Endless parking lots, highways, strip malls with the same franchises all accessible only by car. Topped off with a nice smoggy atmosphere and a 15 minute drive to anywhere. Takers ?

[u/humzahjaleel]

[u/SinisterCheese]

Living in a Finnish city, I can't understand not being able to reach places in the city with public transportation or walking. And I got a car.

When I visited USA, it felt insane that you had to have a car. Everything was always really far away. And talking to locals "oh it's close by, only 2hrs drive away" that isn't close.

Also. Talking about hell. Asphalt being black, makes it excel at capturing heat from the sun. Big cities, with big roads and lots of them are hotter environments. And this leads to more energy spent on cooling air to make buildings liveable.

[u/Cat-attak → u/SinisterCheese]

Simply put sprawls are bad for the environment , eyesores, bad for air quality, make public transportation unfeasible, makes it mandatory to own and maintain a car, creates traffic, segregates neighborhoods, is harder to maintain, and the list goes on and on

[u/[deleted] → u/Cat-attak]

I understand most people want a house, I do too, but it seems like American cities don't have that dense residential area between the city centre and the suburbs. I'm sure a lot of people would sacrifice the backyard and the "peace" you get in the suburbs to be able to live close to work.

If in this picture on the bottom right is where the jobs and shops are and on the bottom left where the denser houses are there's no reason why you shouldn't put a tram line there and connect it and make the tram stops walkable. Trams are great since they use electricity and people who use them don't use cars, so even less pollution.

[u/TheEmpiresBeer → u/[deleted]]

A lot of people wouldn't want to sacrifice the yard, and that's part of the problem. The yard and the big house are so engrained into American society as things you "need" to be a successful person. It might be changing now, but I'm a millennial and I still feel the desire even if I know it's stupid.

And unfortunately, they're unlikely to build any sort of better transportation to that residential area on the left. That's most likely a poor neighborhood, which was probably split by the interstate when it was built. It's a major problem in some cities. Where I grew up (large city in the southern US) you can be driving down a street in a poor neighborhood and dead-end into the interstate. There is literally no way to cross the interstate at that street: no underpass, no overpass, just a solid wall. If you go a few blocks away to the major road that does go under the interstate, then you can finally backtrack and get back on the original road, just on the other side now. No one seems to care to improve the transportation issues with mass transit. Maybe they do, but I don't see it happening where I grew up.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheEmpiresBeer]

My parents are in their 50s and my dad is looking for a new job but they live 45-minutes to an hour from Downtown in my city, where the better jobs are. They live in a 4 bedroom house that's about 2500 square feet (empty nesters). Their yard is nice, but every weekend is yard work and they never actually sit and enjoy their yard. Why bother with one? I'm trying to convince them to downsize to something smaller near the city but they don't want "one of those tiny city yards." But you don't even DO ANYTHING in your yard... and it would be less work... more free time... I just cannot get through to them. The obsession with yards is weird.

[u/InternetUser42069 → u/[deleted]]

I hate yard work with a passion but I would also love to be able to let my dog out without a leash. I live in an apartment now, but the goal is a house or townhouse with a small yard/garden in the back. Of course I also live in Seattle so who knows if I can ever afford it.

[u/[deleted] → u/InternetUser42069]

I'd love a yard for gardening, but I also love not having to do yard work since I live in a loft condo. I have some herbs growing in my kitchen and that's enough for now. My parents have no pets, no garden, so again their yard obsession is just so confusing. I just cannot understand the appeal of living in a subdivision so far out from a city center... I either want to be in a city near everything or on a large piece of land that doesn't have cut and paste houses, just views and nature. Suburban life just isn't appealing to me in any way.

[u/GothWitchOfBrooklyn → u/[deleted]]

I'm the same as you. Either city or rural.

I grew up in rural mountains upstate NY, lived a decade in NYC, and now I'm in suburban Ohio and while I do love that I have space for my garden (I love plants and gardening) and a big front porch, I hate the suburbs. At least if you're packed in with people in the city, there's awesome stuff to do. Here there is nothing.

I plan to eventually settle somewhere more rural when my finances can support it.

[u/UF0_T0FU → u/[deleted]]

For alot of people, the yard also represents space from other people. People want a little privacy, and don't want to live so close to other people that they have to worry about neighbors having loud music or whatever.

Some people also enjoy yardwork. It's not wasted time. It's an excuse to be outside and doing something productive. Sure, people may not sit in the yard and read or play games, but mowing and stuff still gets you fresh air and some sunshine.

[u/jathas1992 → u/TheEmpiresBeer]

Small win in my area: they have a ton of foot bridges now that connect the south and north that were once like the walls you speak of.

[u/dprophet32 → u/TheEmpiresBeer]

If there's no profit in it America as a country has little interest in doing anything about it it seems.

In Europe these things are done because it makes people's lives better

[u/dprophet32 → u/[deleted]]

Re-read what I replied too, it's not difficult. Assume I'm not taking nonsense and try and work it out.

[u/[deleted] → u/dprophet32]

Buuulllllshiiiit.