In Search of Car-Free America: Why Walkable Places Are Popular for Vacation but Not Everyday Living
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2024
- Does urbanism exist in the United States? Of course it does -- but if you're like a lot of Americans, you have to visit a theme park, a massive Vegas resort, or your local "lifestyle center" to experience it.
This week we explore all the different types of places Americans flock to that demonstrate a revealed preference for dense, walkable environments: college campuses, compact overseas cities that were developed before the advent of the automobile, fake European plazas ensconced in Las Vegas megaresorts, fake Main Streets embedded in theme parks and "lifestyle centers."
All of these types of places are incredibly popular with Americans, even (or especially) those who live in car-oriented suburban areas with poor walkability. To understand this dynamic, we'll dive into some theory and research that explores the mismatch between the places people seem to enjoy being (and which they pay a handsome sum to visit on vacation), and the places the choose to live.
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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- Urban Parks of North America: • Top 10 City Parks in N...
- The Top 10 Urbanist Ballparks: • What Is Urbanism? 2022...
- Problems with Pickup Trucks: • Why Absurdly Large Tru...
- Top 10 Public Markets/Mercados in North America: • Top 10 Public Markets/...
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Resources:
- Disneyland ticket price history graphic: www.ocregister.com/2020/02/11...
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rawls
- plato.stanford.edu/entries/ra...
- US city prices per square foot: austin.curbed.com/2018/5/29/1...
- "Evaluating Household Residential Preferences for Walkability and Accessibility Across Three US Regions" by Dr. Xiang Yan, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
Volume 80, March 2020, 102255: www.researchgate.net/publicat...
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Images
- Suburban Subdivision By H. Michael Miley from Schaumburg, USA - Subdivision, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Disney Main Street USA By Michael Gray from Wantagh NY, USA - Main Street Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Central Park Video by CityXcape : www.pexels.com/video/walking-...
- Golf Video by Tom Fisk: www.pexels.com/video/drone-fo...
- Cruise ship Video by Toni Paul from Pixabay
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Video by Andrea Lattanzi: www.pexels.com/video/empty-mi...
- Main Street USA By Michael Gray from Wantagh NY, USA - Main Street During Day Magic Kingdom Panorama 2009, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Declaration of Independence By original: w:Second Continental Congress; reproduction: William Stone - numerous, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Presentation of the Declaration of Independence to Congress By John Trumbull - US Capitol, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy (1940) - The Indian Reporter, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- 5 over 1 (Austin) By Sk5893 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Habitat 67 By Taxiarchos228, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Suburban House Photo by Binyamin Mellish: www.pexels.com/photo/blue-and...
- Suburban Sprawl By David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (TH-cam music library)
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The line about "fine dining options" as the camera pans over a cheesecake factory was perfect. No notes, 10/10
I think that was a joke, but malls like this will have nice places to eat. The one by me in NJ does
The fact that it recurs multiple times in the video makes it even better.
Is Cheesecake Factory bad? It looks pretty good and Ive always wanted to go to one.
@@RT-vu5hd Nothing wrong with it, it's just a chain restaurant, so don't expect fine dining. I'd consider it a half step above Olive Garden / Red Lobster type chains. I personally like it. Definitely try one. Any place that you can order abominations such as "pizza with chicken breast as the crust", is worth visiting.
Cheesecake Factory is fine, but hardly what someone might look for in an authentic European urban experience.
There seems to be a self-contradictory argument that "walkable housing is too expensive, therefore we shouldn't build it" whereas 1) the reason it's so expensive is because not enough of it is built and 2) non-walkable housing is even more expensive when you factor in driving costs
Part of the problem seems to be the way it's financed. Fannie, Freddie, landlords, etc. don't care about income vs. (transportation + housing), all they care about is income vs. housing. Fannie and Freddie also don't want units in multiuse developments.
If zoning laws were disbanded and all taxes were replaced by a single land value tax then I'd bet that in 10 years, city design would've changed in large part to being extremely walkable and housing prices likely might have crashed (assuming there is no hyperinflation) but I don't think such polices would ever be implemented in the US anytime soon since most people don't seem to know/care about Henry George & Mlton Friedman's policies anymore...
Yes, let's build more sprawl that offloads transportation/access costs onto the individual and multiplies all the horrible externalities of our poorly conceived transportation system
@@philipwirth3603 Yes, the infrastructure is built with federal money. But the community has to pay for the maintenance. As we all know, they can't afford it. Well, they can. But then they have to increase local taxes, which makes the incentive to live there go away. Hence Ponzi scheme.
We moved cities and made some major changes. We moved from a car-dependent, single-family home to medium-rise apartment in a walkable neighborhood, and we sold both of our cars.
We are paying quite a bit more in housing costs. However, we're overall paying less due to saving money on:
1. Depreciation costs of 2 autos
2. Fuel, maintenance, insurance, and tax costs of said autos
3. Other, non-obvious things like:
3a. Gym membership - get decent exercise walking around and cycling
3b. Costco membership - don't feel the need to stockpile when the grocery store is 2 minutes by foot
The first 2 alone save well over the price difference in housing. So, our overall monthly costs have declined quite a bit.
And, we're happier overall since we don't deal with driving/traffic stress anymore, and getting out and going interesting places is so low-friction. It's refreshing not having to find/pay for a parking space when we arrive!
"I’m not against the automobile, but I just feel that the automobile has moved into communities too much. I feel that you can design so that the automobile is there, but still put people back as pedestrians again…. I’d love to work on a project like that.”
- Walt Disney
Dang, maybe he should have built his utopian swamp city after all lol
Well, that Walt Disney comment, too bad more urban designers around that time didn’t take it seriously.
EPCOT was a bit too communist for 1960's America. He had some good ideas though.
@@missybarbour6885 He did. It's called Celebration, FL
@@nancyhirsch7768, Celebration was constructed decades after his death.
The Walt Disney Company, the organization he founded, has created two cities: Celebration and Val d'Europe.
Additionally, Disney is currently creating Cotino, just outside Palm Springs, California.
Disney, in fact, used to have a mass-transit division that built monorail and WEDway PeopleMover systems, including the one at Houston Intercontinental Airport.
Oh wow, I haven't seen that meme before! I'm so glad you shared it! 🤣
There is definitely a deficit of walkable places in the US that skews the results. That last study you mentioned is really great, so thanks for that.
Pew Research also has data that a little less than 50% of the US population says that they would like to live somewhere within walking distance of shops and restaurants. The fact that this is under 50% has been used by some people to show that Americans prefer the suburbs. But I see two things:
First, obviously 50% of neighbourhoods in the US are not like that. So there's clearly a deficit.
But second, there are so few good walkable neighbourhoods in the US that many Americans have literally never experienced one, as there are none near them. So even though they have no experience with good urbanism, almost 50% of Americans would like to live somewhere more walkable. That's astonishing. And I suspect that number would be much higher if good urbanism existed in more places in the US, so that more people could experience it.
It’s been my experience that walkable parts of American cities (college areas, new urbanist, pre wwii cores, and century plus old towns not destroyed by highways) are, REALLY expensive due to IMO demand >> supply.
Where I live (one of these pockets of nice in an otherwise dreadful car hell metro) this is absolutely the case.
The only time that’s not the case Is if the area is deemed “undesirable” (black).
Glenwood Park in Atlanta (of all places) is exactly the type of development I wish we had more of. It was also wildly successful, and actually got some zoning rules changed. Although they fought tooth and nail to get the city and GDOT on board. I wish someone would do a deep dive video into that area.
Your theory tracks, given that less than 50% of Americans have a passport, which implies over half the country has never/will never visit any true walkable communities abroad
I thought of Not Just Bikes when I went to Mackinac Island for the first time just this past weekend. There are thousands of bikes in just a tiny urban area around the docks. Tons of shops and hotels. Everyone pays big money to go to the island. A ferry ticket is $30. Fortunately a bike ticket is only $15, because rentals are more than that. I brought my DIY ebike and it was a wonder to be in a place where cars are banned. The smell of the horses is a bit much, but once you're out in the state park area, there's clean air and tons of trails for cyclists. I was plenty glad to have my e-motor to tackle the hills and distance. I've lived in Michigan my whole life and never been to the island. It's truly worth a trip, for anyone who likes boats, bikes, and nature!
