> "There is nothing wrong with suburbanization, but we wouldn't have nearly the extent of suburbs that we have now if all transportation options were on equal footing."
This is basically what I'm thinking these days. Having suburbs is fine. What's really killing us, is the incredibly low density of those suburbs, caused by zoning and the hiding of transportation costs that subsidize that zoning.
It's the cul-de-sac neighborhoods and massive parking lots sitting idle 90% of the time that make suburbs unwalkable and impractical to service with public transport. If the suburbs themselves weren't so sparse, their residents wouldn't need to use their cars as much and transport options for getting into the city, or to neighboring suburbs would greatly alleviate traffic and increase freedom for those who can't drive, can't afford to drive or just would prefer not to.
This is basically what I'm thinking these days. Having suburbs is fine. What's really killing us, is the incredibly low density of those suburbs, caused by zoning and the hiding of transportation costs that subsidize that zoning.
It's the cul-de-sac neighborhoods and massive parking lots sitting idle 90% of the time that make suburbs unwalkable and impractical to service with public transport. If the suburbs themselves weren't so sparse, their residents wouldn't need to use their cars as much and transport options for getting into the city, or to neighboring suburbs would greatly alleviate traffic and increase freedom for those who can't drive, can't afford to drive or just would prefer not to.