Living in the Suburbs will NOT make you Happy
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
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Americans spend nearly an hour a day commuting to and from work, and many people find that their entire lives revolve around commuting and working, leaving no time for socializing and relaxing. College students are especially affected by long commutes and large distances, which can have severe impacts on academic performance.
➜ Check out Rachel Leonardo:
/ @studio.leonardo
➜ Follow Me:
TikTok: / flurfdesign
Instagram: / flurfdesign
➜ References & Further Reading:
Happy City by Charles Montgomery
www.charlesmontgomery.ca/happ...
Fragile Neighborhoods by Seth Kaplan
sethkaplan.org/
Travel Time to Work in the United States
www.census.gov/library/public...
Stress That Doesn't Pay: The Commuting Paradox
www.jstor.org/stable/25195346
Most U.S. Workers Still Driving Alone
www.prb.org/resources/commuti....
Commute Impacts Academic Success
www.torontomu.ca/news-events/...
Undergraduate Commuter Students: Challenges and Struggles
files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ...
How Car Dependency Affects Social Connections
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Average US Household Size
www.statista.com/statistics/1...
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
www.statista.com/statistics/5...
Dispersed Social Networks
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Dutch Pandemic Commuting Survey
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Corridor vs Suite Dorms
psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-2...
1950s Census Records
www.census.gov/library/storie...
➜ Timestamps:
0:00 Life is Commuting
1:32 Bad Land Use
3:13 Sponsor - Ground News
4:33 Car Dependency
5:30 Commuting Shouldn't Suck
6:46 Commuter Students
7:26 More Space But Less Connections
9:24 Meeting Friends Is Hard
11:12 Why College Campuses are nice
12:58 Controlling Social Interactions
14:17 Zoning Reform & Building Community
15:50 Conclusion
-flurfdesign
#urbanplanning #urbandesign #commuter
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I noticed many in the younger generations acknowledge that fossil fuels are bad for the environment and the future,
but rarely do I see the same concern and activism when it comes to critiquing our transit infrastructure.
There is clearly a disconnect here, why aren't more of the younger generation pushing for public transportation projects such as buses and trains ?
The same ones who are avid climate activists never talk about trains and new buses
Let me guess, you are Canadian? Most of the footage seems to be from Toronto and GTA.
GTA has terrible infrastructure and even worse infrastructure design. Trust me driving is miserable in Sauga, my little brother goes to a university in Sauga (we live on the other side of sauga), it takes us 45 minutes to get across. Bus would take 1hr 30 mins on a good day. Billions upon billions need to be invested in the GTA infrastructure for things to change.
What we need then are transporters/teleporters and replicators as seen in Star Trek. That and fusion power which would solve most of our material problems.
@@aaronbrown3820The problem is that changing all of this would require great upheaval and mega investment, costing tens of trillions to either build new towns and cities from scratch which maybe easier to do than to transform already built towns and cities and interstate and road and rail networks. What is necessary to achieve what this video demands or calls for as improvement is essentially rebuilding a nation. It isn't easy and it is naive to think can be done so easily for already developed nations, unless I am mistaken. Wouldn't we have serious ownership issues and everything.
How would we compel companies and private owners to relinquish their right property and have it redeveloped or changed. Do we use eminent domain or compulsory purchase orders for the whole nation of everyones property that refuse to allow this? Replanning already built cities and transport infrastructure isn't easy. We are talking 5 minute, 15 minute and 20 minute cities, in order to make things better for everyon, so people are within walking distance or short public transit times from everywhere they need to be within a daily basis. And then also making longer distance travel such as car and railway travel more sustainable and faster. These things cost tens of trillions to do and places like America cannot afford that kind of debt or investment anymore. Am I wrong? If I am then how can this be done and affordably and not cause havoc to the environment and disruption to our life rebuilding all of this in an already developed nation? And how long would it take us? A decade or 5? How would be get the skill and labor force for this? There aren't enough workers for these kind of projects on a national scale by a 2030 or 2050 deadline for sustainability development goals. We don't have a booming population and a declining education system. We also cannot rely on immigration to help fill in the skilled workforce because then we are depriving the world of their needed workers.
It would be easier to just build new towns and cities from scratch.
Either way though, it is likely to also result in catastrophic environmental harms in the short term even when being careful to not put wildlife at risk and doing the work in the most ethical, meticulous and conscientious way. These things aren't easy to solve. But the countries that do have a lot of land as a resource are at an advantage than others.
@@aaronbrown3820Are you able to read my reply to you? I raised s few things to think about in response to your comment but CZcams discriminates against me and censors certain words so the comment was deleted, even though perfectly civil, polite and innocent. CZcams is NOT a free speech platform.
People vastly underestimate how much money just owning a car costs. The cost of a long driving commute is way higher than most people think it is.
Imagine that long commute without the car 😂
@@user27278 imagine if we had better zoning laws so people didn’t feel like they need to live a 2 hour drive from work. Unless housing is well over 500 dollars a month cheaper they are not saving money but are wasting their money and life to sit in miserable traffic.
@@jeffreystanley4991 bro, single family housing was eliminated here in CA, we still have to.drive 2 hours 🤣
@@user27278 it’s because of decades of crappy zoning laws. It’s too late now. California will always be a suburban car dependent hell scape.
@@user27278 It's not going to change things over night. The only way it would change over night would be for them to literally destroy every house and build from the ground up. However, this will be a slow process. Places will get denser slowly, and soon enough the commutes will take less time.
One thing i hate about America is that urban design is very car centric.
Blame lobbying
@@Devinn504 yes. I am thankful to have a car and live here in America.
But i missed the days when i live in other country where i dont need to drive to go to work, to go to school, and do errands.
When i moved here in America, i have to drive in everything i do everywhere i go.
@d3r3kyasmar Being Car Centric while That the best part about this Country!!! I wouldn't have it any otherway!!! Screw that no car life style!!!
@@es-qf2gw I smell heavy amounts of cope
@@es-qf2gwCars cost gas, while walking and biking net you exercise.
Oh man, I remember living in the Burbs years ago (90s) and having to drive almost an hour each way to get to the office. I thought it was insanity then and I know it's insanity now. Have worked from home since 2002.
The work from home trend will only encourage more people to live in the suburbs and the exurbs. If the commute is the only thing holding people back from moving to the suburbs then removing that negative will cause people to move even further away from their jobs. Who cares if the office is 100 miles away if you work from home.
