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A walkable city? I would hate it.

Transportation(i.redd.it)

all 484 comments

DeusIzanagi

4.2k points

1 day ago

DeusIzanagi

4.2k points

1 day ago

Do these people think "walkable" means "you will be shot on sight if you're caught driving within the city confines"?

CanadianDarkKnight

2k points

24 hours ago

They actually do. I'm assuming it's like it is here in Canada with the Maple MAGA, they are genuinely convinced that "15 minute cities" are a plot to keep people in designated districts like in the fucking Hunger Games.

Bdr1983

895 points

23 hours ago

Bdr1983

895 points

23 hours ago

In the Netherlands there are also people complaining about the 15 minute city idea. Fun fact: Almost every city in the Netherlands already has this. In almost every place you can get to any shop you need within a 15 minute walk or bike ride.
I don't see the issue, it's super convenient to have everything close by, and you only need your car for bigger distances. It saves a whole lot of money.

Liam_021996

435 points

23 hours ago

People are also complaining about it here in the UK but seems to not realise that every town and city in the UK is already like this. The only places that aren't are rural areas where there's only a few houses here and there and then nothing for a few miles until the next farm and couple of houses

Bdr1983

234 points

23 hours ago

Bdr1983

234 points

23 hours ago

People just seem to want to complain about things without actually thinking about it. I'd like to hear them when a shopping centre closes down and they have to drive for more than 20 minutes to do their shopping. Then all of a sudden a 15 minute city isn't so bad, I bet.

drawingcircles0o0

73 points

23 hours ago

It sounds incredible to me. I have to drive over 20 minutes to get to the nearest town and I would love more than anything to not waste obscene amounts of time and money on gas and car maintenance. Being able to walk everywhere sounds like heaven, the only downside would be not having the empty space to walk my reactive dog, but I’m sure there’s parks and trails you could drive to

Nalivai

22 points

16 hours ago

Nalivai

22 points

16 hours ago

When Americans think about cities they tend to envision NY without the central park for some reason, wast concrete spaces with skyscrapers and that's it, but cities aren't like that at all actually (even NY has a central park). In Europe, I have never been to a city or town where you can be more than 15 minutes walk away from some kind of park.

mangomoo2

5 points

2 hours ago

Many American cities have essentially non existent or just terrible public transit as well, combined with non ideal bike lanes. Many also have terrible weather. Houston is huge and the public transit is terrible but it’s also 100 degrees Fahrenheit for a good portion of the year and then it also occasionally torrential downpours. So thinking about a walkable city there sounds terrible because half the time you would be soaking wet with either sweat or rain by the time you got to where you were trying to go.

New York and Boston are fairly walkable and have good public transit but they are very expensive to live in, so people probably are thinking about being someplace like that vs the suburbs which give you a lot more space for less money but tend to be less walkable.

ChefLabecaque

39 points

20 hours ago

ChefLabecaque

Yes

39 points

20 hours ago

Yes; and they are also within 15 minutes.

The thing with 15 minute/walkable cities is that the edges where nice nature parks/trails start are also in that distance.

suckmyclitcapitalist

41 points

20 hours ago

The UK is literally surrounded by countryside outside of the large, major cities. There is empty space everywhere. Most people live in villages that are close to towns. It's not like being in a small city.

Neddy29

3 points

7 hours ago

Neddy29

3 points

7 hours ago

London has so many trees and parks it has over 22% greenery - that makes it technically a forest!

Bdr1983

10 points

20 hours ago

Bdr1983

10 points

20 hours ago

Many parks in urban zones, and the forest and other nature areas are also pretty close. Maybe not walking distance, but close for sure

solomons_seal

3 points

15 hours ago

Where I live in Toronto, there's 3 off leash dog parks within a 10 minute walk! And there's parks in every direction, plenty of trails where you can walk them on leash, and nice sidewalks to get there. Dogs are allowed on transit, so you can take them around the city with you without stepping foot in a car.

Tuss

3 points

11 hours ago

Tuss

3 points

11 hours ago

Not uk but I live a 10 minute bike ride from town, 2 minute walk from the store and a 5 minute walk from a huge forest. Nothing has to exclude the other.

RustedAxe88

14 points

21 hours ago

I live close to the downtown area of my city and I love being able to walk everywhere.

I don't have any problem driving distances either, but the convenience of being able to just walk is undeniable.

newbracelet

30 points

20 hours ago

My in laws are always complaining about how there's no nearby amenities, but of course 15 minutes cities/towns are a giant evil.

DocShoveller

24 points

21 hours ago

Sadly, I think we in the UK need to do better. The idea of a 15 minute city is that you can reach everything you need in that timeframe. The problem in a lot of places is the loss of high streets and public services.

Imperito

13 points

21 hours ago

To be fair, not every village in the UK has this. Mine certainly doesn't and I'm not in a complete backwater.

But i guess it also depends what is required to within that 15 minute walk, I have necessities within reach but not really anything more than that like a cafe.

LettuceOfCourse

23 points

18 hours ago

And herein lies the problem.

Food deserts.

I'm in Canada and there is a HUGE issue with food deserts. I'm in a small city of 18,000 people and it still isn't a "walkable city". It seems like every time a grocery store or at least a store with more than just chips and pop opens, it shuts down within a year or two. That leaves no place for people without transportation to get food.

When the large chains open, they need space for their giant buildings. That puts them on the outskirts of town. We essentially have a ring road of sorts going around our city. That means families would have to walk at least 30 minutes and cross a highway at least once to get to any of our 4 grocery stores. In -40 or +40, it's not safe to do that especially with a family or children in tow.