I'm in Ukraine and what's described in this video is positively dystopian - no way I'd ever wanna move there.
EDIT: towards the end of the video, there was this "choice" presented between walkable cities and suburbs. But I live in a walkable suburb in Ukraine - is that not even the author of this video is not familiar with? that's really scary and underlines the authors point actually about how bad things are urbanism-wise over there.
So many of our walkability issues in the US stem from zoning laws. Areas which are zoned for single family residences don't allow a shop, café, or pub within walking distance. I have this discussion with my British friend all the time. She maintains we're just lazy and I try to explain to her the distances we have to go to get to a grocery store or shopping center. She and her friend went for a walk when visiting Beverly Hills and people literally stopped their cars to ask if they were okay 🤣🤣🤣
I've read stories of visiting foreigners going for walks around residential areas in the USA (something which is perfectly normal anywhere in Europe) and being stopped by the police because somebody has called them to report a suspicious person walking around.
Single family homes aren't necessarily the issue, San Francisco is full of them and still has everything within walking distance. But the single family homes are densely packed and populated... nobody has a giant yard here, and often the single family homes house multiple families. That's unique to SF it seems.
@@DavidWest2I disagree. If single family homes arent an issue, why as you say, are they so 'packed full'?
The general idea of "I hate single family houses, but like MY single family house" seems to be overly apparent here. Almost a manifestation of "social progress is awesome, and I recognise it's harm, however any amount of it I see as touching MY life style is intolerable!" Which I see a lot of people follow especially here in Massachusetts. This mindset, however, is wholly destructive. It's similar in character to "well its the southern way of life." It's an avoidance of personal responsibility in understanding that in, fact, change that affects everyone *has and effect on you*
The whole "walkable city" and "preference for cul-de-sac or suburb" are diametrically opposed ideas. All "walkable cities" I have noticed lack space between houses, no yards, often without garages and driveways. I can think of several places like Austin Texas that are counter to this argument, but you gotta admit haha
So yeah I agree with you very much so. We get results such as Austin (which I like don't get me wrong) when people cling to the detached home idea whilst attempting to make a compact city. Is the house still attached when the space in between the houses is only like 3 feet?
the NIMBY mindset
I can honestly imagine an alternate system where laws are obsolete and people are replaced by robots and AI that are programmed to just walk around and observe everything that was built by a small single group of people, just move them around and throw them wherever like pigs in a small cage. Make them all look and behave identically and remove any trace of consciousness or self-awareness - sounds like a dream nation.
@@kalui96 tbh you can't still have (admittedly smaller) yards/gardens in denser areas. Something like a patio or small patch of grass you can sit out in the evening and maybe room for a barbecue. Just not masses of excess space
i feel like it wouldnt be as bad if we didnt place such an importance in moving out and owning your own house, like in other countries its normal for 3 or 4 generations to all live together. theres also the problem of in my city it costs the same to rent an apartment in a walkable neighborhood as it does to rent a house on the shitty side of town so for the most part only people without kids are going to rent those apartments because the grocery stores and other businesses in those areas are also more expensive.
I've had this on a list to cover for awhile. Theme parks are so popular in the US exactly for these reasons. Hilarious that Disney world exists in the state with some of the worst walkable places in the world.
Until recently,I didn’t know why I disliked walking and riding a bike around my small town. It is that it is designed to be easier for cars. I always love your videos. Thank you.
Yep. Same here. My town has almost nothing to walk to. All the things of interest are at least 2-3 miles away, which your average person isn't going to walk to these days.
In NY state, as well as other Northeastern states, there are plenty of small towns, cities built before cars. A lot of these towns are economically depressed due to manufacturing moving overseas. These places would be ideal for building more walkable, car independent cities if sufficient public transportation systems were built within these cities with connections to larger metro areas via high speed rail. Imagine living in upstate NY and being able to commute daily to NYC for work.
the momentum behind this idea is happening, but it needs more public push, money, and of course time.
Technically that already happens, but it is more limited than it could be because you are relying on Metro North. However there are a lot of people who use Metro North to commute in (and the LIRR if you're talking about people who live in Suffolk).
I guess you were referring to people who live north of Dutchess county however, in which case Metro North really isn't going to cut it. Sure it's a great regional rail by American standards, but it's still standard speed rail. (I live in the city so anything north of White Plains is "upstate" to me lol).
There are some who already make that (unholy) commute, but it could be made a lot easier no doubt.
Although beyond the long term goal of HSR within NY state alone, Metro North should run a line on Jersey's side of the Hudson at the very least. It's kinda ridiculous that the train options in NY on the west bank of the Hudson are provided by NJT, and only tangentially so.
@@VillainousHanacha Metro North definitely needs to speed up. The 30-30-30 plan in CT is exciting but who knows how many years away that is
Yeah, I think I talk about this a bit in my Regional Rail video, and I do have an idea percolating around urbanist small towns/suburbs. Thanks for the nudge!
I lived in Germany for 5 years. I came back to the U.S. to a neighborhood that was very walkable, but it was not enough, so I joined the crowd of younger transplants moving to New Orleans (Orleans Parish) not the suburbs. Where I live now is very walkable and bicycle friendly. I still have my car, but maybe only use it once every 2 weeks. There are amazing 5 star restaurants everywhere and no Cheesecake factory anywhere to be found.
@@BartholomewSmutz Why are you assuming walking isn't comfortable or enjoyable?
@@feuerrabe Because I've done it. It's not bad if the weather is perfect but how often is that? Was walking my Dog today and it was hot as hell. If it's not hot it's probably cold or raining. If it wasn't for walking my Dog I wouldn't walk anywhere. I'v been temporarily without a car a few times and it was a bad experience.
@@BartholomewSmutz Do you know the concept of a weather proof jacket or an umbrella?
@@BartholomewSmutz The best walkable areas have tree cover. No hot sun and rain is much lighter.
@@sillubean5124 Yes a leisurely stroll can be enjoyable if everything is just right.
4:50 what's wild is that every single major city used to have walkable and transit-dense downtowns before they were almost entirely demolished for parking lots and interstates. Look at an overhead view of Houston in 1950 vs 1970! There's an argument that "we can't just redo our whole city for transportation," but that's exactly how we got in this mess!!
This is what I was thinking while watching. Framing urban sprawl and car-centric culture as some kind of freely emergent preference doesn't make sense given how aggressively subsidized the auto industry and infrastructure has been throughout the 20th century. If people had to pay the actual cost of urban sprawl, there would be far more walkable towns and cities IMO.
I enjoyed this video more than the usual "top 10"s, because it seemed to go deeper into a specific problem or subject, as opposed to introducing a thesis and then loading up on surface level examples
Surface level examples are the bread and butter of TH-cam
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(good comment!)
Yes, definitely do more these types of videos!
@@CityNerd this is true, but there are loads and loads (probably too many) of surface level „urbanist“ TH-camrs out there, and your ability to present complex data (and actual data, not just the same regurgitated opinions) in an entertaining and scientific-rational manner makes you unique. Just my opinion.
I think there is a niche out there for explaining and exploring urbanist concepts in a more professional manner. Personally I would love to hear more about socioeconomic aspects that go beyond „suburbs and cars bad, density and transit good“
This is a very "meta" comment on a video about walkable areas in America. When something is novel (to us) and uncommon, we place more value on it!
@@simonherbst845 Have you checked out 'Not Just Bikes', 'RMTransit' and 'City Beautiful'? They have references linked to their videos. But @CityNerd is correct, generally speaking, TH-cam is too often not very scholarly. Viewers too often dond't stick around. On the other hand, there are some great channels that do go deep.
After living in Seville, Spain for years, an extremely walkable city, I have to say the quality of life is far higher there than back in North America.
Then why the hell didn't you just stay there if it's sooooo much better than here??? 🙄🙄🙄
@@ufinc There's so many reasons that could be possible. They might have a partner or family there. Better job opportunities. Missing other aspects of living in NA, such as food, culture, weather, etc.
