bragi

I really liked this video; it succinctly sums up what car-centered urban design has done to the quality of life in many cities, and how to fix it in a manner that appeals to the bottom line. However, I'm not convinced by his ostensible main argument: that car-centered design is ultimately economically unsustainable. The presenter offers no actual specifics about what makes this model unsustainable. In addition, it obviously has been sustainable thus far, or people all over the world wouldn't have continued doing it for the last 60 years. That said, again, I'm now convinced that it's just as economically viable to make much more livable communities; the fact that people will pay a premium to live in pedestrian/bike-friendly places, even though it doesn't actually cost more to build them, should get every developer's and traffic engineer's attention.

Robert Foster

Still the point is even if this particular community did everything the OP's flyer is supposed to promote plus put in free ice cream for pedestrains and outlawed cars all together the OP would still move to New York. hatred of small southern towns is the main focus. The flyer seems to have little or nothing to do with what the OP doesn't like about this small town. It is the location and people he doesn't like. Take a look at the town of less than 20k people and see if it is that lacking in someones ability to be very car light of car free. It is only 25 square miles and has a well developed city center. https://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Cartersville&state=GA

Take a look at the elevation gain from one side of the town to the other, Oh never mind. I just hope when the OP moves no one is wearing a I love NY shirt when he gets there.

Roody

Sometimes the solution to the problem is getting people to think about the problem.

Or even realize that a problem exists.

Tom Paine didn't know what the solution to the problem was when he wrote his flyers. He only knew that the King was an evil bastard and that people should do SOMETHING about it. The first step was to get people aware, angry and involved. Solutions came along when the colonists started talking about the King and started to realize that they had power to improve their own lives.

Robert Foster

In this case it would be like complaining about conditions in the colonies because he wanted to live in Canada and simply didn't like living in Boston where they had a strange accent. The OP is not trying to inform based on some of his other statements he is trying to defame or spread propaganda. There is a difference when you see the intent is not for community improvement but out of a dislike for the people. Or don’t you think the reason for the flyer matters? In all honesty it seems like it would be better if the OP left this small Historic community that draws visitors because of its historic values and moved. He would be happier and the people can go on with one less outsider tying to change their way of life so they will be more like New York. Who knows, he might champion putting apartments on top of the Native American mounds. I can only imagine what flyer he would champion at Mesa Verde.

MobiusX

What are you talking about? Did you read Andres Duany's book? I did. Is there anything in the flyer that is not true? They are facts. How do you expect people to live a car free lifestyle in these conditions? They need improvements. If you are mad about the flyer, talk to my professor about it. It was a project for my sociology course. I got a good grade, a A- on it, but the flyer was only a small part. I had to write an essay. If you think my flyer failed, then talk to my professor. He thought it was good and so did others when I gave the oral presentation. They even agreed that this was true about where they live and some were not even aware of the fact that they live in a place that has a high car dependency. They said they wished reliable public transportation was available. They said it would be nice to be able to walk to the corner stores, etc... Plus, I already emailed somebody from this site the actual pdf file for the flyer since he personally requested it. If anybody would want one, just send me a private message here and I will email it to you.

Robert Foster

I am simply suspect of your motives and question how it applies to your wanting to be car free in your own location. And here is why:

“ 57 cars were forced to do this simply because of 1 person riding a bike. “

Some of us can ride down a street and have 500 cars pass in 12 miles. 12 miles is halfway across your town. The state laws allow us to ride on the street and simply as far to the right as practicable. We can be car free and car light even if a car is on the road and has to pass us. We have the law on our side.

“They can't comprehend why somebody would ride a bike instead of driving”

I don’t believe you have a clue to what they do or do not comprehend. I know plenty of people in cars that will wave cyclist through an intersection even when the car has the right of way. You don’t even understand why they live where they do or how that particular town developed. You are trying to use a book based on some other area as a direct comparison to a place where you happen to live and don’t like.

“I don't know what kind of planning went on when they were designing suburban places like this, but they have to go back to the blackboard and rethink because their design has failed to include everyone, it has failed.”

I agree you don’t know enough about the history of your town or how hard or easy it would be to commute in a town with traffic as light as your area or as heavy as in New York. You didn’t look into why they designed the town the way they did or how easy getting around a town of 25 square miles could be in a relatively flat area. The only proof you have personal experience with is being bored. I will grant you that.

