Suburban sprawl makes owning a car a necessity. If we’re going to significantly reduce the amount of driving Americans do, I think most people are going to have to give up on the American dream. Most people are just not going to be able to own their own, detached single family home in the suburbs.
The american dream is half the problem. Most suburban neighbourhoods cost more to maintain and repair than they generate in taxs. They are unsustainable and simple rises in taxs would need to be too steep for most of them. Many cities repair an old neighbourhood with the profits from selling land/development fees for a new neighborhood, somewhat like a pyramid scheme. The american dream was doomed from the start because it was always unsustainable, from an environmental, economical, and social view.
I’d say it’s more than half the problem. It’s just too expensive, too inefficient, and just not sustainable. It must go, and once it does, suburban sprawl will go with it. Once that goes, higher density housing and mixed use development will become the norm, and when that happens, owning a car will become not only unnecessary but impractical, for many.
Depends on where you live but making walkable/micromobility friendly cities more common is critical for sure. I’m fortunate enough that I can bike to work every day, same for groceries and general medical stuff.
Suburban sprawl makes owning a car a necessity. If we’re going to significantly reduce the amount of driving Americans do, I think most people are going to have to give up on the American dream. Most people are just not going to be able to own their own, detached single family home in the suburbs.
The american dream is half the problem. Most suburban neighbourhoods cost more to maintain and repair than they generate in taxs. They are unsustainable and simple rises in taxs would need to be too steep for most of them. Many cities repair an old neighbourhood with the profits from selling land/development fees for a new neighborhood, somewhat like a pyramid scheme. The american dream was doomed from the start because it was always unsustainable, from an environmental, economical, and social view.
I’d say it’s more than half the problem. It’s just too expensive, too inefficient, and just not sustainable. It must go, and once it does, suburban sprawl will go with it. Once that goes, higher density housing and mixed use development will become the norm, and when that happens, owning a car will become not only unnecessary but impractical, for many.
Depends on where you live but making walkable/micromobility friendly cities more common is critical for sure. I’m fortunate enough that I can bike to work every day, same for groceries and general medical stuff.