@@ufinc what is it ? They touch your sensible spot ? Someone found a better place of your almost third world concrete place and it make feel bad ? Obviously they won't move out from an entire country in an entire snap of the hand but a lot would if they could
@@ufinc lmao mad
It's such a sledgehammer comparison that it really isn't legitimate.
There are far more differences between North America and European countries than how 'walkable' a city is, and even European country to European country differences can make a big impact.
Seriously though, it's sad that Disney World, a theme park resort with a huge system of buses, water taxis, Skyliner/cable cars, and monorail, has better transportation than legit cities in the US. AND they're all free to use! You don't even have to stay at a Disney resort to use the transportation
Disney and transportation go hand in hand. Walt loved trains and I don't blame him. Disneyland Paris has direct high-speed rail access to Charles de Gaulle International, the rest of France, Amsterdam Centraal, and London St. Pancras as well as RER access to Paris and its suburbs. Hong Kong Disneyland is on MTR's Disneyland Resort Line (plus the trains are adorable). Tokyo Disney Resort has Maihama station on the Keiyō and Musashino Lines. And Shanghai Disneyland is on Line 11 of the Shanghai Metro.
Disney's transit has the advantage that its purpose (moving people from hotels to Disney's theme parks in the morning, and back in the evening) is naturally suited to a hub-and-spoke topology. Hub-and-spoke is also popular with city transit systems, but while it's great for people who work "downtown", it's inefficient for suburb-to-suburb commutes or shopping trips.
The main reason they have these robust transportation systems is to make the paying guests as comfortable as possible to keep them in the parks as long as possible in order to remove as much money as possible from their wallets. If it wasn't furthering their bottom dollar, it wouldn't exist.
Yeah, _but_ it's funded on the basis that you are paying a massive amount of money in their parks, and either significant parking fees, or significant resort fees, or both. It's not "free."
@@richardhasson265 Yes which goes to show that people want to stay in places with good transit. It also shows how transit improves local businesses and is more cost efficient than maintaining copious amounts of roads and carparks which just leads to more traffic and more dissatisfaction due to pollution, stress, etc.
@@danielbishop1863 if the majority of people/hotel goers need to commute to reach services or work it means that there is a possible need for more mixed use development, applied to a real world situation it would mean that more shops and businesses should be mixed in with residential areas so they can walk or cycle to work as to relax pressure on public transport systems
as a Canadian, just realised I've taken more vacations in Europe than our closer southern Neighbour, the USA. One reason is because I don't want to go to a place where I have to get a rental car.
Yeah it’s a bit of a bummer getting a rental car because they’re expensive, you have to learn to drive in a new major city and usually have to get some kind of expensive insurance unless it’s included in your credit card because you worry about someone hitting a car that’s not yours.
I usually also vacation in the few walkable cities of the USA that have public transport or that I have relatives and then take vacations in England that have public transport. Or I can try Montreal again they have good walk ability
I have a strong aversion to rental cars and being the victim of gun violence
@@blorpblorpblorp Amen!
@@blorpblorpblorp
Axe, hatchet and arrows are so much better.
You could always try Mexico...
@@blorpblorpblorp majority of murders are by people who knew each other. You don’t have to worry about firearm based violence from strangers.
This reminds me of some decades ago, I drove to Disneyland. I then walked around. Then I went on the Autotopia ride. I went from the freeway to a walking environment to driving toy cars. It was a couple of levels of surrealism.
Subject Request: The disappearance of grocery stores from America’s small towns.
I recently spent a month cycling west along the Ohio River. I was stunned by the lack of grocery stores in small town America compared to a similar ride I did in 1980. I checked on the web and sure enough, American smaller towns have turned into grocery deserts where people have to drive 15 minutes to an hour to get groceries. One memorable town, Hamilton, Indiana, was highly walkable and otherwise vibrant with a large base of historic houses and commercial buildings. But the only groceries were Walmart, Kroger, and Aldi clustered on a huge stroad twenty minutes drive from town.
Larger cities have also lost grocery stores.
One of my grandfathers and some of his brothers had small family grocery stores in Ohio but they were put out of business by Kroger‘s a few decades later.
Why aren’t people shopping at local stores? Why did they stop? The lure of cheaper prices by the big boys is no doubt a reason but it’s a matter of saying “no”. Now these big boys have put their prices up due to the local stores (competition) are gone.
@@josephj6521 it’s a lot more than pricing. The big players use their superior capital position shape federal, state, and local laws to get the taxpayers to subsidize their operations.
Thanks to new laws, we can can use capital and policy making in new ways to reap economic benefits by financing the creation of livable cities and unwind the damage caused by these dinosaurs.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 This is a sad story indeed. My company works with capital in new ways to unwind the damage done by these behemoths and make life livable again for most Americans. The time spent and hard costs of driving so far for groceries has made food much more expensive. This excess waste and costs have created a great economic opportunity for something new to be rebuilt to replace your family’s stores.
I always get the impression that the environment one ends up living in is rather incidental, and the choice is mainly about the cost, availability, proximity to work etc. I suspect few would complain if they ended up in walkable areas, I just doubt many do make deliberate choices about this, especially ahead of other factors.
In that regard the US with their endless single-housing-zones just got most people living there because that's the easiest and most readily available choice ... the fast food option of housing, so to speak.
I wouldn't say fast food because that implies it's cheaper and quicker. Suburban sprawl is incredibly expensive to maintain for cities, and denser developments, while having higher startup costs, are much more productive economically and are more sustainable.
I would say all the cheaply built 5-over-1 apartment structures that have popped up over the last 15-20 years are the fast food option of housing. That said, they cost $2500 for a 1 BR here in Seattle, so it's actually more akin to ordering McDonalds via Uber Eats due to the terrible SQFT/$$$ value.
@@macgobhann8712 Almost none of those costs are passed on to the owners or tenants of suburban sprawl, though. Which is similar to how the people who buy fast food aren't paying for the wider social and environmental costs of factory farming and McJobs that the fast food industry relies on to turn a profit.
I don’t know. Seems to me that a large number of folks perceive their American Dream as one that includes a spouse, some kids, pets, decent public schools, as big of a house as they can afford and a nice fenced yard - maybe with a pool. Suburbs are an efficient way to deliver that. Not judging, just saying.
This pretty much sums up what I was about to say. I think primarily on the minds of most people is finding the most home for their money. And unfortunately, the McMansion in the disconnected, car dependent, cul-de sac subdivision is that choice for many people. And I don't even think people even give a lot of thought to proximity to work. People discover after they're moved in that they're 7 miles away from the nearest grocery store and that pleasant Sunday drive they took to go purchase the home becomes a nightmarish, traffic snarled, multi-hour commute.
But what frustrates me is that developers and planners don't even try. Just down the road from me is a huge subdivision adjacent to an elementary school and there is absolutely no connection between the two. And I'd like to say that's the only incidence of that phenomenon in this county, but I can't. Don't get me wrong, I love certain aspects of my suburban subdivision home, but some days I really would like to do more than just make a walking circuit of the neighborhood.
Great post. I paid an absurd price tag for my walkable living situation. Recently bought an ebike for weekend adventures with my son. I will never go back to suburban life. Feels so nice not to have to drive. There are simply so many positives about living almost car free. It’s uplifting.
Retired, living in a Seattle area, 'suburb city', where rent is about double what I'd like to pay. Looking again at Western Europe mid to large cities for walkability, cafe culture, moderate rent, no-car option, mild climate, parks, museums and cultural events. Can't seem to find a place like this now anywhere in the US. Tons of places like this in Western Europe.
that bad for an retiré ? Here we have like neighbourhoods for the elderly but imo they aren't really a walkable distant from the nearest store
NYC is the only one. Most expensive place in the US and world
good luck for less rent
@@eo4345 San Francisco is up there too. Both because they have good transit and because they limit development. Make it legal to build more multi-family homes and rents will drop.