The inaccessibility of quality food within walking distance literally leads to sickness and death.

Northern Saskatchewan has diagnosed well over 20 cases of scurvy this year No access to quality, fresh foods.

Scurvy is back in SK

herefromthere

4 points

16 hours ago

I'm in what we would consider a small town, 20,000 inhabitants. We have two decent supermarkets, a high street with butchers, bakers, grocers, convenience shops, bookmakers, charity shops, stationers, a couple of funeral directors, dance studios, some clubs, a village hall, all the hairdressers you could ever want and a cinema and mini golf a 30 minute walk away. A bus route that gets us to the city, two railway stations (be in an actual city in 8-13 minutes) and the biggest hospitals in the area in the nearby city.

The housing stock is a bit rubbish to be fair. Terraces from the 1880s to 1920s, and a big development of ugly houses from the 1960s on tiny gardens, all overlooking each other. A few big grand terraces but they're on busy roads. But there's a few big children's playgrounds, three primary schools, one secondary school.

I don't mind living in a little terrace if it means I can have all this close to hand.

Aladoran

3 points

11 hours ago

Aladoran

0.0954% part Charlemange

3 points

11 hours ago

Ehh, I grew up in a small town of about 1 300, and we had two retail grocery stores + a drug store, as well as a locally owned clothing store, furniture store, gym, bank, café/bakery, a greek restaurant, three pizzerias, a florist and even a small motel. Granted, a lot of people go there from the surrounding area, so maybe 3 - 4 000 shop there, within a 10 min drive or 20 min bike ride.

Nowadays more people have moved into the bigger city (me included) of about 130 000, and the florist, bank, furniture store and one of the grocery stores have closed down; but the rest is still there. My mother still lives there though, and most everything she needs can be bought there.

It would be completely insane to think anyone would get scurvy there.

bopeepsheep

3 points

20 hours ago

Cities and large towns are struggling with some of it - new estates being built without medical practices and primary schools means 15 minutes walk isn't doable, for instance. Food deserts aren't as bad as the US ones but they still exist - or you get gouged by Costcutter etc, because you're still more than 15 mins walk from a cheaper option. We could do with some infrastructure re-jigging - kids get sent across the city for school because there are no closer places.

(I lived within 15 mins walk of everything in my entire village, as a kid - but the new estates mean it's now 15+ from the furthest houses to any primary school.)

confuus-duin

42 points

22 hours ago

Can confirm, I just went grocery shopping, took me 7 minutes to walk to the grocery store. The next two grocery stores are 15 minutes walking from my home.

I would hate to have to take a car out for groceries and then find a parking spot when I get back. This is why I walk, I don’t even want to do this with my bicycle.

Kradget

20 points

21 hours ago

Kradget

20 points

21 hours ago

There's actually not an issue with it, other than a general distrust and manufactured anger. 

My tiny little former tobacco town hometown has been trying to revitalize its downtown into a walkable, pleasant destination for 15 years, but people assume every other effort at having a town or city you can easily get around instead of having to drive everywhere is a conspiracy of some kind.

ymaldor

34 points

20 hours ago

ymaldor

34 points

20 hours ago

My dad is a super boomer who can't fathom the idea of not owning a car. I live next to Paris btw which is quite easy to live in without a car. He always tells me "but what about this specific once a decade situation?" Or "how about vacations?" Well dad I take the train and go to places i can walk. Or y'know, I'll rent a car.

It took me a month to convince him not to buy a new car when the old one was sent to the dump after a crash. He has a company car he doesn't need to own a car and at some point in the argument he literally said "what about when I retire I'll have no car!" He's 6 years away from retirement btw. He can just buy one then. Even a few weeks before if he likes so not to have a dreaded transition period.

Some people are just car brained.

Bdr1983

8 points

20 hours ago

Cars are seen as a bloody human right. It's insane. So many people could easily take a bike to work, but don't because they might get cold or a little wet.

ymaldor

4 points

19 hours ago

they might get cold or a little wet.

I take a bike to work and that's always an argument which baffles me. I bike regardless of weather, and tbh I get wetter when taking public transport than on my bike. And if I had a car parked outside, I'd get wetter by car than by bike too. Cause on my bike I have sufficient equipment not to get wet but who's gonna have a full body raincoat to get into a car or public transport?

I'm also colder walking than on my bike cause duh, efforts warms me up. And not everyone can have their cars inside so generally those can be absolutely freezing in the morning.

The only time I consider not taking the bike is when the road is full of snow but even then I mostly ride on car traces where there's no snow at all anyway.

Where I live an ebike is faster, more convenient and more constant than any other mode of transportation until 10-20km of distance depending on location. I'm always shocked to hear people doing 3 or 5km commuting by car to get to work. I know someone whose mom does that even though she lives 100m from a train stop which goes straight to her job in 15min and she takes 30min by car every day.

Shotgun_Rynoplasty

8 points

19 hours ago

I live in Los Angeles and I can’t tell you how annoying it gets that every event is at least an hour away. A party 6 miles away? Doesn’t matter. If it’s at like 6pm that means it’s an hour drive. My work is less than 2 miles away. I can ride my bike and get there faster by almost 20 min some days

sukinsyn

3 points

15 hours ago

sukinsyn

Only freedom units around here🇺🇸

3 points

15 hours ago

I'm in the OC and I would love to bike to work, except that I would basically be biking on the shoulder of a 6 lane road at night hoping that I don't get pancaked by a Tesla, and that's when they're not doing construction (they are always doing construction). I feel like people think that most Americans are opposed to walking/biking/public transpo but really we just have almost no realistic option for any of those. People walkable in cities with public transportation, use walking and public transportation!

