpu 1y ago
    None of the statistics you presented support your last statement. Perhaps try traveling abroad some day.
    - scarface_74 1y ago
      You would be surprised how much traveling I’ve done… I literally just got back from a trip to London and Paris a couple of weeks ago. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44412439 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44412439 Let’s just say I’m Platinum Medallion on Delta (also from racking up miles on partner airlines Virgin Atlantic and Air France) , for 3 years in a row… Are you trying to really say that cars aren’t popular outside of the US? Did I miss the statistic you cited where most people in first world countries walk and ride bikes every where?
      - sroussey 1y ago
        I was just in central Madrid and was taken aback by how few cars there were. I think most roads were bus/taxi/delivery only. I’m from LA so every European city seems wild with tons of people walking (and biking in places like Amsterdam and Barcelona). That said, I live in West Hollywood so I actually walk to the grocery stores, restaurants, services, gyms etc except when it’s too hot or too rainy (not that it rains much)