Yeah but it's because you are in the land of opportunities right where the unicorns are being built and where the nerds turn into billionaires compared with old glory cities with declining population and the only employment prospective is sell something in the internet
This is the GEOGRAPHICAL expression of all of the ways American civilization has gone wrong in the last 40 years. I grew up and have lived in four American cities, three of which are among the best in this regard, and another of which is almost quintessentially the worst regarding walkability. I am a Chicago native who has also lived in Manhattan, in Boston, and in...Los Angeles. With American civilization and civic life failing almost apocalyptically, I have long ago begun to pine for Europe. But two anecdotes regarding my time in Los Angeles are telling, I think.
Soon after arriving in Los Angeles and not yet familiar with it, I hadn't yet fully realized how unlike it was to the REAL cities I was used to. I decided to walk from Culver City, where I was staying, to Venice and Santa Monica. I imagined that since the distance was not that great, that there would be some sort of pedestrian infrastructure that would accommodate my intention. Instead, I found myself walking through tall weeds along the freeway, being gawked at by drivers passing by who regarded me as some sort of alien who had somehow lost his way.
Then, shortly thereafter, the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica became one of my favorite places to go. It was and remains a highly popular destination. I very soon realized why: it was four simulated blocks of what a REAL city is supposed to be, with pedestrian life, a varied streetscape of interesting shops, and fellow citizens engaging in a personal way -- a simulacrum of the genuine urban life I was used to. Of course, there were only four blocks of it, as opposed to whole neighborhoods, as in Chicago, Manhattan, and Boston.
Here's the thing, unlike alot of Europe, America's a free country. You're free to leave, you're free to move.
Turns out people are allowed to not follow your world view.
@@TheOwenMajor What did Rick Rose say that suggested everyone should live in an urban environment? What he said is that americans like those environments, they're just rare.
Also, in case you forgot, those freedoms do not extend to what types of buildings can be built
Yeah, Third Street has always been really nicely done.
I currently live on Long Island. Right now, if I wanted to catch a bus to the LIRR, I'd have to walk over a mile to a highway to wait for a bus that comes every hour. If I wanted to walk to the LIRR instead, it's a hike, a not so pedestrian-friendly one too.
Meanwhile when I lived in Westchester and Jersey City, both those places are very much walkable. When I lived in the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow area, we lived on a hill and it was only around a five-to-ten-minute walk down the hill to the Metro North station with access to either Croton Harmon or Poughkeepsie northbound or Grand Central southbound. The rest of the area is quite walkable too with a Main Street, Broadway (yes, the same Broadway in NYC; it makes you realize just how long Broadway actually is), local shops and restaurants and everything. Not to mention it's on the Hudson Line which is straight up gorgeous. While Jersey City is even more pedestrian and transit-oriented with the PATH, Hudson-Bergen Light-Rail, Citi Bike, Spanish shuttle buses that come every few minutes, ferries, and NJ Transit buses. It takes WAY less time to get to Manhattan from Jersey City than it does from parts of NYC proper. I think many people overlook Jersey City because it's in NJ and all the stereotypes people believe about the state. It's sad, really. Because the state has so much to offer. And the state is better connected via transit than New York is!
My theory is that walking around on vacation is part of the mentality of taking a break from the regular. Car use is synonymous with the daily grind for most people so an escape from that and the leisurely pace of not having to be somewhere at a defined time truly feels like a vacation. This only lasts for a while though because I've seen tourists and for some of them walking around all day is a real effort....
Really interesting topic and I've subbed for this and also for how you talk with a "Valley girl" cadence....😉
Looking forward to more 😊
But then you have road trips.
Difference is as a tourist you’d be walking around the entirety of the day
IMO this is a simple supply and demand issue. Building new walkable places is all but illegal in the US which constrains supply. And the high demand for walkablilty is evident in the higher prices of walkable areas. There are only a handful full of truly walkable cities in the US (NYC, SF, Boston etc) and they have the most expensive real estate prices in the country. There are several US cities with walkable sections/ neighborhoods, and these are almost always among the most expensive places to live in town. I'm willing to bet if you could buy an apartment in a walkable city for the same price you can buy a house in a car dependant suburb, there would be a lot less of those suburbs.
We need a more densely gridded rail system to boost this concept, both with communities, as well as connecting other communities as well. The east coast is pretty dense for freight but most metro passenger rail is poorly sited for connectivity to other transportation hubs as well as outside communities. This is true in most large countries including Canada, Russia, Australia, and China.
If you can increase rail access the need for vehicles lowers considerably because the service area has expanded to meet people's needs.
Make it beautiful and comfortable as well. Trains and railways, as well as walkable/bikable needs to be something you desire rather than an afterthought.
So, we have less expensive low density housing and more expensive dense housing. Sounds like its just one rezoning vote away from the free market fixing the supply issue.
Bingo
There needs to be a movement to get local governments to change the law so walk-able/transit-able communities are allowed to be built.
Friendly reminder that Chicago exists and defies all stereotypes about walkable/urban areas and major cities being absurdly expensive in the US
It's something I struggle with as well. I've pretty much only lived in studios and never needed much housing space. I love the idea of a car free city and even having lived in LA and Dallas I've found some version of incorporating walkability into my lifestyle (going places with a car creates so much friction, is so much less stressful even for a simple trip). Having said that, I'm also at a place where I would love to move to a really small quiet place. As you said each person's "happiness" if different and can be contradicting and while cars create much of the noise in a city, it's people noise I want to runaway from. My neighbors should be able to use their apartment in any way they want to but I don't want to be a part of whatever they are doing through the wall. The biggest aspect of especially mega sprawl that videos like this don't really talk about is dealing with things like that. When you're on vacation you tend not to care about noise (or getting enough sleep/peace) but in an everyday life it'd be nice not to have to dread Saturdays because you have neighbors who come home at 2am yelling through the hallway. I understand noisy neighbors can be anywhere but you're less affected when you only have a couple neighbors around your house.
Also, I'm one of those people that likes The Grove, Disneyland and Vegas "lifestyle centers" but it's more about theming and using the whimsy to get away from the "real world". Another big factor (that's actually similar) is everything is so controlled and "safe". With Disney especially I know I can walk down the fake street and everyone is in the same mindset to just have fun. Being at the boardwalk (at DCA) vs being at an actual boardwalk (like Santa Monica) you don't have to deal with people trying to sell you things, there isn't trash everywhere nor is there a homeless person (which is a different discussion) asking you to feed them and reminding you the world sucks.
When I moved to my current location, I deliberately looked for a very walkable location. Buildings can be fixed up, yards can be landscaped, but location can't be changed. 6 months later I stopped driving, and donated my car shortly after.
I admit, I could have paid less if I moved to a suburb ... but I wanted urban, and since I was moving from an expensive US city to a moderately priced one, I could afford it. Especially since I'm not paying to own a car!
Location x 3
Yes, isn’t it amazing how much money you save not owning a car! No car payment, no insurance, no gas, no parking fees, no oil changes, no tires, no repairs… all that adds up to WAY more money than you realize until you actually get rid of it!
I'm semi-retired, walk to my part-time job in a public market where I also do most of my grocery shopping. I live in a smaller fairly-affordable northeast city surrounded by suburban sprawl. Going completely car-free is mighty tempting, but the lack of public transportation options in the surrounding areas complicates matters. Very happy that I can go several days at a time without driving, though.
Exactly why I moved to the Chicago from the suburbs. Chicago has great (for America) public transit and is very walkable in most neighborhoods. I still have to drive to work in the suburbs but other than that going days in a row without having to drive is a great feeling.
This is another problem. Walkable communities do exist in the US, but they’re bubbles, often without connection to other communities, unless you drive. So you can live car-free in Boston, but you would need a car to go anywhere outside the city that’s not on a bus route or transit line.
There are two major factors that keep me from buying a home in a walkable neighborhood. The first is affordability, as discussed in the video. I ended up buying a house in a suburban neighborhood that is a small island of housing deep in an industrial area. My friends have commented that it's like I live in a rural area, except there are trucks all around instead of cows.
The second reason I wouldn't want buy a home in the walkable areas of my city is crime rates. Violent crime and burglaries are both significantly higher in more walkable areas of the city.