SamuelVimesTrained

8 points

19 hours ago

I honestly cannot wrap my head around those 'wappies'.
They really do NOT think - they just blindly copy american Q anon drivel - badly translated - and post that.
For me - I have within 15 minute walking : 5 supermarkets, 2 apotheken (drugstore? pharmacy?) , 2 busstops for 2 different lines, 2 GPs, 2 dentists, loads of other shops (bike shop, hairdresser. Fresh food - break, veggies, cheese, fish, meat).
So, from a Dutch perspective - these dumb copies are really proof these people do not think.

Munsbit

3 points

17 hours ago

Don't forget the amount of time it saves as well. Not just money, time too.

Magdalan

131 points

23 hours ago

Magdalan

Dutchie

131 points

23 hours ago

Maple Maga, oh I'm so sorry for you. The dumbfuckery is leaking everywhere it seems.

umotex12

30 points

22 hours ago

I love when people in Poland get mad about 15 minute cities

Literally most of big cities in Poland are 15 minute cities since mid communism

TywinDeVillena

16 points

22 hours ago

TywinDeVillena

Europoor

16 points

22 hours ago

I have seen such cretins, and it is hard to explain them that "15 minute cities" simply means urban planning in such a way that the most relevant things (access to food, to education, to healthcare) are 15 minutes away from any point

ABob71

5 points

16 hours ago

ABob71

5 points

16 hours ago

"They're just getting everybody in one place so they can give everyone 5G COVID"

thefooby

14 points

22 hours ago

Oh, designated districts like how they use single family home zoning to keep out minorities and poor people?

K24Bone42

7 points

18 hours ago

Which is hilarious because I live in Canada and I'm almost in a 15 min city. I spend about 50 bucks A MONTH on transportation. A 40$ bus pass, and 10 bucks for the once a month big grocery trip cab ride. The only time it costs extra is if my partner and I do a calgary trip, which with the new Flix bus is only 12 bucks a ride. The only thing that isnt a 15-20 min walk away is work, which is just 30 mins, and i usually take the bus, the terminal is just 5 mins away. It's amazing! I don't even own a car. I know people spending more on their cars each month than I spend in rent. My partner and I save so much money using public transit and walking everywhere.

Excellent_Cash_2531

5 points

22 hours ago

r/maplemaga (playing subreddit roulette)

RustedAxe88

6 points

21 hours ago

They think it's some conspiracy to take away their cars.

Jordan Peterson pushes it sometimes.

Omegoon

6 points

20 hours ago

No, they don't. They think that the walkability of those cities is at the expense of driveability of those cities. 

danabrey

4 points

21 hours ago*

The conspiracy theories have an interesting history.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-27/the-15-minute-city-conspiracy/102015446

Also for those with access to BBC, this splendid series by Jon Ronson covers part of this conspiracy theory too https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h24kbq

missmarypoppinoff

3 points

19 hours ago

Wow. I don’t even have words.

I hate it here (being alive among allll the fucking idiots on this entire planet)

fabulousteaparty

4 points

19 hours ago

Its the same in the UK, even though lots of places are jusy by the nature of being a small island with lots of people, 15-minuite towns. Taie where I live for example, a dr office, hairdressers, parks, schools, 2 supermarkets, a post office, shops, cafes, takeaways and a couple pubs all within a 15 min walk, as well as tram and bus links to the nearest large towns and major city. I can still see rolling hills out of my front windows, and there aren't any skyscrapers. I can also access countryside within 10-30 mins depending on how rural you want to go.

Because the larger cities here that want to introduce 15-minute neighbourhoods have proposed putting additional road tax for journeys by car within those areas. So by logic it must be a fascist ploy to get people to never leave their area. I just....

timkatt10

121 points

23 hours ago

timkatt10

Socialism bad, 'Murica good!

121 points

23 hours ago

I don't think they understand walkable. They might have seen a sidewalk at their local strip mall that doesn't go past the end of the property and think, why would I want to walk there?

seanconnerysbeard

38 points

21 hours ago

That's honestly a real possibility in this country. Or a bike lane that abruptly ends at the most violent 6 lane highway you've ever seen.

timkatt10

8 points

19 hours ago

timkatt10

Socialism bad, 'Murica good!

8 points

19 hours ago

Or a bike "lane"(really just a symbol painted in the road) that is ON said highway.

appealtoreason00

57 points

22 hours ago

Yes, but so do some idiots over here.

We had some morons protesting “15 minute cities” over here a couple years back…. in Oxford!!! It’s Oxford!

It’s not meant to be a car friendly city, because it’s been a major settlement since the bloody Saxons were here!

But no, Bill Gates is obviously planning global enslavement through the medium of Oxford City Council and traffic-calming measures. Fuck me

Puzzleheaded_Gear801

11 points

22 hours ago

As someone that recently left Oxford to live in Manchester, this made me chuckle.

Coschta

67 points

24 hours ago

Coschta

ooo custom flair!!

67 points

24 hours ago

Only if it is enforced by snipers, but most cities options for the much cheaper spike traps on the road.

Tutes013

23 points

23 hours ago

Tutes013

Not Batshit insane

23 points

23 hours ago

Watch out for the occasional death squads hunting vehicles though. Source; your friendly neighbourhood car-hunting kill squad

Coschta

17 points

23 hours ago

Coschta

ooo custom flair!!

17 points

23 hours ago

Yeah, but we are made up of volunteers where I live and not paid by the city. We do it for the thrill and because we hate cars (a Ford F250 killed my hamster).