What do you do for a living and does it come with a pension?
Some american don't realise just how these hour long commutes sound to people from abroad, i for example visit my mom every two weeks because she lives in a city one hour away, yet some commutes over in the states can be up to double that, one way, every day. Just absolute insanity
@@KnowledgeSeeker78491 I'm self employed. And very few, very few companies offer pensions anymore. And that is a damn shame if you ask me. Pensions go on for your entire life while a 401K will usually run out in 12 - 14 years.
Wfh is definitely the best quality of life possible. No need for urbanism either if anyone could do this. Cancel cities.
All my colleagues who live 2 hours from work are stressed, fat, complain about car expenses, and spend their weekends doing errands that compound during the week. What an awful life.
What you've just stated is a huge reason why millennials are gentrifying cities like New York, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, Jersey City, Philadelphia etc.. It's a fast 30 minute commute to work. In boroughs like Brooklyn, millennials find comfort in knowing it's "relatively" safe and see the post modern transformation of low/working class neighborhoods into boroughs that look and feel more like that in Manhattan. Of course there are downsides to all of this. But for many, the good outweighs the bad. 25 minute commutes beats 1:45 - 2:00 commutes any day of the week.
Screencapped for when they inevitably find you slumped over your steering wheel with multiple gunshot wounds outside of your urban town home.
@@kenallen8213Miami, Austin, Las Vegas, Atlanta, etc are huge cities too.
@@sabrinagonzales4456All large cities across America are seeing the same trends.
Nobody really has to live that far. It's a choice.
Keep spreading good info about urbanism! Over 300 people were killed due to vehicle crashes in LA last year, and we need videos like this to inspire people to demand safer, healthier cities.
That explains the transit expansion too bad it includes slow trams
We need better public transportation, there should be more push from the younger generation to request this, especially from the climate activists
@@aaronbrown3820please , not the climate activists. They, will their stupid actions, cause climate denialism
300 people in a city 3+million people
300 is actually low considering that 9 million people live there.
I live in a shoebox in the city but my commute is 15 minutes. I can also walk to the store. My time is more important than stuff
But you live in a shoebox.
I have a shoter commute and I drive. Imagine thst
Lol keep telling yourself that this comment section acts like everyone in the suburbs is an hour commute from work. I'm 10-15 minutes enjoy being Ina jam packed city that smells like piss living ina shoebox for 4k a month 😂😂😂
@@mr.devil9577 that’s pure cope ngl you know damn well that the suburban lifestyle is sad, there’s a reason why a small condo in major cities cost so much while big houses in the middle of nowhere suburbs are cheap.
@@TheGreatWasian_I wish suburbs were cheap. I think you mean rural areas because living in the suburbs in NJ is more expensive than the city
Young Parents: We've got to move to a large house in the suburbs to have space for our growing family!
Slightly Less-Young Parents: Driving children everywhere is a pain in the ass, let's stop after 1 or 2 kids.
Stopping after 2 is wise due to expense and college cost. Driving them around is not the reason people keep families small 😂
It is more
Young parents: We are liberal but we cannot afford a house here, we have to move to a very Conservative State to begin with a home and try to save enough money to at some time come back to the big city.
Slightly less young parents: I am fed up with church all the time to meet people, to drive all those long distances and those people criticizing how we live but hey, our house has more value - but we still cannot move back as the prices in the state we loved also increaded.
Deadlock.
@@CaribouEnoTexas and Florida in a nutshell. Oh yeah and need an abortion, the govt will lock you up for life.
@@FJBandFkMAGA I keep losing friends to those states. For HOUSE. Last time I called with one couple, when the topic came about cultural life, restaurants and lifestyle, they became silent immediately to change topic to "Did you see our huge pool? You are sill in your little NYC apartment? How will you retire???" etc. It gets annoying.
@@CaribouEno I realized to myself that the "American Dream" is really not for me. So what places may charge half a million for a tiny apartment, at least I am happy and thats all that matters because a big house in BFE nowhere is not going to make me happy.
Saw a tweet once that said something like “nothing ruins adult friendships more than moving to the suburbs” and that really resonated with my experience in a big city. At first most everyone I knew lived in or near the central city, but as time went on, people decided to move out to the burbs or exurbs, and all of a sudden it takes me 45-60 minutes to get to any of my friends house. Was actually miserable & stressful that trying to get dinner or drinks or whatnot meant an hour and a half round trip.
Part of the reason I like the small city/metro area I live in now is when people move out to the burbs, they’re not actually that far away. (Not to mention the small city’s compact, central city neighborhoods are still fairly affordable… for now)
@@Callsign_Sturm Well that’s why we have options. Everyone’s different. None of those activities you just listed sound appealing to me at all. I’m not a naturally social butterfly by nature and whenever I lived in the suburbs I was severely depressed because I never needed to leave my house and thus got no human interaction or socialization. It was incredibly detrimental to my mental health. I need that daily interaction in the city to function, thus I live in a densely populated downtown and I love it. I don’t have to go very far to hang out with friends at restaurant or go to a museum or the zoo or take part in any social activity cause it’s right outside my door. But that’s just me 🤷♀️ you do you and I’ll do me. 👍
That’s understandable to a degree. Typically, as we get older, our focus shifts from getting dinner/drinks with friends on a pretty regular basis to growing a family. We move out to the burbs for a safer environment for kids with more space to raise them at a lower cost than a city.
Similar to college dorms, ski resorts are all very walkable and have extensive public transit. When I used to work at Vail, people used to rave about how it was so nice to "not have to have a car" and be able to walk/bus/ski/gondola everywhere, as if it was not possible to live in the US without a vehicle. There was even affordable housing for employees. It is completely possible to build beautiful, pedestrianized villages far away from city centers in the USA. We just don't do it unless its centered around an amusement park, ski slope, university, or casino.
Sure, tourist attractions are great. Just nobody can afford to live near them unless you're in worker housing 😂
In Canada almost all the ski resorts have local Villages, at least in major Ontario and Quebec ones (Blue Mountain, Mont-Tremblant, I've been to both by the way)
You must have lived in Vail 30 years ago.
The worst part of my adult life was when I was living on a college campus after I transferred from community college. Having zero privacy, constantly being surrounded by other students was incredibly stressful to me. My mood in general improved after I moved off-campus the next year, even if the commute ended up going to 45 minutes long.