The good news is that my city has really good public transit, so I can still live car free. But I would like the option to live in a safe and affordable walkable area.
Which city?
@@info781 Portland, OR, USA
I like the change of pace in this one, though I enjoy the nerdy statistics-oriented ones just as much. One thing that I fear in the New Urbanism and Walkability movements is that they might ossify into typical ideologies ---- just pseudo-intellectual blather employed by a group of privileged people to impose their will on everyone else. That's how we got into our absurd economy and lifestyle to begin with --- all those 1950s planners were totally convinced that they had it right. I love the ideas the New Urbanists have created, and think they will do much to improve our lives, but I hope I will never lose track of the fact that not everyone wants to live the way I want to live, and that a free and civilized society maximizes choice and variation. I remember how my mom felt trapped and claustrophobic when she could no longer drive, and no amount of walking around a pleasant neighbourhood could allay that anxiety. I've lived most of my life without a car (and Jane Jacobs was a neighbour, living a few blocks away) and it just isn't an issue for me, but unless I can see things from her point of view, I can't claim to truly care about people.
Why would someone feel trapped when beeing unable to drive anymore? Because a car is (perceived as) the only way to get to places? I second your free choice argument, though I would like to add: if you do the less harmful thing (for society/environment)it shouldn't feel like shooting in your one foot. People that want to drive can do so when they pay for the externalities.
@@Jacksparrow4986 Yes, a car is the only way to get places when you live in a country that doesn't value mass transit on any level.
@@Not_Always well there are always bikes... but they don't fit well in carinfested suburbia.
@@Jacksparrow4986 We should want to minimize the need for cars- it makes sense to be able to have most of your amenities closeby, your job closeby, whether by foot, bike, or transit. That being said, cars are popular for a reason and it's not sensible to ignore why. A car can let you go anywhere, at anytime, immediately. If you have friends/family to visit far away, if you want to see someplace not on your transit network, if you want to go someplace at 2AM when nothing's running. It's understandable how this can cause anxiety- even a proper transit system is like being on a cruise ship where you have every human need handled but know you're limited by being in a huge yet confined space.
This is in part why a lot of people that could be won over by transit programs are skeptical. The fact is that by improving transit we should aim to reduce the need for cars, but understand that there will still be uses for them.
There will always be people who have to rely on automobiles. Ambulances are a good example.
In some of my darkest moments I ruminate how folks who oppose more density, walkability and transit should be banned from enjoying the vacations or trips in any walkable areas
Keep dreaming.
As someone who grew up in the Detroit metro area, I can definitely say that the idea of a walkable neighborhood is totally foreign to people. I was taught that yeah, one car per adult is just the way that it is. When I entered adolescence, I felt this strong yearning of "I'm too young to play with toys at home all day, but I'm not old enough to drive places, so I'm trapped." Discovering your channel and Not Just Bikes has opened my eyes to the fact that those feelings were not pre-teen nonsense, but rather a totally valid response to living in a suburb that offers no good alternatives to driving. There's also very few public spaces to just "be" in most US suburbs. Older generations (looking at you, boomers) loved to tell me, "when I was your age, I would get home from school and take my bike to the local cafe/soda fountain/restaurant and hang out with my friends." I remember thinking, "yeah, that sounds nice, but WHERE can I do that???" So I stayed home and played video games most days, lol. People love to blame TV or video games or social media for causing millennials/gen z to be overly coddled and lack independence, but I 100% blame cars. I also blame cars for the obesity epidemic. Cars suck!
Yet Michiganders have visited Mackinac Island which has no cars except for emergency vehicles.
I used to live in a city when i went to college. The big reason people like me leave is the crime. I dont wanna be carrying around a gun all the time but when you get confronted with bad people it ruins your desire to want to be around people. This in turn damages public transport, closer housing and all of the city style of livelihood.
At the start of the video, when you posed the question, I tried to theorise my own answer, and I basically came to the conclusion you did. People would love to live in a walkable place, but there's so little of it and it's so expensive, that they've sort of resigned themselves to it not being possible, and so they just kind of make the best of what they have and don't bother complaining enough to actually change things. Bit of a sad state of affairs really.
so true (Atlanta suburb dissonant resident)
People generally choose options that are most economically accessible and sensible to them. People are always going to choose places closer to where they work, choose places that they can afford most. Because of the very limited options most Americans have, most people are going to live in suburbs and deal with an hour long commute because they basically have to, they don't have much other choice unless they want to spend 80 percent of their monthly income on rent. That's the only issue I have with the "personal choice" argument, because most people don't live in the burbs because of "personal choice" they live there because they have to, it's the only economically viable solution.
I know people have a problem with this idea, but in observing the downtown of my hometown building new apartments, if you build it in high quantities, and are competitive with suburban prices, the people will come. They'll come in droves.
Another aspect of this phenomenon (that this channel helped me appreciate) is that vehicle costs are often seen as inevitable, given the baseline assumption that you need a vehicle to get around anywhere. I'm guessing if most folks did the math, they probably could afford more expensive apartments or condos in walkable urban environments if it meant that they weren't paying for vehicle gas, storage, and maintenance costs.
I think the point about people not considering car costs is relevant, although there is a particular challenge in getting everyone in a multiple worker household appropriately situated to walk/transit to work when they are in different directions. It will get easier with better transit though.
the US is the most propagandized country in the world. especially regarding the "american dream"
Loved the theory-laden video for something a little more... philosophical in the academic sense? Can't wait to hear your thoughts on real estate as an investment tool
Oh interesting
That would be an interesting video
I would love to see you compare two places in Czech Republic. Prague (Praha) versus Pilsen (Plzeň). Both have allowed cars into their city streets, yet they have done so differently. Notably in Prague, you step off of a tram, then cross a road to get to the pavement. It makes no sense. Pilsen is too narrow in most of its centre, so the cars must wait, giving trams priority. Your keen eye would probably spot more notable design quirks.
As a side note, Czechia has buses (autobusy) and trolleybuses (trolejbusy) integrated too. Also every street has a café, because every street is a destination. No matter where you go (the book shop, the fabric shop, the beer factory, Colours of Warriors...), you'll need somewhere to eat and drink.
And if I haven't convinced you to visit yet, they also have gooseberry ice cream.
Will have to do a site visit!
I live in a relatively walkable rust belt city. Finally managed to buy a house a few years back, and had to decide between two.
I went with the house than was in the dense urban neighborhood over the newer, nicer house in a (still somewhat walkable) suburb. For the privilege of being able to walk to more than just one grocery store and having bus service that could get me home from my second shift job, I paid roughly 40% more for the house.
I'll eventually save the difference by being car free, but that's still a steep upfront cost and only possible due to being in one of cheapest urban housing markets in the country.
What city do you live in if you don’t mind me asking?
@@technojunkie123 I'm in Pittsburgh (city proper), the house I didn't buy was in the nearby borough of Swissvale.
The last 18 years (ages 28-46) I've primarily based my housing decisions on walkability. Arlington VA, downtown DC, and now a downtown adjacent neighborhood in the city I live in today. But even as enthusiastic as I am for walkability my idea of the good life would not be an apartment/condo. I did it in DC for 6 years and it was appropriate for where I was in my life at the time but even while enjoying it I never saw it as the long term solution. For me the absolute sweet spot is a neighborhood of gridded streets with sidewalks, rowhouses, alleys instead of personal driveways, and fenced in yards that are modest but allow for some personal outdoor space. If you layer on good public schools to that mix I think many more Americans would also choose this option. Lot size would be 2000-3000 SF. This is not Manhattan density or even Brooklyn. But it is quite a bit denser than suburbs and can support a variety of small format local shops/bodegas/cafes. And on certain corridors can support large format grocery store, etc..
However this really mix of rowhouse density with small yards doesn't get built anymore as new construction in any volume. Just as infill/gentrification to old streetcar neighborhoods. Today when a developer does build a subdivision of townhouses its not on streets that connect to much of any existing city fabric and these homes have no yards at all. Just a rear loading garage in the basement of the house and surrounded by asphalt.
