The future is dense, walkable cities.

[Helgamite]

Car suburbs were a failed experiment from the last century. Forcing people to drive everywhere was great for the oil and car industries, but private cars turned out to be an ecological disaster, not to mention the fact that many American cities were gutted to build car infrastructure. Entire neighborhoods were razed to build highways and parking lots.

The way forward is to redirect public spending on car infrastructure to buses and trains. Convert lanes that are currently used for on-street parking into dedicated bus and bike routes. Bring back streetcars. Impose heavy penalties on careless drivers who kill pedestrians.

It will take decades to undo the damage that the private car has done to American cities, but European and Japanese cities can be used as models for how we can get rid of traffic and make our cities easier to get around in.

sounds like Judge Dredd with the walkable cities there. wasn't that considered a dystopia?

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

sounds like Judge Dredd with the walkable cities there. wasn't that considered a dystopia?

Paris and Amsterdam are not usually considered dystopian.

 

[Helgamite]

Paris and Amsterdam are not usually considered dystopian.

True. but are they considered Utopia's? or just small "cities"?

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

True. but are they considered Utopia's? or just small "cities"?

We’re not trying to build a utopia, just more places that are nicer than endless car suburbs and strip malls. LA has lots of lovely walkable pockets—downtown Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood Blvd, Sawtelle Blvd. Tie them together with protected bike lanes and trains and you get a nice place to live and work.

 

[Helgamite]

We’re not trying to build a utopia, just more places that are nicer than endless car suburbs and strip malls. LA has lots of lovely walkable pockets—downtown Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood Blvd, Sawtelle Blvd. Tie them together with protected bike lanes and trains and you a nice place to live and work.

keep congestion down? plus alot of greenery would help i bet. what about trips to jobs and grocery stores? would those be walking distance for a few items?

don't get me wrong, I like the idea. be more economic and more environmental.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

keep congestion down? plus alot of greenery would help i bet. what about trips to jobs and grocery stores? would those be walking distance for a few items?

don't get me wrong, I like the idea. be more economic and more environmental.

An electric cargo bike is cheaper than a car. I’d get one to do my weekly grocery shopping right now if they’re was a protected bike lane down Olympic Blvd or Santa Monica Blvd. Currently, cycling on either street is too dangerous.

I already ride the train to work. If I forget something at the supermarket on Sunday there’s a little neighborhood grocery I can walk to.

 

[Helgamite]

ok, what population number are you looking at for this city? the bigger it is, the bigger the area and biking, etc wouldn't be able to cover it all. so are you gonna build electric trains or monorails all over the city or just the outliers and then have electric public transport to the inner city?

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

ok, what population number are you looking at for this city? the bigger it is, the bigger the area and biking, etc wouldn't be able to cover it all. so are you gonna build electric trains or monorails all over the city or just the outliers and then have electric public transport to the inner city?

Cars are inefficient if a city gets past a few hundred thousand residents. For bigger cities, electric bikes are good for trips from 3-5 miles, and if you need to go further, you walk or bike to the train. But in order to make a really big city work you need housing near transit. Car suburbs can never be efficient. That’s why they’re doomed in the long run. They can’t survive without large government subsidies, and that money is better spent on services that benefit the majority of urban taxpayers.

 

[MajorRewrite]

ok, what population number are you looking at for this city? the bigger it is, the bigger the area and biking, etc wouldn't be able to cover it all. so are you gonna build electric trains or monorails all over the city or just the outliers and then have electric public transport to the inner city?

Cities have always and will always come in a wide variety of sizes.

Many many small US cities had streetcar systems in the past. And big cities too of course.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_streetcar_systems_in_the_United_States

 

[IrezumiKiss]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1774179903795286113

 

[TrailerHitch]

Now you can expect a visit from PETA, too.

PETA...You mean the animal advocacy group that kills THOUSANDS of dogs and cats every year? PETA Euthanizes roughly 70% of all animals it takes in. Approximately 40,000 in its history. I would very much like to see them try to take mine or any of neighbors animals. I don't think it would end well for them.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

PETA...You mean the animal advocacy group that kills THOUSANDS of dogs and cats every year? PETA Euthanizes roughly 70% of all animals it takes in. Approximately 40,000 in its history. I would very much like to see them try to take mine or any of neighbors animals. I don't think it would end well for them.

Sir, this is a thread to talk about dense, walkable cities.

 

[TrailerHitch]

Sir, this is a thread to talk about dense, walkable cities.

I'm not the one who brought PETA up I just responded to the standard dumb ass off topic response to me.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1776655931126022629

 

[goldytheGoldfish]

?

 

[MajorRewrite]

Built it and got 1.5 million uses.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

Built it and got 1.5 million uses.

Great video! LA would be perfect for this sort of makeover—lovely weather year-round, large pockets of high density connected by flat, straight streets, a growing rail network for longer trips.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779594613625372849

 

[desecration]

I do, if public transit is both cheaper and faster at getting people from point A to point B than personal vehicles.

Like the NYC subways

 

[TrailerHitch]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779594613625372849

You still need access for regular municipal services, such as water and sewer, electrical, phone and internet, as well as emergency services such as police, fire and ems. So no matter how walkable or sardine packed you wish to be you will never eliminate the roads. Maybe reduce, but never eliminate. Also the fire department needs more than one side access in case of a fire. Particularly in a packed high rise residence.

 

[desecration]

Personally I think the future is smaller cities that are all suburb instead of these heat- and pollution-concentrating concrete slabs!

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

You still need access for regular municipal services, such as water and sewer, electrical, phone and internet, as well as emergency services such as police, fire and ems. So no matter how walkable or sardine packed you wish to be you will never eliminate the roads. Maybe reduce, but never eliminate. Also the fire department needs more than one side access in case of a fire. Particularly in a packed high rise residence.

Keep the roads, eliminate the parking.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

Personally I think the future is smaller cities that are all suburb instead of these heat- and pollution-concentrating concrete slabs!

Suburbs are the most polluting way to build. Dense, walkable cities with plants instead of parking lots are the greenest.

 

[wizzard426]

No cars. Why would you need roads?

Everybody is afoot. Why need roads?

Just think......from the plains of the Serengeti to oxcarts took us 2m years.

From Oxcarts to the moon, 500 years

And the dims have taken 20 years to put everyone afoot again!

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

No cars. Why would you need roads?

Everybody is afoot. Why need roads?

Just think......from the plains of the Serengeti to oxcarts took us 2m years.

From Oxcarts to the moon, 500 years

And the dims have taken 20 years to put everyone afoot again!

The roads are used by buses, bikes, emergency vehicles, trucks for deliveries, and vans for tradesmen. Vehicles that are more efficient and useful than private cars.