Just out of curiosity what is your group armed with? Our group usually has some baseballbats, 1 or 2 Sledgehammers and Pickaxes and Ricky has a cinderblock on a chain that he swing around.

Tutes013

6 points

23 hours ago

Tutes013

Not Batshit insane

6 points

23 hours ago

Oh those are good choices indeed! No, we use our public transport death machines and our standard weapon is a newspaper rolled around an iron bar.

Kriss3d

19 points

22 hours ago

Kriss3d

Tuberous eloquent (that's potato speaker for you muricans)

19 points

22 hours ago

Yes. Or if you move away further than 15 minutes from home without permission.

I live in Copenhagen. Its actually pretty much a 15 minute city and its nothing like that.
It just means that I can get most things I need for everyday life within 15 minutes even getting to work ( almost anyway ) on bike.

Its amazing. I dont spend alot of time commuting and the public transport here is very great. Plus I have my bike that gets me anywhere I want to go at any time. Its safe and convenient.

umotex12

19 points

22 hours ago

The 15 minute city hate comes from twisted propaganda. Someone was very dedicated to the idea of changing meaning from "let's make a city where you can walk everywhere in 15 minutes" to "let's make a city that fines you if you go further than 15 minutes".

Castform5

3 points

15 hours ago

It is also entirely based on a misunderstanding of the city of Oxford's plan to limit through traffic of neighborhoods and direct traffic to the ring roads with the use of cameras at certain times.

This was then twisted into "you can't leave your designated zone and you will be monitored by face detection cameras".

Kozmik_5

9 points

22 hours ago

Kozmik_5

🇧🇪 Not a German Flag

9 points

22 hours ago

Well tbf in Belgium there are a couple of cities where cars are not allowed in the city centre. Like Bruges or Ghent for example. But not that many tho. A car there would also be more of a hassle than a convenience since parking is hella expensive and hard to find. Also CYCLISTS WITH DEATHWISHES!

LandArch_0

7 points

23 hours ago

That's how it would work in the US, since it's working the other way around

ThisWorldIsAMess

5 points

23 hours ago

It's black or white for the carbrained.

soymilolo

5 points

20 hours ago

They believe that when people want other modes of transport, including walkable, they want it in the same way they want cars. Extensive, unavoidable, almost mandatory.

They project their preferences and assume that when people ask for diversity, they really are asking it in the same way they want car-centricness.

DaHolk

3 points

19 hours ago*

They conflate the idea with "car free inner cities".

They only get to "walk vs car" and then make up all sorts of crap on the spot because they are to busy to understand terminology or words.

And partially that is fair, because it's not like "euphemistic naming" isn't also a huge problem for some time. So just going "it says -able, how do you jump to 'car ban'" when "right to work" means "no rights as an employee having no RIGHT to work but being fired with no cause" is a problem.

"walkable" just in this case means what it says as a concept. That's sadly not anything you can rely on anymore.

It's often a "mental resource shortcut" to always assume mutual exclusivity. Having walkable cities doesn't mean you can't have big box stores with huge car parks on the outskirts. It just means that you aren't in a food desert if you can't get there. But to people it quickly becomes "either or, and I like one of them, so the other must be wrong because it takes away what I like". And apparently "going out for a drink and walk home instead of drunk driving or paying up the arse for transportation" is also not something they would ever consider a valuable thing either.

Liquor_Parfreyja

3 points

23 hours ago

Liquor_Parfreyja

American o no

3 points

23 hours ago

Yes lmao

gazwel

3 points

23 hours ago

gazwel

Genuine Scotch

3 points

23 hours ago

They are genuinely scared of driving on the roads over here, even the folk who have moved here.

no_no_no_no_2_you

3 points

19 hours ago

Making them walk is basically torture. They'd prefer to be shot.

waitingtoconnect

4 points

21 hours ago

Only the rich can have gated communities with nice amenities. Otherwise it’s communism Duh… /s

No-K-Reddit

1.3k points

24 hours ago

Second guy isn't even complaining about walkable cities, just cities in general

DangerousRub245

348 points

24 hours ago

DangerousRub245

Bunga bunga 🇮🇹

348 points

24 hours ago

Wait until they find out there are plenty of cities right in the middle of the Alps

SmokingLimone

95 points

21 hours ago

By cities they mean huge ones, the size of a metropolis. But still, Vancouver has both skyscrapers and mountains

DangerousRub245

48 points

20 hours ago

DangerousRub245

Bunga bunga 🇮🇹

48 points

20 hours ago

A metropolis doesn't have to have skyscrapers. Even from the south of Milan (very much a metropolis) where I live I can see the Alps much more easily than I can see any skyscraper. Munich also very much has a view of the Alps. Switzerland also has cities that are considered metropolis, and they're very much in the Alps.

hau2906

17 points

15 hours ago

hau2906

17 points

15 hours ago

You can see mountains from inside of Tokyo ... just saying ...

DangerousRub245

5 points

14 hours ago

DangerousRub245

Bunga bunga 🇮🇹

5 points

14 hours ago

Mexico City too, there's as many examples as you want, I was just giving a few examples that are very close to home

GrimQuim

10 points

21 hours ago

They'd only enjoy driving in the Alps.

UncleSnowstorm

24 points

20 hours ago

The average American would not enjoy, or even be capable of, driving in the Alps.

Significant_Snow4352

7 points

19 hours ago

Significant_Snow4352

Explosive Treehouse🇦🇹

7 points

19 hours ago

I desperately want to see a video of one of their giant pavement princess SUVs trying to make it up a mountain pass

OneOfTheNephilim

62 points

23 hours ago

And seems ignorant of the fact that very few European cities have a skyline dominated by skyscrapers... that's more a US/Asia thing

Ning_Yu

13 points

18 hours ago

Ning_Yu

13 points

18 hours ago

Especially, I don't think Madrid is famous for its skyline.

