9 ms·

So many cities/regions in the USA are simply broken by design in terms of having central business locations and urban sprawl living locations. Too many cities

by nemo44x 12y ago

So many cities/regions in the USA are simply broken by design in terms of having central business locations and urban sprawl living locations. Too many cities optimized around the highway which let greedy developers and poor urban planners dictate the present conditions of impossible congestion and the inability to have an effective mass transit system due to lack of population density. Simply put, that model doesn't scale and we are now seeing it affect more and more cities. Not to mention that urban sprawl is expensive to maintain in terms of roads, highways, sewers and utilities being consumed by people living so far apart and in low density areas. I propose we begin building planned cities focused on population density and mass transit that people actually want to use. Build up, not out. Share spaces like parks and have lots of little ones. Essentially, inherit from NYC where you don't have to, or even want to, own a car.

toolslive 12y ago
"build up, not out. share spaces like parks ..." This was essentially the idea of Le Corbusier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier They tried it around Paris and other cities in the mid of the last century, and failed miserably.
- cxseven 12y ago
  How did it fail?
  - toolslive 12y ago
    basically they became ghettos. One of the problems is that real estate cost pressure eats away at the green zones.
    - eru 12y ago
      Singapore seems to work fairly well under that principle. Perhaps you need a certain ruthlessness?
Spooky23 12y ago
People want space, quiet neighbors and good schools. Hence the burbs. Even in NYC, if you aren't in Manhattan or parts of Brooklyn, you need a car. And unless you're poor and lack options or rich and can throw money at the problems, people clear out of Manhattan when child #1 arrives.
hueving 12y ago
Lots of families in the US aren't interested in dumping their house with a yard and garage for an apartment. If what you described is what the majority of people really wanted, nobody would live in the suburbs.
- raldi 12y ago
  And lots of Americans in the 1970s weren't interested in dumping their gas guzzlers. But eventually, people have to adapt to a changing world.
- nick_urban 12y ago
  Anyone I've talked to who commutes in rush hour traffic absolutely hates it, yet most of them don't move or change jobs. I suspect it's mostly fear and not love that keeps people commuting from the suburbs -- fear of other people's judgments, because living in an apartment is often considered a lower status indicator than owning a home.
  - woofyman 12y ago
    It's also money. The mortgage and taxes on a suburban house are cheaper than renting an urban apartment.
    - eru 12y ago
      If we had more supply in the cities, prices could drop.
      - CalRobert 12y ago
        If we even had more supply in close-in suburbs, this would be improved. The bay is weird in that you have low-density suburb running quite close to SF; you'd think it would be a more gradual shift. I don't necessarily need to live in the absolute middle of the city, but far too often the only options are "city core that existed before cars" and "suburb 15 miles out". Not always, but often.
  - 12y ago
greggman 12y ago
As much as I like the city I also love being able to play Rockband or Dance Dance Revolution or watch an action movie with the sound up in my house anytime I want. I like that I have a radial saw, lathe, and other power tools in the garage so I can build stuff. I also love the peace of no shared walls or floors. Well, I actually I used to love that. I haven't lived in a house in ~30 years but I miss that freedom and I can't imagine lots of people giving it up. ..though.. maybe with the right planning ... How about an apartment complex with party rooms you can book, lan parties and a maker space. Sign me up
- MichaelGG 12y ago
  Is this a materials issue? I've got a concrete+steel place in Central America that's touching the walls of surrounding houses (packed subdivision). I play concerts in the middle of the night and there doesn't seem to be any problem. I never hear my neighbors to the side, only the open back yard ones. Compare to s townhouse in SF where I can hear stair usage and so on.
- viggity 12y ago
  every apartment/condo/townhome complex I've seen that is larger than 30 units has a "clubhouse", usually located in the same building as the apartment management. They have a full kitchen, large area with 4+ couches, tables and a huge TV. Tenants can book the clubhouse for parties/meetings for free. As I understand it, they're very rarely used, though.

by nemo44x 12y ago

toolslive 12y ago

"build up, not out. share spaces like parks ..." This was essentially the idea of Le Corbusier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier They tried it around Paris and other cities in the mid of the last century, and failed miserably.

cxseven 12y ago
How did it fail?
- toolslive 12y ago
  basically they became ghettos. One of the problems is that real estate cost pressure eats away at the green zones.
  - eru 12y ago
    Singapore seems to work fairly well under that principle. Perhaps you need a certain ruthlessness?

Spooky23 12y ago

People want space, quiet neighbors and good schools. Hence the burbs. Even in NYC, if you aren't in Manhattan or parts of Brooklyn, you need a car. And unless you're poor and lack options or rich and can throw money at the problems, people clear out of Manhattan when child #1 arrives.

hueving 12y ago

Lots of families in the US aren't interested in dumping their house with a yard and garage for an apartment. If what you described is what the majority of people really wanted, nobody would live in the suburbs.

raldi 12y ago
And lots of Americans in the 1970s weren't interested in dumping their gas guzzlers. But eventually, people have to adapt to a changing world.
nick_urban 12y ago
Anyone I've talked to who commutes in rush hour traffic absolutely hates it, yet most of them don't move or change jobs. I suspect it's mostly fear and not love that keeps people commuting from the suburbs -- fear of other people's judgments, because living in an apartment is often considered a lower status indicator than owning a home.
- woofyman 12y ago
  It's also money. The mortgage and taxes on a suburban house are cheaper than renting an urban apartment.
  - eru 12y ago
    If we had more supply in the cities, prices could drop.
    - CalRobert 12y ago
      If we even had more supply in close-in suburbs, this would be improved. The bay is weird in that you have low-density suburb running quite close to SF; you'd think it would be a more gradual shift. I don't necessarily need to live in the absolute middle of the city, but far too often the only options are "city core that existed before cars" and "suburb 15 miles out". Not always, but often.
- 12y ago

greggman 12y ago

As much as I like the city I also love being able to play Rockband or Dance Dance Revolution or watch an action movie with the sound up in my house anytime I want. I like that I have a radial saw, lathe, and other power tools in the garage so I can build stuff. I also love the peace of no shared walls or floors. Well, I actually I used to love that. I haven't lived in a house in ~30 years but I miss that freedom and I can't imagine lots of people giving it up. ..though.. maybe with the right planning ... How about an apartment complex with party rooms you can book, lan parties and a maker space. Sign me up

MichaelGG 12y ago
Is this a materials issue? I've got a concrete+steel place in Central America that's touching the walls of surrounding houses (packed subdivision). I play concerts in the middle of the night and there doesn't seem to be any problem. I never hear my neighbors to the side, only the open back yard ones. Compare to s townhouse in SF where I can hear stair usage and so on.
viggity 12y ago
every apartment/condo/townhome complex I've seen that is larger than 30 units has a "clubhouse", usually located in the same building as the apartment management. They have a full kitchen, large area with 4+ couches, tables and a huge TV. Tenants can book the clubhouse for parties/meetings for free. As I understand it, they're very rarely used, though.