“I just thought of something. The mailman here drives and simply sticks his hand out to put letters in the mailbox. Where I used to live, they parked the car and walked to each house. This sticking your hand out technique is called laziness, the mailman does this where I used to live and he might get a high five from a kid walking pass him. But he won't get the mail in the mailbox that way. I'm sure many mailman that if they moved and transferred their job to my neighborhood would be finding themselves in big trouble once they realize that they actually have to walk with their own feet, no machine or device for them to help them do this, no more being treated like a princess.”

You might have hit on the core of your dissatisfaction. Cultural prejudices and a touch of bigotry maybe part of the problem. I wonder if the mail persons transferring to your old neighborhood just might be more adaptable to that neighborhood than you are to theirs.

“I can go to other towns nearby very easy with a bike in NY. What is good about it is that the towns are close to each other. But where I am now, it's like this place is designed to keep you trapped in 1 town. The people here actually sell shirts and pants with the name of Cartersville on it? It's like these people try to stay faithful to the towns they live in, like they are fanatics”

Being proud of your town is fanatical? Selling shirts with the name of the town is unusual? Do you read anything you write? Do you believe people in New York are not proud of where they live and they don’t print shirts saying as much?

“This waving hi to each other every time you see somebody walking outside in the subdivision is a desperate attempt of trying to make communication with another human since they are so used to being trapped inside their cars. Several times already, I've seen people I never met in my life wave hi to me from inside their cars while I am driving, and this ranges from children to teenagers to actual adults.”

That sounds horrid. Just imagine people being friendly for no earthly reason. Tell us more bad things about this place.

“Plus, it's pointless really to actually use your energy and time to wave hi at someone you absolutely you don't know, just to say hi? And then what? No real friendships or relationships will develop after this. What will you get out of this? It just means they are lonely and desperate. I can just imagine waving hi to random people at the bus station in Hempstead. That's not normal human behavior. It's either you have something important to say or something is seriously wrong with you. You must have a lot of free time to be doing that.”

I wouldn’t wait I would run away as fast as I can to a place where you don’t have to worry about people being friendly. Sounds like you must be a hoot to talk to. No small talk just straight on to politics, economy, and sociology. I can only hope when you get where you want to be someone might give you a flyer on what is means to be a “hater” or move to Sesame Street to be a backup in case Oscar moves.

Right now you live in a place many here could be car free in. You just gave up on it from day one. No big thing because I moved from places because of snow and rain. But I admit why I left.

Roody

Do you not think that many historic areas are gravely threatened by sprawl?


https://www.preservationnation.org/is...st-endangered/
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/...5221308152140/

Robert Foster

They may be. But did you look at a map of his town? Did you read what the real motivation might be? Can you even imagine friendly people waving at you as you ride to town? Some of them even wear shirts promoting there town heaven forbid. I thought that was civic pride. And darn those mail people they just deliver to the box those lazy glods. Now the OP has to walk all the way out of his front door and get the mail. Look up the town and see if the conditions are as hard as Portland or maybe even Davis. Google the town and get a view of the roads that are being complained about. See if the city plan is how you view sprawl for 19,000 people. I believe there is some chain jerking going on here.

MobiusX

I guess you did not read my post about someone trying to threaten me with a car for no reason that I can think other than the person hates pedestrians? I do not know or the story about the egg throwing at the garage or the story about the guy across the street threatening to kill. But that is not really the discussion. It's suburban sprawl that has to improve in order for people to have a car free lifestyle there. That's what matters and that's what the flyer was about. If you don't like it, that's your opinion. And the place where I do live is suburban sprawl, it's a very good example of it and how idiotic it is for these people to create streets that resemble a Nascar racetrack. They no longer have to stop to make that curb, which makes it even more dangerous for those who choose to walk or ride a bike.

chewybrian 

This is the same as someone from the sticks in Georgia complaining that everyone in New York city is unfriendly because they don't say hello. When you see thousands of people every day, it is impractical to wave or say hello, so you simply walk past them all.

But if you are driving or walking in rural Georgia, and you only see one car or pedestrian every 10 minutes, then waving is not impractical. Saying hello to a stranger in these situations does not imply that you or the stranger are desparate or lonely. It's just being friendly.

It seems like you want the people from the country to understand and accept the New York city response, which makes sense if you are in the city. Can't you step back and see that their response is appropriate for them in their environment?