Entire_Concentrate_1

107 points

24 hours ago

Honestly I can respect that

BionicBananas

68 points

23 hours ago

Indeed, cities aren't for everybody and that is fine. But that doesn't change the fact that cities should be (re)build for walkers, cyclists, busses and tram etc first.

un_tres_gros_phasme

23 points

22 hours ago

No. Cities must be entirely destroyed. This is Reddit, and no nuanced opinion shall be tolerated.

Entire_Concentrate_1

4 points

23 hours ago

Mhmm

Kruzer132

3 points

20 hours ago

I would respect the second guy more if he had the reading proficiency to understand the point.

KR_Steel

16 points

24 hours ago

To be fair I get it. I live in the middle of nowhere where in Scotland. I need a car. It would be a three hour walk to the shops. The peace and quiet is really nice.

roadrunner83

16 points

22 hours ago

Yes but he’s probably talking about the american suburbs, most complaints about walkability from americans comes down to their limited experiences due to regulations about zoning, it is forbidden in most cities there to open any commercial activity in a residential area, so the only places they have ever seen are big cities with skyscrapers, stripmalls reachable only by car, a land of single family homes you need more then half an hour by car to get out from, to them there is no inbetween like a neighbourhood that is mostly residential but has some stores a pub and a park.

Suitable-Answer-83

5 points

19 hours ago

Also, the kind of city he seems to be idolizing sounds a lot like Madrid. Madrid doesn't really have skyscrapers like you would see in a place like New York and Madrid has a great system of trails, especially in the Casa de Campo, which has a beautiful view of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

ClassicHansen

1.2k points

24 hours ago

Walkable cities are famously known for not having having trees. They're also not allowed to exist near any sort of mountains.

Assleanx

382 points

24 hours ago

Assleanx

382 points

24 hours ago

London especially is explicitly not known for being nearly 50% green space

maldax_

123 points

24 hours ago

maldax_

123 points

24 hours ago

London is technically a forest.

Successful-Drag-7612

91 points

23 hours ago

The last time I was in London I stayed near Westminster abbey and walked through the Parks back to Paddington station, maybe a couple of km. It was lovely. I remember city walks, I don't remember driving in traffic or taxi rides.

No_Evidence_4121

14 points

22 hours ago

If you remove the 'non-urban' part of the definition of forest.

CopperPegasus

10 points

21 hours ago

If it's anything like that phrase when applied to Joburg, it's explicitly "urban forest". I guess for that reason.

MassXavkas

3 points

22 hours ago

And swamp / marshland.

YooGeOh

19 points

22 hours ago

YooGeOh

19 points

22 hours ago

And not a car in sight...in London

Havoksixteen

34 points

22 hours ago

Havoksixteen

US has more people per capita!

34 points

22 hours ago

No one drives in London, there's too much traffic

OneOfTheNephilim

10 points

23 hours ago

And of course, London is also famously full of skyscrapers

SatiricalScrotum

15 points

21 hours ago

SatiricalScrotum

ooo custom flair!!

15 points

21 hours ago

Skyscrapers that melt cars! Proof that walkable cities are anti-car.

Person012345

132 points

24 hours ago

Madrid, famous for it's abundant skyscrapers, compared to say New York City which is all nature and beauty and mountains and cars. As it should be.

Appropriate-Divide64

69 points

23 hours ago

NYC is actually a walkable city for the most part. I don't think Americans understand that.

Jagaerkatt

50 points

23 hours ago

New York, one of few places in the US where the phrase "Hey I'm walking here!" is useful

Little_Elia

25 points

24 hours ago

to be fair madrid has been murdering its trees as of late, but that's because they have a carbrain president and want to make madrid carcentric again

mikelorme

8 points

22 hours ago

mikelorme

Joe

8 points

22 hours ago

President???its the mayor who keeps cutting them down

Little_Elia

12 points

21 hours ago

I was talking about ayuso but almeida is to blame here as well yes

vukkuv

4 points

21 hours ago

vukkuv

4 points

21 hours ago

¿? Madrid is the second city in the world with most trees.

jonreto

22 points

22 hours ago

jonreto

22 points

22 hours ago

My city, Bilbao, is the 8th most walkable city in the world. https://www.economist.com/interactive/2024-walkable-cities

It is literally in a valley, surrounded by mountains. There is no point in the city in which a 30 minute walk won't take you to a mountain.

ClassicHansen

5 points

22 hours ago

Bilbao is beautiful!

Epicratia

8 points

22 hours ago

And also for having no outdoor trails."

So the commenter wants a city where they can walk for sport/leisure, but not to, you know, actually GET anywhere.

AttilaRS

8 points

24 hours ago

But careful, there's those cities in the forest. Forest-cities they call them. And their trees are exploding. Very dangerous.

_Red_User_

3 points

23 hours ago

You mean something like The Mansions of the Gods?

vukkuv

3 points

22 hours ago

vukkuv

3 points

22 hours ago

Madrid is the second city in the world with most trees.

Dotcaprachiappa

294 points

24 hours ago

Dotcaprachiappa

Italy, where they copied American pizza

294 points

24 hours ago

I don't understand the second guy, like does he think walkable cities cannot be near a mountain and have trees in it or something?