@@omargoalzzI went to mont tremblant last summer and it was so tiny and not really walkable even then 😅
I currently commute 3.5-4 hours a day because it’s the on out way to afford a home. I HATE my life. I’m difficult to be around. You know what the kicker is? I don’t even like the house I live in, so what am I doing? I’m doing it for my family, who will soon hate me. What a paradox.
Might be self fulfilling prophecy bro. I hope you find a woman and have a family that will love you
@@themalibumalik??? He’s already married with kids bro
Work from home
Why will they soon hate you? For being gone all the time and not being there for them physically and emotionally because you're always in your car, you selfish jerk.
That sounds like modern slavery lol
FANTASTIC VIDEO. I especially liked the point re: car dependency. "There's nothing wrong with driving in particular. The issue is being dependent on driving." So true! Any time I discuss this subject with suburban friends they're immediately on the defensive bc they need to drive everywhere, and so the convo devolves quickly.
That's a big reason why so many neighborhoods in metropolitan cities across America are gentrifying. Millennials are moving into neighborhoods (which were formerly low income/working class) that are closer to their jobs. 25-30 minute commutes beat 1:45 - 2:00 hr commutes any day.
I live 3 blocks from my job and bike most of the time. This should be available to more people.
Same I m 5 blocks from my job and usualy bike May-Oct
It is but the difference is, they'd rather not live in the city because of safety reasons or something.
When I lived in Germany for two years I absolutely loved how efficient public transportation was; simple and easy to use! Every place from a large city, to a small village had a train station making transit accessible to all! Plus, it was healthy and very enjoyable to notice the beautiful scenery around me.
That's why I love Pittsburgh. The city is very walkable. Yes there is traffic but not nearly as bad as LA or Atlanta. The region's geography makes sprawl very difficult because there are so many hills. The city had to be efficient with land use and pack things close together.
What about the winter time?
@GavinMathis-dr9vt Yeah Atlanta is definitely overrated
Too bad Pittsburgh got rid of the PCC streetcars, I would rather use them than drive everywhere.
I love my suburban home. The people in my town are lovely. I hope everyone finds the place where they belong.
That’s the thing right. You are able to get to know the people in your town and have a community. Not all suburbs are like that :/ Suburbs that are more tightly knit are great but not common
@@samyud1819you can thank “diversity” for that buddy
@@itaintobeezyhuh?
It is great if you don’t mind sitting in traffic for over an hour. If you lived in the mid-Atlantic area like I did, your commute is over one hour one way IF you are in a carpool. If not, it can take two hours. That means you leave your house around 6 am and get home around 6 pm. If you can handle that, great but it’s no fun if you have a family or other obligations
@@itaintobeezy ?
Nah bro I'll keep commuting from my bedroom to my home office while living in the middle of fuckin nowhere.
Yep 😂
That's the best! I see horses and cows when I get out with my dog. She can run and explore in a wild meadow, and there is a small town with everything I need at 5-10minutes. I take the car less than once a week.
This is the way
I am 18 years old, and its literally impossible to live and work here in the South without having a vehicle. I live in a urban/rural mix, but all of the businesses are too far for me to walk to so i can even get a job to move out or pay for a car.
This place just isnt walkable, there arent any sidewalks and it just looks extremely odd seeing someone walking on the side of the road. You simply cannot walk to town.
Thanks for having me on Flurf! Really enjoyed our conversations around this and hope it brings people a new perspective on walkability :)
I live in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon and I don't drive. My hour and twenty five minute commute now has become an hour forty-five minutes now that the light rail is being worked on. I am now searching for jobs closer to home.
So many good points! I'm particularly fascinated by why people don't realize how big a difference a commute (or lack thereof) makes on well being. In Calgary, the suburban rentals might be $100-$200 cheaper, but now you need a car to feasibly do anything, which directly costs an individual several thousands of dollars per year, and costs every household (through government subsidy) another several thousand a year in road construction and maintenance.
I live a 10 minute bike ride away from one of my workplaces, my other work is out of my garage (bike shop), my church is a 20 minute bike ride away, and my grocery store is a 5 minute bike ride away...all in suburban NW Calgary constructed in the 1960s. I've even ridden my bike to the airport in 45 minutes. Transit takes 45-60 minutes to the airport. Life without owning a car is way more freeing, and I can still use car share the handful of times a year that it's worth it.
Only thing I'd improve is density, and thus: activity, vibrancy, and better cycling infrastructure.
I agree, even just having the option to ride a bike is very freeing, even if my dad uses the car to get to a place simultaneously, i can leave a family reunion or party at my pleasure instead of having to wait or having to leave earlier than i want.
@Nelumbo_lutea I mean, technically, those suburbs are all part of the City of Calgary proper. What you're referring to is the inner core. That's the distinction I make as an Edmontonian (as Edmonton is similar in this regard).
The housing crunch does suck here in Canada, because all the walkable urban areas are just so expensive.
I live in Switzerland and series of unfortunate events and wrong decisions left me with 60km commute by public transit. It takes from 1h 10 min to 1h 30 minutes, as looking for a new jobs sucks and my CV is not fancy-schmancy I am not even invited to interviews. Time to get professional review of CV. This life absolutely sucks.
I can say to anyone never under no circumstances move to small town for work. Life is dead there. Don't take any job that require long commute.
Sometimes it's a choice between long commute or homelessness
I feel you. I currently have a 80km ~1:30 commute here in Germany by train and it absolutely sucks. Driving could be slightly faster (~1h-1:15h), but then the time feels even more wasted, because I can’t even watch some Netflix or read the news.
My previous commute was 2km by bike and it’s hard to describe how much I miss it. But moving or switching jobs is difficult right now for a multitude of reasons, so I’m kind of stuck with this for the time being.
@@KnowledgeSeeker78491 True, then commute is better obviously.
@@eechauch5522 This is so similar! I used to have 30-40 minutes by public transit with frequent service. Long commute sucks but true, in train it is possible to watch movie or read. Mornings are fine, but afternoon is hard for me after work.
Once I was talking to my work, old good times.
@@eechauch5522 This sounds so similar and hard! In trains it is possible to watch movies, read, write or have a nap. Once I was walking to my work and this was amazing, but I needed to leave for many reasons. Then I mostly had 30-40 minutes with frequent public transit service, which was also perfectly fine. It happened recently that my job, decent one, is located in the middle of nowhere and to live in a place with any community I need to commute.
Looking for a job now is hard, but I keep trying. Still I am stuck for a time being.
I wish you good luck in improving commute!
