Originally Posted by
TimothyH
Because of subdivisions.
The contemporary subdivision has replaced interconnected neighborhoods.
The modern subdivision has one or two exits onto busy secondary roads with no other way to get to schools, churches, stores, etc. Kids can't get anywhere safely without walking or riding on busy streets whereas interconnected neighborhoods used to provide multiple routes to such places using relatively quiet residential streets.
Contemporary subdivisions have ruined police enforcement - the foot patrol is no longer practical and so police are now stuck in cars and rarely enter subdivisions unless called.
The concept of a minivan owes its existence to the rise of non-connected subdivisions. Everyone wants a giant house with a pool and playground in the backyard and a home theater in the basement so that they don't have to leave the subdivision.
It has not been good for society.
+1
My daughter's backpacks were ridiculously heavy as early as 2nd grade and some kids have those folding carts to wheel their bookbags.
-Tim-
We're extremely lucky to live in a walkable subdivision, built in the late 50s and early 60s. It has an interesting feature: While it has the curvy streets and cul-de-sacs that were becoming popular, there's also a network of walkways that cut through the neighborhood, in between houses, so the kids can walk or bike to school without really ever seeing any traffic at all. It's pretty cool.