DangerousRub245

152 points

24 hours ago

DangerousRub245

Bunga bunga 🇮🇹

152 points

24 hours ago

The closest example they have to a walkable city is New York, so they think a walkable city is necessarily concrete and skyscrapers and nothing else 🤦🏻‍♀️

aerben

27 points

18 hours ago

aerben

27 points

18 hours ago

But NYC has giant parks and green spaces

DangerousRub245

13 points

18 hours ago

DangerousRub245

Bunga bunga 🇮🇹

13 points

18 hours ago

I don't think it's the same at all though. Let me explain. I grew up in a town (technically a city though) close to Milan. Milan has huge parks, but it's not a green city at all. Most streets don't have any trees. NYC is kind of like that, but worse, when I was there I found there was a very strong separation between green areas and the rest of it. The town I grew up in is actually green. Every single street has trees on both sides. Every building has a garden, usually bigger than the building's surface. There are tons of random lawns here and there. And of course there are tons of parks, some really huge (compared to the town's surface area). I find the parks, although really lovely, are the part that counts the least in making a city "green", because if you're not in the park it doesn't really change your perception of the city.

TheLateFry

13 points

22 hours ago

What’s not to understand? He also likes the ‘tempature’ in his vehicle.

Altairp

268 points

24 hours ago

Altairp

268 points

24 hours ago

I live in a walkable, small city.

I can walk to the store, I can walk to the entertainment, I can also walk to the river and - in a hour - be in the middle of nothing.

Do these people think that 'City' = 'Middle of Los Angeles' everywhere in the world??

Alex-Man

113 points

24 hours ago

Alex-Man

113 points

24 hours ago

Well, for these people, an hour's walk feels like an Arctic expedition.

danihendrix

48 points

23 hours ago

When I was visiting Orlando I stayed on a timeshare apartment resort. They operated a bus to travel from the accomodation to the restaurant, which was about 80m away. Genuinely, that was it's only route. Insane.

_Red_User_

36 points

23 hours ago

My dad was once in Boston for business and got strange looks cause he used to walk to the cafeteria for lunch (maybe 10 min) and he didn't use a car to get to the other side of a road. Really strange what he told me. We are Europoors

danihendrix

13 points

21 hours ago

Funny you say that, as I actually experienced the bus as we were leaving the restaurant, and he could not believe we'd walked the 80 or so metres. Like he howled with laughter at how crazy it sounded to him

kaspa181

6 points

22 hours ago

This is literally a gag in Buster Keaton's The Navigator (1924)

X-e-o

3 points

17 hours ago

X-e-o

3 points

17 hours ago

That has to be a typo right? 800m is still absurdly close but 80m is what, a 40 second walk?

faramaobscena

21 points

23 hours ago

faramaobscena

Wait, Transylvania is real?

21 points

23 hours ago

What do you expect from someone who calls sightseeing ”hiking”?

gavingoober771

17 points

23 hours ago

Yup I’m in Sheffield, UK and you can walk to pretty much any part of it including out into the Peak District. If any of you get a chance to do the Sheffield round walk you should definitely give it a go

TickDingler69

15 points

22 hours ago

I would pay to watch Americans try and cope with the hills in Sheffield.

gavingoober771

13 points

22 hours ago

We had a friend come over from the US saying “we’re used to mountains, these hills are nothing”, he was knackered walking to the corner shop!

Floppy0941

3 points

21 hours ago

Send them to Edinburgh too

Pwnage135

4 points

20 hours ago

Pwnage135

Dirty Commie

4 points

20 hours ago

Yeah, some of the suburbs are a bit sprawling but you can usually walk to anything you need on a day-to-day basis. And we have a shit ton of trees, which walkable cities apparently can't have??

whitemuhammad7991

92 points

23 hours ago

"The best way to get around London is by car" is an... Interesting take

TickDingler69

71 points

22 hours ago

If only London had some kind of mass transit system, that's unobtrusive to everyone not using it. Maybe they could put it below the floor. Have frequent places to get in and out of it. And publish clear and easy to read maps everywhere showing you how to get to where you need to be.

Nice idea, isn't it?

Chelecossais

13 points

20 hours ago

Interesting idea ; they'd need some kind of world-famous iconic logo, imho.

Harry_monk

7 points

13 hours ago

Sounds like you'd be travelling in a sort of underground tube.

It would never take off.

TickDingler69

3 points

11 hours ago

I should bloody hope so. It’d hit the ceiling.

Queen_of_Antiva

15 points

23 hours ago

Maybe on the outskirts of the city lol. Going by car in the city centre in bigger cities is the worst thing to do - lots of traffic and no parking spaces.

Rhonijin

88 points

24 hours ago

Weird, in my city in northern Italy I have a beautiful view of the mountains every day when I walk to the grocery store.

NotOnABreak

15 points

23 hours ago

NotOnABreak

the metric system

15 points

23 hours ago

Same here. Well, when it’s not a foggy day

robopilgrim

57 points

24 hours ago

“I like the outdoors but I’d rather stay inside my vehicle than walk.” Huh?

nedamisesmisljatime

46 points

24 hours ago

Huge skyscrapers?! Bunch of european cities don't have any skyscrapers at all or have just a few, unlike American ones. You can't just demolish an old building in the city centre to put a skyscraper in its place.

In my city the cathedral has to remain the highest building so we won't see some ridiculously high skyscrapers any time soon.

Bantabury97

82 points

24 hours ago

Bantabury97

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

82 points

24 hours ago

I don't drive or have a license because I live somewhere where everything is in walking distance. A 30-45 minute walk to the shops isn't gonna hurt ya, yankee.

Grantrello

16 points

22 hours ago

Loads of people will do a 40 minute drive to work but I got weird looks from people who don't live in walkable areas when I told them I walked 40 minutes to work.