People nowadays are scared that AI and machines have taken over the world, but they already have, it's CARS!
Honestly, I think the world would be a better place if we had options to choose which mode of transportation we want. Cars are good, but we don't need it for everything.
Even the "grid-street" suburbs of the early 20th century were single-family houses on relatively large lots, and were more or less car-dependent. It's not the cars that've changed things, it's the communications and delivery technologies.
People want their own space. How many want to be shoved into an archology?!?
I live in the DC area and I really only use the metro more than I drive because it’s cheaper than paying for parking. I’d much rather be in my car than on a train with hundreds of people. I don’t ever feel lonely when I’m in my car. Btw I’m not an introvert either.
Most times, Nobody talks in a crowded bus. Your thesis a car isolates you is questionable. Public transport is full of dead miserable people just trying to get by. It's not like you're on vacation at some bar. You're just there hoping to get to where you are going and hopefully the drug addicts won't get you first 😂 nothing is more annoying than people trying to socialize in public transport
@@davestewart2067 People want their own spaces, yes. Thing is, detached single family homes are $$$$$, not just the price but maintenance as well. Same for cars, studies show the average yearly cost for a car in the US is 12k. Also, stop acting as if walkable cities means cars and single family homes will cease to exist. They will very much still exist for those who want them.
Hearing people in the US spending 1-2 hours just driving back and forth to their workplace each day is absolutely wild to me. What a nightmare.
I moved out of the city and have never been happier! I got away from constant noise, dirty streets, air pollution, gun shots and disgusting, unreliable public transportation! The safety here is hundred times better, schools are MUCH better, it’s green and quiet with all the shopping and restaurants I can possibly want within 10-20 minute drive. Commute to work? Not a problem, it’s a 30 minute train ride downtown for my wife and 15 min drive for me as my office is not in the city.
Oh, and my 3 bd, 2.5 bath townhouse with a nice backyard was $200k cheaper than my 1 bedroom condo in the city!
It all depends on what you want out of life. I work remotely (so I have no commute), and am right now in northern Maryland where it takes and hour to go anywhere. And it has to be done by car. Esp food and entertainment options. That's what I sorely miss about the City - wide breadth of cultures that I was immersed in.
That’s great you found what works for you - I think the video was mainly aimed at people who **have to** commute 2+ hours per day in soul crushing car traffic because no other viable transportation options exist around them. 🤷♀️
Same here. Not sure what the hell this vid is about. I lived in a big city for 10 years and it was absolutely horrible. Getting anywhere to hang out took forever. Now I can just go outside and drive. Luxury apt super nice same rent fuck the city.
@@sammierose1150if you're in the suburbs you can afford much more much closer than 2 hours than a city commuting 1 hour with no freedom because of the path you *need* to take on public transport. Just live in a suburb 20-30 min away
Dont let the soy boys who hate cars get to you lol you’re smart
I live in a lovely older apartment building in Toronto. Luckily we got in before rents skyrocketed. Bike commute is 35 minutes each way. 5 minute walk to shopping. Subway station 50 metres from front door. Car-free life is good.
if you dont mind me asking, what line and what station?
@@omargoalzz I live on Bloor Street West (so on the Bloor Line), right at Old Mill Station. 😀
@@knarf_on_a_bike lol the city's best area in my opinion.
@@zacharyonucky1400 I feel very fortunate to live where I do. 😀
As someone who grew up in suburban hell as I like to call it, I have made it my dream to move to a city someday. I only have to wait another year until I finish my undergrad and can move away at long last!
Go to Tokyo trust me
I quit my 22 miles away and 50 min to drive job and accepted a significantly wage cut, for a new under 2 miles away job and the investment payed out at least double. I leave the house at the same time as before, but I'm 2-2.5 hours earlier at home. I've lost weight through bike commuting and went from 3 gasfills per month to like 4-5 a YEAR(!) It's great, if you can do it and I feel deeply sorry for everyone who can't do this an has to endure a long commute.
Coz you"ve git a choice in the US.
Paid*
@@Real-comment-unreal-name thanks
I absolutely despise commuting by car.
When I was in college I kept living at home and was a commuter student. Even though it helped reduce costs, I still feel a sense of regret. For years I was driving 45 miles a day, my last semester it went up to regularly driving 60 miles a day. I felt very disconnected and isolated. I don't feel like I got a full college experience because I didn't make deep connections with people and I was avoiding events that would keep me on campus for longer because my mind was always worried about being forced to sit for even longer in traffic.
Once I was out of college and working, it was common for me to spend over 2 hours a day commuting. When Covid lockdowns hit and remote work started, the lack of commuting saved enormous amounts of time, money, and most importantly, mental health. Returning to working in an office would be easier to stomach if I lived close to work and in a city with better urbanism, but until those circumstances change for me, I see no benefits and only drawbacks from RTO.
Owning a home in car dependent suburbia is over-rated, the new American dream is leaving North America to live in an actually livable city.
You go to college to get a degree. That's the full experience. Your best life is ahead of you, not in some college dorm. 😊 College experience is overrated by movies 😂
@@cmdrls212 Hard disagree, although it's likely dependent on what college you go to. I had many great experiences and made lots of memories, and I can't see how I would have met my best friends otherwise. If you're already spending the money on the degree I think it's worth it to be on or very close to campus for at least a year or two. Not trying to make OP regret or anything, just needed to give my piece. Some people would call my outlook on life irresponsible. I'm not sure if Covid broke my brain, but I just don't care as much about minimizing every potential debt dollar at the expense of other things, just for all your planning to fall through because of a global pandemic. Life is too short to care.
Came here to say the same. I went to university lived in a dorm for a semester and dropped out since I failed everything. Too easy to get distracted by social life and drinking. Got a job and eventually went back to school but commuted instead, actually finished successfully. You missed nothing.
