‘People are happier in a walkable neighborhood’: the US community that banned cars

www.theguardian.com ‘People are happier in a walkable neighborhood’: the US community that banned cars

A new housing development outside Phoenix is looking towards European cities for inspiration and shutting out the cars. So far residents love it

A new housing development outside Phoenix is looking towards European cities for inspiration and shutting out the cars. So far residents love it - The Guardian

Fuck Cars @lemmy.ml

‘People are happier in a walkable neighborhood’: the US community that banned cars

www.theguardian.com /cities/2023/oct/11/culdesac-car-free-neighborhood-tempe-arizona

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Walkable towns are better objectively.
- Subjectively.
  Like most things, it is about preference and/or what the measure of success is. Some people prefer the tighter, mixed-use concepts and some don't. I know people that would love a concept like this and I know people that would be overwhelmed and depressed.
  
  I just wanna add that walkable, while always advocated as a dense "15 minutes city" I hope doesn't always have to be. There are examples of less dense walkable places, too. A little village with a market to one side, perhaps? "Walkable" exactly refers to a design pattern focused on pedestrian safety and pedestrian-scaled development. Aaaand that could exclude density, at the cost of population size.
  
  Check out some random Dutch suburbs. For example, a neighbourhood in what is generally regarded as a shit city: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UYSB2iLeEbvPea4G6
  No high rise construction, single family homes, 15 min walk from the supermarket (or 3 by bike), even less to a school (9 min walk if you make an effort to pick a bad spot), and hardly anyone lives by a big road and most places can be reached without ever crossing one.
  And this is a city that is generally regarded as crappy, soulless and awful to the point that it's a meme. (Lelystad is the Almere of Flevoland ;) )
  
  Omg I thought it was just gonna look like my town but with bike lanes. No, your worst city is really creative actually. This is so quiet and safe, contrary to anything I've ever seen in America.
  
  Nah.
  Walkable towns aren't just concepts, they are how civilization is structured in most other countries.
  
  What about mixed neighborhoods makes some people depressed?
  
  Low density suburbs limited sightlines allow for minimum visible injustice (MVI).
  Mixed neighborhoods...you might see poor people.

70 comments