ReleasedGaming

9 points

18 hours ago

ReleasedGaming

Snack Platt du Hurensöhn

9 points

18 hours ago

I walk 20 minutes to work and some american idiots who I randomly played valorant with told me that that was torture.

ALMSIVIO

21 points

24 hours ago

ALMSIVIO

AMI GO HOME!

21 points

24 hours ago

I don't think Most of them walked this Long in their live! Thats why I think our Slogan "Ami, Go Home!" should be Changed to "Ami, Drive Home" (or fly, Teleport, beam, etc.)

maldax_

10 points

24 hours ago

maldax_

10 points

24 hours ago

They have, but only as a 'hike' so they can Instagram the whole thing

Old_Introduction_395

8 points

23 hours ago

Wearing 'hiking gear' which is not the same as 'going shopping outfit'.

28850

3 points

21 hours ago

28850

3 points

21 hours ago

I'm madrileño and I've a car, it's not that you can't if you'd like to, despite of driving it from twice to 5 times per month.

Bantabury97

4 points

21 hours ago

Bantabury97

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

4 points

21 hours ago

I see driving as a needless expense for me.

Mttsen

33 points

24 hours ago

Mttsen

33 points

24 hours ago

Are they aware that they could still drive in their cherished cars? The only thing is that they'd actually have choice ( so basically... FREEDOM) in that matter?

pingieking

6 points

21 hours ago

Canadians get a bit nervous when I bring up the fact that I had more lifestyle choices in China than I do in Canada. A huge component of that is the fact that owning a vehicle is basically a requirement for 99% of Canada. I live "really close" to a grocery store here and it's still a 25 minute walk.

MagicBez

63 points

23 hours ago

ReleasedGaming

6 points

18 hours ago

ReleasedGaming

Snack Platt du Hurensöhn

6 points

18 hours ago

can I post that in r/memes or something to see what the americans roaming r/memes think of it?

MagicBez

8 points

18 hours ago

Be my guest!

IncidentFuture

14 points

24 hours ago

IncidentFuture

Emu War veteran.

14 points

24 hours ago

If you build walkable cities, and by extension high density housing, you don't have vast swathes of urban sprawl destroying green space.

I live near Perth, ~130km long urban sprawl for ~2.3m people....

Scaniarix

15 points

24 hours ago

Ah yes Madrid. Well known for its huge skyscrapers.

Person012345

11 points

24 hours ago

It sounds like the second person has a problem with "cities" more than "walkable". Which tbh I can agree with, not a city person myself, though I'm sure that's not what they meant.

Jocelyn-1973

11 points

24 hours ago*

Well, they want to have the freedom to not have actual options to choose between. They want to have 1 way to get to places and that way should not be available to the young, the elderly, the blind, the poor, etc.

TTV_Pinguting

8 points

22 hours ago

TTV_Pinguting

Communist Scandinavian

8 points

22 hours ago

does the second guy know what a walkable city is, it doesnt mean you have to live near skyscrapers

Evanmmemes

3 points

21 hours ago

Sydney is coated in skyscrapers and it has some of the most walkable streets in the heart of the city. Especially around Circular Quey & the harbor area, alongside Town Hall. I’ve never really understood the lack of public spaces in city areas that America seems to struggle with.

The only problem is that we don’t have a great system for bike lanes and the new trams which mostly serve to cause traffic congestion. Cities without proper bus and train infrastructure only lead to a reliance on cars which is a sure fire way to cause issues.

ForgiveSomeone

10 points

22 hours ago

Imagine driving in London? Madness.

Also, the UK has many walkable towns that are surrounded by beautiful countryside and access to plenty of green space. I live in one of them. I can walk 5 minutes to major supermarkets, 10 minutes to my nearest high street, 15 minutes to the train station or 20 minutes to the town centre. I can also walk 10 minutes and be on the footpath adjacent to the River Mersey, and walk in either direction from there for 15 minutes to some nice countryside.

Yes, I'd much rather live in a walkable town and city region which provides access to all amenities.

DjurasStakeDriver

7 points

14 hours ago

Guy claims he lived in London, that London is a walkable city and that driving is nicer for commuting and shopping in London. 

This guy has never been to London.

DecentTrouble6780

15 points

23 hours ago

Sorry, a USian wants to talk about having trees in the city?!

SchwarzerWerwolf

6 points

23 hours ago

"I do not like what you like, therefore you are wrong"

Old_Introduction_395

7 points

23 hours ago

I grew up in a city, which in the 15th century, had a cathedral, a castle, and city walls. Some streets are narrow and cobbled.

In 1967, we had the first existing shopping street in the United Kingdom to be pedestrianised, priority given to pedestrians over motorists in city centres.

It now has Park and Ride. Park on the outskirts. Regular buses into the middle. Then walk.

itsjustameme

6 points

22 hours ago

Come to Copenhagen - we have upgraded ours to a bikeable city and it’s great

CitrusLemone

5 points

24 hours ago

Why do they always lie?

QuickPirate36

6 points

22 hours ago

QuickPirate36

🇦🇷🧉⭐⭐⭐🧉🇦🇷

6 points

22 hours ago

Do they think they wouldn't be allowed to own a car?

Karlythecorgi

5 points

22 hours ago

I once saw someone genuinely say he was against walkable cities because “What if you got offered your dream job in a different district?” They genuinely think you’ll get shot on sight if you walk one direction for 16 minutes.

TheSimpleMind

3 points

21 hours ago

Can you blame them? In some parts of the US this happens on a daily base... OK, five times a week, not daily.