I grew up in a NJ suburb and moved to NYC for 4 years and absolutely HATED it. I just moved out back to NJ a few months ago. Lost weight since I can actually cook nutritious meals in my kitchen since it’s big enough to stand in now instead of getting delivery/bodega food. My brand new apartment that I’m the first to live in is triple the size with all new appliances, includes parking for the same price I paid for an old decrepit shoebox with no closets or sunlight in Brooklyn (where I had to park on the street) I also had no dishwasher and only laundry in building (I was lucky) in NYC. Here I have every single thing I need accessible to me within a 5 minute drive instead of either having to walk and deal with carrying everything or deal with parking my car. My neighbors here are polite and quiet whereas in Brooklyn I dealt with constant noise loud music and partying and couldn’t walk down my block without getting catcalled by drunks. I take walks all of the time now because it’s so peaceful. I never felt safe in the city. I still work there and I commute an hour into the city by train. It’s absolutely worth the trade off. Thinking about going back to city living makes me feel downright s**cidal lol
The issue with these videos is some people see commuting as a small bump for the life they choose to want. I’m the opposite of most, live in the city and drive 35 min to work in the country, and I love it, I wouldn’t want anything else. Eventually I will move out in the country but here in the Midwest it can be cheaper to rent in the city than out in the boondocks. I’m not saying more transit is bad, it’s definitely a god thing and something we need more of. But some people like me enjoy the drive, enjoy automobiles in general, and don’t want to live in a city or be surrounded by building and people all the time. Just food for thought.
I think you can have both, but infrastructure in the US favors automobiles over all else. Some areas are very walkable, but others aren't. It's important to remember there's many reasons a person can't drive (Blindness, old age, lacking working limbs, DWI, etc.) who still need to get around, which is why we need more infrastructure for pedestrians. The country will never be zoned like the city (I know because I live there) but the Suburbs could certainly better about it.
And friend, that's great! I'm happy for you that you enjoy that! Heck, I'm the same way- I enjoy my audio book on the drive. I enjoy driving.
Taking that away isn't and never was the point, though. It's about ensuring it isn't the only option available to people who don't or can't do that. That's all.
Well that’s why we have options. Everyone’s different. I’m not a naturally social butterfly by nature and whenever I lived in the suburbs I was severely depressed because I never needed to leave my house and thus got no human interaction or socialization. It was incredibly detrimental to my mental health. I need that daily interaction in the city to function, thus I live in a densely populated downtown and I love it. I don’t have to go very far to hang out with friends or go to a museum or take part in any social activity cause it’s right outside my door. But that’s just me 🤷♀️ you do you and I’ll do me. 👍
@@connortobin3775 thank you, exactly.
Ok but it’s terrible for the environment. Just because you might enjoy something doesn’t mean the majority of the population should spend hours commuting when there could be decent, reliable transportation implemented
On top of the time for commute, there's the time it takes to get to other friends who also go out into other suburbs. When it takes 30 minutes to get home and 20 minutes to see your friend, you're both less likely to schedule time to hangout. I see my friends in houses much less often than those living in apartment complexes close to the city center where I live
Driving is like living life in the loading screen
At least 50% of the Loneliness Epidemic is bad city design
If I were President of the US, among other things:
Green infrastructure
Pedestrian-friendly infrastructure
Third places in our cities
"15-minute" cities
High-speed rail network across the contiguous USA
How will you pay for all that in 4 years? The president does not even set the budget, the house of Representatives does. How do you convince 400 plus people many of which are elected by farmers to do any of it? Not to mention the US deficit is already so high there is basically no money
OOOOOOOOOOR you could just move to an existing area that already offers that. Instead of shaming all other under greenwashing bullshit
@@yourgooglemeister6745 Great solution, except for the fact that it's hard to find places like that. Besides, shutting down dialogue about cities by just saying "move somewhere else" isn't very productive.
You’ll Have To Run Demoncrat In Order To Do That
With so many people now working from home, the traffic is much less than it was. I haven’t driven to work in 9 years. Lived in a big city (NY) for 10 years and while it offered many wonderful things, it was also very stressful and never felt that I could relax. You always felt the energy around you and in a way was like living in the middle of an amusement park. I need to be surrounded by quiet and nature to be at peace.
1) If you can work remotely, than almost everything is fine
2) depends on state, country, etc: in most European countries living in suburbs pretty ok and commuting is quite short
I live in the suburbs, i love it here. I dont mind driving into the city. That being said, i wont complain if people who want to live in the city get better cities to live in.
It doesn't fix the root of the issues with car centric cities and suburbia, but work from home is a good bandaid to the commuting problem. Also the idea that we build giant office spaces for people to go to and sit in a cubicle is an insane waste of space as well.
The problem is housing prices. A house in a decent area near my office is north of $700k.
We can tolerate people more knowing we can escape from them😂.. i usually try to escape from people all the time😅
Me too!
i always use to say im not buying no house far out bc who drinking and driving and gotta drive 30 to 45mins home is wild lmaooo
i get depressed when i spend more than 48 hours in a suburb without sidewalks and impossible to navigate without a car. i will never understand how people can choose to live like that.
This is such a gold mine of a channel because I never hear this topics really talked about for a younger audience and it’s so inspiring to make a change!!
Even if you’re rich in the USA and can afford to live in the city, the cities are ghost towns too, only see homeless people walking around.
What US city are you referring to? Every city I’ve been in is crowded and packed, especially during rush hour.
What cities are you looking at? If you're just measuring by people walking about, then it makes sense you only see the homeless people because everyone else is in cars.
Fortunately, Toronto is getting better in terms of both public transit and density. Including allowing multiplexes everywhere across the city. It will probably take decades to get decent transit and density but we are on the right way 🎉🎉🎉
I live in Chicago. Here is why:
My commute to work times as follows per transit method below:
Walking - 20-25 minutes
Taking the bus - 5-10 minutes
Driving - 3-5 minutes
2 hour commute? Holy shit... Nope.
And besides, you live in the best city in the U.S.
I'm biased though, Chicago native that I am.
& You’re Close To O Block To Get Your “Extra Recreational Activities”
As some born and raised in Brooklyn, I’m glad I left and now live in a nice quiet suburb. The cities are phuking disgusting now!
When I was single, city life was better but with a family, I like the suburbs. Great schools and don't jave to worry about my kids being harassed by homeless
Your city should try to figure out solutions to get the homeless back on their feet. Besides, the suburbs are worse for kids overall.
As someone who was raised in the suburbs, it’s not a fun way to be raised. There was nobody around my age for miles, it was impossible to go anywhere without being driven, and I had to take a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to school where I was very fortunate to be able to be driven home everyday which was an additional 45 minutes. Not an experience that lends itself to a healthy upbringing.
@cadentrombone5345 I had plenty of friends my age and we biked and walked around. My suburbs were by a small town to do normal kid activities.
@koolmckool7039 I was raised in the suburbs and had plenty of friends. How is it not healthy?