There are Americans of course where a rowhouse will be too dense for them but would still value a form that is more walkable than suburbs. For this case I think of the land use of the outer streetcar neighborhoods. Usually detached single family homes on 5000-6000SF lots. Common from the time period this land use was in vogue you will see many Sears kit homes on these lots. This type of neighborhood is denser than today's suburbs. Perhaps not dense enough to support many amenities beyond the basics. But would be dense enough to support bus lines to the CBD. One of the problems with today's suburbs is they don't even have any transit because they are so spread out it makes little sense. And if many voters live in areas where land use decidedly determines transit makes no sense then they aren't going to support candidates who push future transit expansion for their metro.
Love living in DC and Arlington, but once I had kids I was driving everywhere. Even though I lived 1/2 mile from Safeway, I still drove. When I was single I always walked.
I don't know if home buyers "choose" houses in sprawling, unwalkable suburbs or if that's what they're mainly offered in their price ranges.
Probably the latter, I made walkability and transit access a priority when I bought my place and even then only could choose between either 30yo buildings with metro access and a decent pedestrian shopping experience or a handful of newer buildings farther away with only bus access and a few nearby strip malls. If I was rich enough to go for whatever I wanted my choices wouldn't have changed much, except maybe having a few more options in the main city rather than an exurb, which still would have required driving to visit friends and family
I currently own the home that my parents had bought in the mid-1980's. It is located in the suburb of a small semi-rural city. My father had a choice between buying this home (and a few others just like it) or a peach farm down the road a bit further which was a bit cheaper. He really liked the idea of the peach farm and really wanted it (after all, he was a country boy and came from farming stock), but instead opted for the suburban home because it was a bit closer to his workplace and my mom was a city-bred girl who didn't understand farm life. In every suburban home we've ever lived in she thought all the trees should be cut down. We never allowed it though. She hated leaves and twigs being on the ground. She thought it looked dirty. Ugh. I love her, but never could understand that view. However, we would never have considered anything closer to a more densified area. We always had large dogs and they needed space, too. A suburban home with a large yard for our dogs was a necessity as far as we were concerned and just as important to us as any school system or shopping district, etc.
@@laurie7689 Dogs don't work in high density areas, cats could work, or a dog you can fit in your purse.
@@info781 So, basically, densified places are for cat people only. Dog people need not apply.
I want so badly to live in an area that actually has sidewalks and pedestrian centered area and walkable spaces! I have looked all over for someone to discuss this in detail. Thank you.
ME TOO😊
I absolutely enjoyed this type of topic and approach, more than just the top/bottom 10 videos.
Yup, this definitely sounds like my family. One of our frequent vacation spots growing up was the town of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts on Matha’s Vineyard. Beautiful, walkable town and a great summer destination, but the towns where I was raised weren’t walkable at all. Disney World is a good example, too. Being somewhere walkable with good public transportation is a huge component of the experience there, and that’s part of what draws people to it. I always wondered, why not just move to a walkable community instead of vacationing in one? That’s exactly what I did.
Where did you find that walkable community if you don’t mind sharing? I’m still looking for mine.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 I’m in Tucson AZ. It’s one of the oldest cities in the Southwest, so it doesn’t have the sprawl that Phoenix and Vegas have. I live in the University/Downtown area. Great neighborhoods with a streetcar and regular bus service.
I mean it seems to me like the answer is obvious, a vacation is temporary. A lot of people prize space more than anything else because their home is where they spend most of their time. That pretty much requires low density single-family homes. If that means that you need to drive to visit friends, or get food, or really do anything -- so what? It's just a necessary chore, not any different than having to take the bus or train if that option is available. So yeah, living in a hotel (equivalent to a small apartment) for a week while exploring a cute town might be fun as a one off experience, but that's not what they are looking for in their day-to-day.
I just don't think most Americans want to live in the kind of walkable urban spaces that people like us desire if it means less space and/or less privacy. If you can give people space and privacy and also provide cute walkable cities, that's a different story, but that's a lot harder to do. There's a reason single family detached homes are so popular! (Of course, we shouldn't basically force everyone into SFHs via zoning either.)
To be clear, these aren't my preferences -- these are just the preferences I think most Americans hold.
@@vishaalprasad2020 Oh yeah, I’m not saying single family houses with lots of space and big yards are an inherently bad thing. I wouldn’t want to be stacked on top of tons of people shoulder-to-shoulder either. I would live in a single family house if I could afford it. My main concern is making sure that everyone is connected by public transit to places where they can walk around, interact, and have easy access to at least basic services. Instead of having to choose between space and access to transit, why not have both?
@@vishaalprasad2020 Why not just make bigger/better "apartments"? 1200-2000sqft? Or densify the homes and shrink the streets, to get things closer together? Don't make 2800sqft 2-story homes, make 3 story 3-unit 4800sqft homes - perfect for a few families. Then you only have two "neighbours", not 40 or 110 in your building. With a few small changes, we could probably 3x our density and make significant progress towards walkability and zoning that make sense.
I'm in the processing of determining where to purchase a home and this video is massively helpful! You are spot on with the duality of walkable neighbors severely lacking either affordability or availability. Even in Seattle, outside central Seattle there are many walkable neighborhoods either. You might be able to stretch further with biking, but the half of the year the weather won't permit it lol.
Great video! I loved that this channel takes a deeper look into ~why~ trends are the way they are rather than just being rehashed top 10 lists. Keep it up!
That study is 100% correct about residential dissonance. In no universe could either Atlanta or Detroit be considered walkable. That is not to say tiny areas within the city aren't, just that they are rare.
Excellent piece. I nerd out on stuff like this. Personal anecdotal experience includes growing up in a small, isolated town where everybody walked everywhere, so that was my normal, to being an exchange student in a medium-sized city in German in high school (in the late 1970's), again where teens walked or rode mopeds or public transit (took a train to Essen to see Queen in concert, for example), to college at Big State U where I walked everywhere, to living in Boulder (early 1980's) near the Pearl Street Mall, to settling in San Francisco for 15 years. In other words, a life from age 0 to about age 40 of mostly walkable environments. Then, moving to a classic midwestern suburb of a big midwestern metro, where there are no sidewalks, curvy streets with poor lighting and lots of foliage, and lots of old people driving Escalades. Walking is affirmatively dangerous, and even if you do walk, there is nowhere to walk to. We walk for exercise, but not for social interaction nor commerce. The withering ennui of driving into a garage, closing the door, and spending life in a house. No wonder the nation has so much violence.
Great comment. Thanks! Queen in Essen?? Sounds amazing
Hey Ray, I know you read some of these so I figured I'd say as a long-time subscriber (sub-5,000 if I remember? Gotta chase the urbanist youtuber early-subscriber clout) that I would really like to see more of this type of content. As someone from the Front Range Urban Corridor hellscape, you've opened my eyes to seeing there's a better way. Keep up the good work, I hope you can inspire more people my age to rally around more sustainable urban landscapes.
Thanks for letting me know what you wanna see, and thanks for being an early subscriber! Respect
I really enjoyed the tone of this one. Another great video.
this was a fascinating dissection of the topic and one of my favorite videos of yours in a while (not that i don't always look forward to your uploads, but this one in particular tickled my fancy)
Hi. I really liked the philosophical and conceptual focus of this video. It feels more substantial than a “10 best/worst” type of video. On the topic, I live in Metro Boston and would love to live in a walkable neighborhood, but the only ones I could afford to live in have the highest crime rates in the metro area. Boston has lots of reasonably safe walkable neighborhoods, but a one-bedroom unit in those neighborhoods is way above my ability to buy or rent, and my household income is in the top quartile for the area.
I live in the burbs north of Boston and take the commuter rail into the city. I’m lucky enough to afford one of the older, more walkable towns on a commuter rail line. But my door to door commuting time is one hour, ten minutes, and that’s without delays. So I’m sacrificing a substantial amount of time to live in a walkable community. I would love to live closer to Boston, but I just can’t afford it.
