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‘People are happier in a walkable neighborhood’: the US community that banned cars
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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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.
Right, how about biking 3 minutes to the store? Make it 6 there and 2 back due to the height difference. Not every trip is 30+ minutes to work.
São Paulo is pretty much as hilly as you can get, beset by mounts on all sides but one. People still bike, here.
I'll give you that, biking long distances is reserved for when you can bathe afterwards. Thankfully, you rarely need to bike long distances.
ebikes take the sweat out of hilly commutes.
They're coming down in price, many places offer subsidies to get one, and there are puncture-resistant tires that do wonders. That said, I also live too far from work to bike, because I can't afford to live where I work.
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.