@@coye9r It depends on the suburbs, but many if not most of the suburbs are extremely unwalkable. This doesn't matter to adults with cars, but to kids, you need to walk to get places. Add in SUVs and trucks which can accidentally run over kids, and kids on bicycles, and you can get a very bad environment for kids.
I live on the outskirts of Melbourne in an area called belgrave. Its a cute beautiful town on top of a hill surrounded by trees. I commute an hour for uni everyday but i personally dont mind because i have access to national parks walking distance from my house.
I know this is different from living in a suburb. But for me the daily commute is worth it in order to live in nature of the weekend
The funny part about that Soul Crashing Traffic at 0:29 is that's not US suburbs - that's the city of Warsaw, Poland. That 189 bus you see there goes around the edges through some of the most prone to congestion city thoroughfares so it pretty soul crashing most of the way and still getting worse. Sane people pick train, metro or trams whenever they can.
This was the topic for my final argument paper for a lecture. Hearing sentences so close to what i had written surely took me by surprise :D Wonderful video my friend, the quality deserves more views and subscribers surely. ❤
You guys are smart. You explain exactly why I've avoided subirbs my entire adult life. At 53 I'm retired and spend my life in Asia, visiting Australia to check in on my recently widowed mother. In fact I live in hotels and get around with a folding bicycle. It's a great life for now.
Another thing I noticed is that people in Australia move, walk, talk etc about 50% faster than people in Asia. I wonder what that does for their quality of life over the long term?
Best of luck to you all🍀
The only solution moving forward is we fight for better remote rights. There is absolutely no reason to commute to a city just to work in an office.
You then would have the right to live in a big city, small city, or maybe even out in the country.
This type of attitude is why tech folk get laid off in the 1000s lmao. You have the "right" to get a different job or start a union, nobody is going to codify making your already easy job even easier into law. If companies are gonna pay someone to sit inside all day and barely work they will pay someone in India, not you.
@@zaycad215Clown mindset
Reality check- as cool as work from home is, it's far from the *only* solution seeing how the majority of society doesn't even have a job that could be done remotely. If you want a source on that, just google the largest employers in your area, I already know I'm right :). And even for the little societal bubble of people who can work from home, better urban design still makes the big cities more livable, the small cities more robust, and the countryside less congested with suburban developments.
@@gwety4496 Sure. If you want to play SimCity and be Mayor and design the perfect city, public transit, walkable integration. That's great. But with most cities, especially Los Angeles, there to too much red tape to do anything meaningful. Everything is too controversial for dramatic change. Remote work is still honestly the best bet to reduce the dependence on people going into areas they do only for work. You can easily reduce many White Collar jobs with remote work, Big Banks, Engineers, Finance, Education. I don't know why you are shutting it down. You can Only get what you want when those buildings are empty, and therefore a city can be rebuilt for people not companies. So lets make remote work a worker right.
@@gwety4496if you work in an office, you can be remote. Don't let lying CEOs tell you otherwise. Cities are full of office jobs that have zero reason to be in person. The cuts on office sprawl, city sprawl, and savings in emissions are worth it. The problem is these companies spent on sprawling campuses or decade long leases and now they are stuck
I'll be sure to watch this on my 2 hour public transport commute tm
Great video! Looking forward to more of your videos!
This is such an incredible work! Bravo
I love your channel you deserve more subscribers
Communities and relating is the biggest 🔑 for fulfilled life. Crazy that I live in the suburbs and I hate traffic, I talk to nobody. Gyms are far with tolls in between. Bad drivers that I can lose my life to. It’s crazy
Nice work, keep it up, looking forward to more!
Keep up the work man, I'd always love to hear what is wrong about urban design because I've been through a crappy area on my ebike before. I hope your channel becomes bigger because people need to know about this!
I have a commute of only 45 minutes for 60km (first west and then south), but I have to drive from home at 05:45hrs to arrive at 06:30hrs at the construction site. If I leave 15minutes later from home, I cannot arrive before 07:00hrs when work starts, because of traffic jams on the highways. Luckily my boss allows me to leave work at 15:00hrs and I’ll be home at 16:15hrs, or 16:30 at the most. To get there I have to drive a different route (first east and then north, total about 75km) home. I still have a number of traffic jams, but because I’m on my way just before rush hour, they’re very short. If for whatever reason I depart at 16:00hrs together with my colleagues, I’ll be home between 18:00 and 19:00hrs, depending on the weather. Public transport isn’t an option, the first bus departs at 06:30 and I’ll be at work at about 08:00hrs and I have three transfers, regional bus, commuter train, intercity train and city bus. My boss doesn’t allow me to start an hour later and end an hour later, so that isn’t an option. Public transport would have been 15 to 30 minutes longer than the car in the evening and about 45 minutes in the morning.
I drive 25 minutes to and from work each day, but I live in a town of 12k and work in the next town over which is 10k. So my drive is all out in the country and it’s really relaxing each morning to be driving as the sun is coming up. But, my situation is not about this video, and I’m not equating it to city driving. In college I used to work 15 minutes from my school, but on the way back home it would take 30-40 minutes because I got done at 5, so it was rush hour. That sucked
I live in a suburb that I absolutely love and am so grateful that my commute to work is 45 minutes WALKING. My wife and I have 1 vehicle and not obtaining a second one is certainly a choice!!
I was working at a $95k engineer job in DC for 8 years and hated it. Despite the high pay, i couldn't barely afford a apartment, car plus i was extremely stressed from work and bills. Taxes are too high and i wasn't happy.
I burnt out.
In 2018 I decided to drop EVERYTHING and moved to St Thomas to become a bartender making $34k a year.
Best decision of my life. For the 1st time of my life i made friends and went on vacations. My friends became family. Healthcare is super cheap and life is affordable.
My only regret was wasting my 20s and part of my 30s in America.
America is not a good nation at all.
Leave now while youre young.
Another high quality video on this topic. I actually am so hapoy that this topic gets discussed more often as I have first hand experience with this. I live in Europe but the suburban area we moved to are similar to the Us in the sense that there is very bad trasnit if any at all, car centric and nothing to do. I was born in Vienna and lived there until I was 8. I actually loved living in the city as a kid I constnatly had friends around in every park, I got to choose from 4-5 parks all within walking distance. Community activities everyone I known living near by. Me and my brother experienced heavy depression in our teenage years living here. Not only did we not have money for buying our own car we alzo hate driving a car, so we have to beg our parents to drop us off at the nearest train station far away. Commuting to anywhere where humans are takes atleast an hour minimum, all are friends are also carless and live far away making socializing very difficult and bueurocratic if we do plan to hangout. Urban design or lack there of literally destroyed my life. I am actually planning on moving back to the city as I lived there for a month in a sublet. My quality of life improved drastically in that month I stayed in the city. My social life started booming, I gott fitter and thinner cuz of naturally having places to walk to, I felt more alive and happy as well as healthy. Work commute shortened I got more sleep etc. urban design is everything
This is so true. I realized that when I moved from a city to a Swiss countryside. Now I have long commute work and it sucks as I moved to closest place with any social and cultural life.
