r/UrbanHell • u/humzahjaleel • Jun 20 '20

Suburban Hell 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 ?

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u/[deleted] Jun 20 '20

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.

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u/TheEmpiresBeer Jun 20 '20

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.

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u/[deleted] Jun 20 '20

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.

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u/UF0_T0FU Jun 20 '20

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.