Its definitely the whole "all big cities are massive skyscrapers, no trees, traffic jams, noise, crime and pollution" myth that's the real problem.
people who haven't researched this stuff (like us nerds) only know what they've seen in person, and that means what's in their area. even a short vacation doesn't usually have this effect. not just bikes, I think, got orange pilled after moving from london ON to amsterdam
Because thats all people see when they visit a "downtown" of a city. They dont know the neighborhoods around and only get left with an impression of skyscrapers and parking lots.
@@yuriydee Yeah if you're just going to Manhattan, that's what you experience. My last experience going through various boroughs in NYC was completely different as it was closer to how people actually lived in the city.
On the topic of universities being super walkable, it would be great to see a video on some of the best college campuses for transit, walkability, or just general urban design. I'm a Georgia Tech student so I'm rooting for them to land a spot on the list, but I think it'd be interesting to see how campuses across the world stack up!
I'm also a GT student! I love how walkable GT is and how many spaces are car-free, but the grocery and laundry options for students living west of campus are pretty limited. I love MARTA train stations being so close for transportation around the city and to/from airport. Wish MARTA busses were more reliable though as it's a long walk from west of campus.
GT is so cool for being in the middle of a major city but still having that secluded "campus" feel.
I'm curious to see if this would skew towards those in the middle of a big city the likes of UT Austin, places that are college towns like A&M (College Station), and then whether it'll be newer or older schools. Maybe those factors won't have an effect on anything at all!
@@Jetliner college towns often have good, free public transportation provided by the university, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are equally or even more competitive
I love your deadpan sarcasm, its my favorite part of the entire channel
And people wonder why rent is so expensive in the half dozen walkable cities in North America..... it's because there's a half dozen of them.
As a resident of a walkable Atlanta neighborhood I can confirm that the demand is there. Housing construction is booming in midtown and around the Beltline (which is a potential video idea, best converted/mixed use trails?). Anyway, people here want to live in walkable areas there is just very little supply
Fellow ITP ATLien who loves my city. This is a bigger topic that anyone watching these videos is aware of and impacts all cities to different extents but racism, segregation, and white flight are major factors here. There’s a reason Marta does not reach its potential or that there are cute, denser neighborhoods you don’t hear about like East Point in south atl. Anyone who’s stuck OTP and doesn’t want to be due to affordability and availability, I feel for you and I hope we can make this city better. Anyone who went OTP to have a 3 car garage, a 2-hour commute, and keep their taxes in a “safe” neighborhood doesn’t really live in Atlanta. .
I fall squarely in this category. I enjoy a walkable urban-ish area for vacation or a weekend away, but I would never live in one. Walkable towns inherently require density, and I think a love of personal space is ingrained in a lot of americans, myself included. If I can afford it, I will always choose more square footage, no shared walls (*shivers*), and the ability to shop 2-3 weeks at a time instead of carrying groceries home from the store by hand.
Keyword there is affordability of course. I'd like to see our urban areas improved, as that's where a lot of our most vulnerable and/or least empowered folks live!
was not expecting this format when i pressed play but i thoroughly enjoyed it!!
I think you nailed it with "people in Seattle are weirdos".
I resemble that remark
@@CityNerd I've been called worse. :)
I'm an avid viewer of your and other similar channels. Videos like this are enjoyable to watch, but often sadden me given the state of many US cities like mine (Louisville).
I'd love to see a video that provides positive recognition of cities which have in some small way transformed themselves from suburbia wasteland into something walkable and sustainable with public transportation options.
Give us seem gleam of hope that we can get out of this mess. Show us there is a way, Obi Wan.
Love the change up! Love the top tens too though! Appreciate all your work :)
I like this style of video that inserts planning theory and philosophy. Keep up the good work!
Man, that replication of Venice in Las Vegas was so faithful, I couldn’t even tell if it was outside or indoors. The sky was so blue, and the clouds were so white! Reminds me of the movie, A Boy and His Dog. If you really hate American architecture (like I do), check out James Howard Kunstler's,The ghastly tragedy of the suburbs. Bravo CityNerd!
I love Top 10 vids as much as the next guy, but I really appreciate this kind of deeper dive and analysis of a topic. My wife and I have absolutely experienced this residential dissonance when we were looking to buy our first home in Nashville back in 2017. We explained to the realtor that we preferred walkability, but there were so few realistic options that even somewhat fit this criteria, that we ended up buying in a location that wasn't walkable at all (we could walk to Shelby Bottoms Park so that was a definite perk but they usually don't sell groceries in the park nor is it a place to hold down a job, etc.).
I thought your framing of this topic was on point, with all the walkable urban simulations that we construct so that people can tickle a memory for a few hours or a day or two of what it once was like to be a real bipedal being
Out of all the urbanist TH-camrs you are my favorite. Keep being positive. Can't wait for you to start filling some really big stadiums!
I enjoy most of your videos, but this is my favorite video from your channel I've seen to date
A big thing to look at is how we zone...more specifically how we're allowed to zone. In lots of places in the US you're not allowed to zone mixed use residential/commercial, or build multi-family dwellings. Planners and developers are often forced to make suburban sprawl
I really enjoyed this video. I like these kind of deep dives into the American concepts of how our country lives and reacts because it really can show why we still resist the obvious answers to our planning.
I find it has a very limited range of subjects and ignores other areas...
@@b_uppy not every video needs to be broad. Some diving in is always nice every once in a while. Showing us in-depth concepts.
@@Klasher07
Except this channel's content is very similar to other channels of the same ilk. It's copy-paste with this channels...
He fulfills a different nitch for me compared to the other channels I watch. So that's completely your opinion and what you are watching. CityNerd does things quite different enough from the other urbanists or city planning side that I definitely can't say the same.
@@Klasher07
Lol.
I liked the change up including some philosophy along with the history and data/statistisc. Human nature will always be a fun topic to discuss and dissect. Per usual I appreciate hearing your observations, insights, and research references. Keep em coming!
Really enjoyed the video, thanks!
This was definitely an awesome one, it’s nice to understand when talking with people who don’t consider walkability important or understand it, why they may feel that way or even what other factors they agree
“Simulacrum of bustling city environment” very well said, I love this phrasing. Here in Columbus, Ohio these simulacra are popping up more and more. Look up Bridge Park in the suburb Dublin, Ohio as a prime example. A manufactured experience of being in an urban environment surrounded by parking garages. People flock to this location and fill those garages for happy hours, dining, shopping, and then retreat via 20 minute drive to their suburban home.
Ask any person why they like it so much and the answer is consistently “it’s so walkable” “you can easily get from one place to the next” “the pedestrian bridge across the river is amazing” “It’s like the Short North!” and so on. More and more are being developed in the suburbs which is a shame because instead of an scaling urban environment that’s walkable from one community to the next, developers are making pockets of simulated downtown experiences only accessible via our highways.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, great video topic I really liked your take on this. Looking forward to the next video!
One of your best videos yet
Excellent way to frame the conversation from the beginning, and this different style of video hits right. As usual, great use of argument breadcrumbs and letting people reach a fairly obvious conclusion themselves.
I definitely like this style of video. When we talk about cars vs trains or density vs urban sprawl it often leaves out the fundimental reasons why and how we organize human settlement
4:15 In the LA region at least, most of those outdoor shopping centers were not remodeled malls, but rather old industrial sites and factories.
Van Nuys - The Plant - General Motors
Downey - Downey Landing - North American Aviation
Burbank - Empire Center - Lockheed
I absolutely love these kinds of videos
Love the channel! If haven't already, should do a video on top edge cities to major cities. Like Arlington to DC (even though it's technically a county), Oakland to San Fran, Jersey City to NYC, etc!
Great video! People need to understand that denser, walkable places aren't expensive by nature, they are expensive because people really prefer them that much more, and there aren't enough to go around. Maybe a companion/follow-up video could be a look at cities that are working the hardest to rebalance their housing diversity (that is, car-dependent cities that are cranking out more walkable neighborhoods)
“Cruises are urbanism” is a take out of left-field, but it’s definitely interesting
Everything you need can be walked to. And if you leave the ship, it dumps you into either a very walkable touristy neighbourhood, or to public transit / bus tours where you can go see something cool.