Not sure if this is a factor on whether or not people enjoy their commutes but for example, the Toronto Subway (Line 1) is mostly underground where passengers can't see anything except for a dark tunnel. Whereas the Vancouver SkyTrain is mostly elevated and above ground, allowing passengers to view the scenery because from my personal experience, when I'm in a metro going through an underground section, it feels longer and is boring. Of course, distance is a primary factor as despite the GO Train being on the surface, the ride can take a long time.
Wife works a 10 minute walk from our home. She's home by 5:15. I usually work from home but when I don't it's a 30 minute transit ride away. Driving is overrated
My suburban commute is 7 minutes to one office. And 20 to another past 22 wineries. Clean air, birds chirping its the best. 16 miles outside Seattle.
I lived in a big city downtown for two decades. When cities decided not to care about quality of life issues like crime and stopping riots and open drug use, I moved to the suburbs and I like it.
I live in a suburb and my employer is based in a neighbouring suburbs.
I work in a fast pace medium sized corporate work environment which you would normally find in a city.
However, being in the suburbs really is nice as you don't feel like you are in a concrete jungle.
The parks, natural beauty, space, less traffic, spaced out shops really make a suburb my favorite.
This was great, thank you
As a suburbanite in northern Denver. The majority of any walkable real estate has become a 'for the rich only' thing.
I commute to my job 40+ hours a day and its awful. My largest goal ever: I don't want to drive to work anymore. I hope here in the US we increase public transit.
Lived in both the city and suburbs and the suburbs are the way to go no question. More privacy, more quiet, more living space, less problems and not everyone has to drive to the metro area for work. Still I would take the longer commute any day.
I work from home and have an actual backyard with local wildflowers, a small garden, and visiting wildlife. Everyone who doesn't absolutely need to be physically present for their employment should be allowed and encouraged to work from home too. Screw living in a rented steel and concrete box surrounded by people on every side.
I live in the suburb. Am comfortable. Don't feel sad or bad about it. Now I no longer have to commite to work which helps. But this isn't Asia, Europe or even Canada. With our fellow citizenry I feel safer and more relaxed in the burbs. Btw I semi lived in downtown San Francisco for 6 years and experienced both its highs and lows.
I'm very happy to live in an older neighbourhood that has good transit access and walkability. I could never stand living in an area where I'd be forced to rely on driving to accomplish anything.
Good stuff!
Im not going to argue that subs are better but I am going to point out some flaws since this video seems like more of a bash on the suburbs rather then a true analysis of why they are bad, what is good and appealing and why people would prefer the suburbs. Immediate reaction as I go through this video. First issue noticed, is you used data from 2004, and to me this is Immediately problematic. Smart phones didn't exist, working from home was practically non-existent, and where I live public transit was much less prevalent and housing density has improved along with technology allowing for people to live outside the city. I actually feel like alot of information is missing, as to why people live in the suburbs and while I would agree the way majority of cities are set up is problematic, but is mostly unavoidable in today's society. For one most people can't afford to live in the cities they work. Personally for me and alot of people obviously find it better to live in the suburbs where they could afford to maybe own a home or rent a larger space, rather then be a forever renter in a 700sqft apartment. Things also not mentioned is crime rates are typically way higher in cities then the surrounding suburbs. The price for essential goods are also higher on average, the cost for things like water, electricity, and especially insurance is higher in major cities. Taxes are typically higher in major cities. Something I also noticed was missing is weather. In north America the winter is cold, wet or snowy for most of the USA. Meaning using walking or bike riding problematic for half the year for most. This doesn't include that atleast where I live, homeless people will be sleeping, using drugs or dedicating on the trains often and the train stops are typically areas elevated crime rates. Evan as a male I feel unsafe, especially during the winter months when it's dark on both of my commute times. Lastly most Americans just want space. Living in a apartment complex isn't for everyone. I'll also add that my state got rid of single family residential requirement and is still incredibly unaffordable and if anything the housing market has gotten worse since the ban, though probably unrelated to the policy itself
Facts! I've had so many arguments of people on discord who push suburban life and it's not cool. It's suburbs are disgusting. They take up way too much space. We need to live in more compact cities or people can walk where they need to go where we're interacting with each other that will make you happy
"I argue with other clowns on discord because I have no life. Also crime ridden cities good, quiet safe suburbs bad. Give me likes."
Both spaces are needed because I don't care for people ,but it would be nice to go downtown to walk and eat
Having worked in Europe and Asia I loved being walking distance to everything but in the US I live in a suburb. I just don’t feel that safe in the city so I live in the suburbs even though it takes me 2 hours when I need to go to the office. I also like the larger space I have living in the suburbs. Once you start a family the suburbs just starts to make more sense.
At least houses in suburbs are vast , its better than paying huge amounts for a stupid studio appartement in the city, its also a matter of affordability, its not a taste matter!
I grew up in the burbs and have never understood the appeal.
13:05 This is probably why people look at double-loaded corridors in apartments and say "I don't want to live in an apartment." Bringing back point access blocks would do wonders for making apartment living attractive. But America's not ready for that conversation quite yet.
Fun fact, the state of California decided arbitrarily that all residential apartment buildings must have two protected fire escape stairs accessible by each unit on every floor meaning that anything other than double loaded corridor apartments are illegal to build (or financially impossible) thus regulating the possibility of good apartment design out of existence for nearly 40 million people. The coolest part is that the evidence suggesting this is any safer amounts to 0 :D
@@gwety4496 Even more fun is that every other city and state, except Hawaii, New York, and Seattle, said the same thing!
@@gwety4496 - how terrible that they decided "arbitrarily" not to let tenants die in apartment fires
0:29 This traffic jam is not in America, but in Warsaw, Poland, where most people won't be able to afford a house. So even if you don't own a house and don't live the american dream, you still can be stuck in a traffic jam.
awesome video. definitely need more views!
im a college student who commutes by car everyday and most of my campus does. it absolutely affects my quality of life a lot, especially since my girlfriend doesn’t drive so i have to chauffeur her _everywhere_ . it adds even more stress and i end up staying home a lot because i dont want to contend with driving. i wish i could live in the city, but as of now its not feasible for me. its unaffordable and unsafe.
If you're going to be unhappy either way, go for which one you can tolerate more.
our society evolved into cities where density allows easy access to amenities and other people. suburbs are one of the few examples of actual devolution. its like inventing cars only to switch back to horse drawn carriages. we know thats illogical
That is a sprawlburb, a true suburb like the older US burbs and modern Japanese Suburbs do have amenities near housing even if it is as little as a convenience store
The suburbs are the worst possible way to make a city, where i live there is no concept of a "food desert" because no place in town is farther than 300m from a shop or small kiosk
@@luckyrowmax Nothing but zoning and economic factors prevent American Suburbia from having this as well. If the government really wanted Americans to have Kiosks or Conbini within walking distance of every house, It could be done tomorrow, It really isn't difficult to do.
In my city, the first suburbs were created at the end of streetcar lines. Eventually the private car succeeded the streetcar. If a 15 minute drive can be as convenient as a 15 minute bicycle ride, neither tranport type is superior, they are simply different tools. People will be cold or indifferent towards each other regardless of living arrangements. A public campground can be as socially isolating as a city street even though both are walkable. The built environment doesn't excuse people from making the moral/ethical choice to be neighborly and humane towards others.
@@delftfietser sorry, i should have clarified that i meant American suburbs (specifically cul-de-sacs) are the worst type of urban development because they isolate you from amenities, force you to use one mode of transport for most daily activities, increase cost significantly for the city, reduces revenue per square meter of land, the list goes on.
I dont mean to say Cars are better or worse than bycicles, but that the only way to comute and other daily tasks can only be done by car, and you can only buy goods a 15 minute car ride away, so even buying one small thing can take a significant amount of time.
There would need to be major systemic changes in the US for this to happen:
- State and city investment would need to suddenly shift their focus to walkable and transit oriented developments over highways and parking lots
- Quality of schools need to improve drastically in cities
- Safety in cities would need major improvements as well and the only solution to that is gentrification (many suburbanites see cities as dirty and dangerous)
- In-office work will need to comeback. With remote work being a thing now, people are leaving cities for cheaper areas in other nearby towns and have no plans on returning
I'm so, so glad you brought up the point you did at 4:36. I'm somewhat of a "car guy", who enjoys driving. I HATE commuting though, and actually made a point to live close enough to where I work that the evening rush hour doesn't do much to effect my drive time (a 15 minute drive home might be 20-25 mins). When I'm doing leisure drives, I can also relax a bit knowing I'm not on a "time table", so if it means being 5 mins late to a dinner invitation, it's better than getting road rage while cutting people off just to make it on time.
I love driving around late at night or on weekends when the roads are clear and I can just cruise along, listening to music and not having a worry in the world. But otherwise...
I'm happy in the suburbs. Don't have a 2hr commute either 🎉 You don't have to settle for what doesn't work for you. Do your research and you can live great in the suburbs with all the perks and few of the drawbacks. Personally, would never consider any other way of living. 😊
I live 40 minutes north of the suburbs of Atlanta with all the cows, and it has cured my depression, and raise my credit score I do not like the city or the suburb life anymore. ❤❤
Great video!
Yes yes yes we did and we will enjoy living here 👍😃😘😘😘😘thank you for your support and positive attitude 🙏🙏🙏
Im so glad i stayed in the city. The carboaed box under this bridge I live in that costs $3000/month, the homeless fentenayl addicts mugging me for change, the stoplight cameras, the rude people, the police state, the rich getting the best service and goods next to people that starve, the manshions down the street from homless camps, the rampant theft in stores, the gangerous violent teenagers that go to school nearby that grow up to joint the violent gun weilding street gangs that profit off selling fentenayl. I couldn't think of any reason to go anywhere else ever.
Every CZcams urbanist was bullied.
you sound rather pathetic, are you an auto lobbyist?
Working from home, the first thought that comes into my mind when I wake up is how grateful I am not having to face any type of commute anymore, I have nightmares about going back to that. I feel my life is more balanced as I have more time to cook at home, go out for a walk when I feel like it as opposed to having to go out at a certain time, my home is much cleaner and orderly as I have more energy to do it, etc.
Prewar streetcar neighborhoods may be the best model if you can afford them.
Moderate density, walkable with local retail options nearby.
Most will be found in the Northeast or Great Lakes regions.
Richmond, VA, Buffalo and parts of Philadelphia stand out for me.
As someone who lives in rural east Kentucky, this video is very foreign to me.
I couldn’t imagine sitting in traffic lol. However, I have traveled the country and it seems most everywhere else is like what this video explains.
I disagree with the title. Many people hate the dense urban living in the city and love the suburbs. I moved to the suburb after leaving Boston and never looked back. The same goes with almost everyone I know.
Yep, the truth is that usually the problem is unrelated to the place you live, it is likely due to other psychological issues making you depressed
How connected is your suburb to the Boston downtown core? Like he said near the end, you have to strike that balance between overwhelming urban cities and sprawlingly lonely suburbs. Both are horrid in their own ways. Gotta strike that balance between socialbility and a place for privacy.
@@linuxman7777 Most of the time depression comes from their own household. So usually its something to do with the people you live with or are close friends with.
@@DeeK-du3ig We have a commuter train that connects the city to Boston. Even though most of us don't use it. I never visit Boston unless I have to for my delivery business.
@@Jon_Nadeau_ How long does that train take approx. to go downtown? Also how would you rate the community in the suburb, like do you have people you hang with often minus immediate family?
I enjoy living in Southern New England because it is the closest you can get in America to that dense, pedestrian and transit oriented feel of Europe. I can get anywhere I need in life within a 30 minute walk. Any trip I want to take on a yearly basis I can get to within a reasonable and affordable bus or train ride.
My area of the suburbs sucks (i rent a room) and commute on the train about an hour and ride by bike to the staions and shop. Its pretty great. I ride my bike and bring my acoustic guitar with daily. I write and nap on the train while the downtown area by my shop is awesome so ill hang out there abd take the late train home or get off past my stop and take the long back way through the hills back home...its a great bike ride. We need more trains and downtown centers dedicated to gathering people.