This video is brilliant! Thank you
This was a great video! I liked the changes. Enjoyable as always :)
I just remembered a development outside of downtown Atlanta called Glenwood Park that has all the elements of walkability. It was completed in 2010 and actually lead the city to chane the code to allow narrower streets. They also had to get variances for mixed use. It was wildly successful, so I wonder why more like it have not been built. Therte is a video about it's creation th-cam.com/video/XoVXoB6x3vM/w-d-xo.html
Glenwood Park is a great example!
One overlooked factor in walking around "lifestyle centers" and Disney World: these are not public spaces. People feel comfortable with these places because they exclude anyone who isn't there to recreate, shop, or eat. People enjoy the fiction of a society where no one is poor. There are no pickpockets on the Monorail, and anyone acting weird will be trespassed out of your local outdoor shopping center.
I live in a walkable area, and the Next Door drama that happens any time someone sees a "suspicious person" is absurd. And Lord to people get mad about unhoused people being unhoused in their field of vision when they go to the fancified downtown area.
By unhoused people do you mean junkies? Yeah, people tend to get bent out of shape when there are junkies who tend to shit and piss on the sidewalks, steal and sometimes assault random people.
As someone who has lived in big cities off and on over the years (currently on) the biggest fear of urban crime seems to be from those who don’t live in the city. Yes, crime is a bad thing, but no, I’m not spending every moment living in fear of it and having it dominate my life. And I appreciate of having the choice of getting around on foot, transit, or bicycle instead of always being compelled to drive everywhere. But in the media it’s always crime, crime, crime.
@@Jay-bw3fl It's interesting that you describe tourists as "people" and those who are addicted to drugs as "junkies.". It's almost as if you believe one group is human and the other isn't. What an telling semantic choice.
@@davidbarts6144 it’s not “the media” it’s statistics which we all tend to love until they show things we don’t like.
@@Jay-bw3fl Too bad that the statistics say that those who live in cities are less likely to die from non-natural causes than those who live in rural areas. The opioid addiction doesn't care where you live.
Very funny CF digs, laughed out loud multiple times. But yeah great content, thanks for making videos.
Great video, really learned a lot!
Great video, to comment on the Atlanta comparison as an Atlanta area resident. It is true, the Atlanta area is not walkable and unfortunately the majority of new developments are still very car-centric. However, similar to the Seattle comparison, the walkable parts of Atlanta (City of Atlanta, Serenbe, Historic Alpharetta/Avalon, Historic Marietta, and the other bedroom community historic districts) are very expensive, and the prices aren't slowing down.
If more walkability is built, then it'll sell. It blows my mind that city planners (or unincorporated county planners in this instance) and developers aren't thinking outside the box.
I live in Decatur near Emory, it was very walkable , but you are right, any place like that is going to be very expensive. Developers can only develop the land they own, the government has to do it.
That last part was important. For the most part, walkable neighborhoods tend to be very pricey--unless they are located in dangerous parts of town. By pricey, I mean that a large house suitable for a family with kids, with a big yard, is going to cost a fortune.
I live in a two-bedroom condo in a major east coast city. It's about 1,000 square feet. That's ample for me, but many (including the growing family who sold it to me) need more space for the kids. Single people like me, and childless couples, tend to prefer living in walkable neighborhoods, while families are more likely to prefer suburban housing developments with lots of space. Generally, the bigger the family, the farther out they tend to live.
Agree. When you have kids it is tough to walk for groceries and the schools have to be good, those things override walk-ability. When my kids are grown I will live in a walk-able area again.
@@info781 It is sad, that you have to chose one OR another.
@@fumanchu4785 True but dogs need a lot of space unless it is a very small purse dog. I hate to see a dog in a tiny yard all day.
I like this format a lot. Much better than the top 10 lists in my opinion.
I vote yes for the philosophical approach! I appreciate so many things about your presentations, but this one had me feeling more intellectually and emotionally engaged than the others.
I would love to live in a walkable neighborhood, but in southern California where I live, the walkable neighborhoods close to the coast where the climate doesn't suck are extremely expensive. Of course, beach communities are going to be costly. Therefore, I am doomed to live in the car dominated suburb a short distance inland, near the intersection of two horrific stroads, and if I want to spend some time in a nice walkable neighborhood, I have to drive there and find a place to park.
There are walkable communities away from the coast that are a bit less expensive, but for me, nothing is walkable when the temperature is too high. I might consider the city of Vista. It is inland, but not too far from the coast, so the climate isn't as nasty as in Escondido or Temecula, two other inland cities with walkable downtowns. Main Street in Vista is an odd hybrid of normal downtown and lifestyle center. To the east is a normal downtown area with local businesses, restaurants, and bars. There is even a recently built large apartment building with commercial space on the ground floor - the perfect sort of development for a walkable community. Then, to the west, Main Street transitions onto the private land of a small lifestyle center which is a lot more sanitized than the somewhat gritty "real" downtown and has more chain businesses. On the outskirts, south of downtown, is a typical ugly power center with expansive parking lots. The old public downtown is appealing, albeit small, and the lifestyle center portion is somewhat less appealing but still has some businesses worth visiting.
I think there is untapped demand for housing in walkable neighborhoods. Not everybody wants to live in a single family home with a yard that has to be maintained. Some of us actually want to live in apartments and enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about constant maintenance and yard work. Downtown neighborhoods with retail on the ground floor and apartments and offices on upper levels would be great for many people.
I did enjoy the topic and thought your discussion was insightful.
One of your best yet, and it's a high bar. I enjoyed your philosophical turn and the inclusion of John Rawls. Well done.
In search of car-free America? All of NYC, except for the more inaccessible, car-dependent outer suburban reaches of Queens and the Bronx, is your answer. I've lived in NYC car-free for 13 years and counting, first in lower Manhattan and then in northern Brooklyn, and I marvel at all the spots I am still discovering in this vast city where I can just simply walk. For example, this past weekend I went to a Brooklyn neighborhood, Bed-Stuy, that I had never visited before. Yet again, walking to this delightful backyard dinner party in a neighborhood filled with mature trees and stately 19th-century architecture was so easy and simple. Thanks to a very extensive subway system for making this happen!
It is one of the best things about NYC. You are almost never far away from food or new experiences
@@LucasDimoveo I can literally walk out of my house in the Bronx and have tens of restaurants in a five-minute walk lol. The best thing is that with walking, I can just burn off all the calories from eating, so I don’t gain weight!
@@peskypigeonx yup. I'm originally from Queens, born in east NY. Honestly if my partner wasn't allergic to the east coast I'd move back
Not sure if you've done a video on this, but one of the challenges people move to the suburbs is a growing family and better schools. Are there walkable cities that have good schools for growing families (that are safe and affordable)? Maybe an interesting topic to cover if havent already. Cheers!
This was a very refreshing change subject matter tone. Really makes me dink. Ty for the great content
Thank you for the great video!
Walkable neighborhoods are in such short supply in the US that any walkable area that is reasonably safe was either always wealthy, gentrified, or gentrifying. It makes me sad because I believe walkability should be for everybody, but also because it makes these areas surprisingly homogenous (not to mention insufferably bougie). If you’ve ever been to a neighborhood that has one or more stores selling greeting cards for $6 and up you know what I’m talking about.
My old walkable neighborhood priced out everything but bars.
When I lived in downtown Seattle in the 1990's, I was able to walk to work and most everywhere else I needed to go. I only used my car on weekends to get groceries. The surprising side effect for me was how many more hours in the day were now available to me compared to my commuting life in Los Angeles. But from what I hear from others who still live there, that walkable downtown is now dangerous and full of homeless encampments.
Yah, can confirm. Although Capital Hill and Queen Anne are still walkable. But Downtown is very sketchy, even during the day... Especially as a girl.
I greatly appreciate the theory and data behind modern research in urban development theory!
This was the first video I saw from your channel. Definitely entertaining! Your style is an interesting mix of jaded and enthusiasm 🙂
I think exploring the cost of walkable housing in north america ( why some housing costs more to construct and how much of the population can actually live within 1Km of where they work ) would be interesting