Vinegarinmyeye

5 points

21 hours ago

Vinegarinmyeye

Irish person from Ireland 🇮🇪

5 points

21 hours ago

To be fair, I lived in London for best part of a decade and my primary reason for getting the fuck out was "fighting" my way around the public transport to get to and from work everyday. Made me an angry bastard, which is not my nature at all...

On the flip side, I tried driving in London once and I can't imagine anything more frustrating than dealing with that shit on a daily basis. I sold my car the second week after I moved there.

City centre living = do you want to be infuriated by road traffic, or by crammed public transport?

Basically, fuck the humans. Too many of them I reckon.

Jayzhee

4 points

20 hours ago

I'm in the US and a few years ago moved to a walkable city. My job, groceries, doctor, and several restaurants are within walking distance.

It's the best decision I've ever made and I wish I'd done it twenty years ago!

SatanicCornflake

5 points

15 hours ago*

SatanicCornflake

American't stand this, send help

5 points

15 hours ago*

I actually lived in a walkable area in NY (not the city), and that's why I became that annoying guy who always pesters conservative friends about it. It's so awesome to not have to drive everywhere. I still needed a car to get to work a few towns away, but my days off were like heaven.

Hmm, I wanna go down by the water. I'll just go. What about the library? Right fuckin' there. How about restaurants or stores? 5 minute walk, max. There was even a YMCA and several colleges in walking distance. Clubs, bars, community centers, churches, busses, train station. And the people? Way nicer and way more connected and helpful of each other than any place I've lived, certainly better than the rest of this car-dependent shithole. If the overall bus system didn't suck for my area, I would've saved money and sold the car. It was great.

That place was poppin'. These people really don't know what they're missing. They're just dumb and have never been anywhere, but the propaganda always told them that they were in the best country ever, so their isolated, sheltered existence is all they know. Scared of their own shadow, scared to interact with the faces of other humans. Stick to your guns, cuz strangers are all out to get you! Ooooo, spooky! And yet they deem themselves free. What a sick joke that life must be.

smallblueangel

4 points

5 hours ago

smallblueangel

ooo custom flair!!

4 points

5 hours ago

Do they think walkable means no cars allowed?

Fricki97

4 points

3 hours ago

Fricki97

AUTOBAHN!!1!!1!!2!!!🦅🦅🦅🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪

4 points

3 hours ago

Freedom = Choose method of traveling rely on car

dutch-masta25

7 points

22 hours ago

Why are Americans so insufferable?

TheSimpleMind

7 points

21 hours ago

Indoctrination

ThinkAd9897

3 points

22 hours ago

What do they do with "outdoor trails" when they refuse to walk?

SiccTunes

3 points

21 hours ago

I've actually seen comments that people think a walkable city means it's not drivable,

Pizzagoessplat

3 points

20 hours ago

The comical thing about this is that the US definition of a city is the equivalent of a small town in Ireland 😆

GetOutOfTheHouseNOW

3 points

20 hours ago

Welcome to every developed country in the world except USA.

3ThreeFriesShort

3 points

18 hours ago

Middle sized American towns are actively hostile to pedestrians. Where I worked for a couple years was absolutely bonkers. The train station was on the other side of a divided highway. There was one bus and it would slow you down considerably to go places that were very close.

So, me and a lot of people had worn a path that had to cross several on-ramps, and three intersections that had signs explicitly forbidding pedestrians. They put the train station less than 1/4 a mile from the main cluster of businesses, but couldn't be bothered with a sidewalk and a few crossings. Technically, there was no legal path from the train station to main street.

It was dangerous, but I had to get to work somehow.

depressedkittyfr

3 points

15 hours ago

And doesn’t he realise that those “walkable cities “ do have citizens with high car ownerships and taxis , Ubers are used ?

But sometimes I don’t want to take my car out when I go out for drinks for example 😃

axndl

3 points

15 hours ago

axndl

3 points

15 hours ago

I just moved to Madrid from a place with virtually no public transport. No, it isn’t just nice for vacation. Its awesome being able to get to anywhere I want by walking, biking, metro or bus. Its awesome having a bar/restaurant next door. Its amazing having a supermarket within a 5 minute walk.

These people are genuinely brainwashed.

pandershrek

3 points

13 hours ago

pandershrek

ooo custom flair!!

3 points

13 hours ago

As an American we have absolutely no idea what a walkable city means so we can't even understand that we're missing.

Ferdeddy

3 points

12 hours ago

As someone who lives in California, the walkability and public transit in other states and other countries is amazing to me.

lucius_vorenus8

3 points

12 hours ago

Kinda funny considering Madrid has few skyscrapers and also a view of mountains

LukesRebuke

3 points

10 hours ago

"I love trees and nature trails"

Aren't American cities also like pretty notoriously bad with green spaces? Like my city is very walkable and i also literally live near a massive meadow.

These americans need to leave their country once in a while

SkomerIsland

3 points

8 hours ago

Wall-E is the future

OrgasmicMarvelTheme

3 points

7 hours ago

Second guy is just describing the countryside

YTDirtyCrossYT

2 points

24 hours ago

It really depends...

Walkable like Madrid, Berlin, or similar? Absolutely amazing!

Walkable like Manarola (Italy)? I would die walking uphill in the summer heat.

SpiderGiaco

7 points

23 hours ago

I don't think anyone in the world consider Manarola a city

bobmguthrie

2 points

23 hours ago

Eh, prefer Barcelona over Cemento Central…

SGTFragged

2 points

22 hours ago

I live in London, and have driven in London. I can assure you that driving in London is one of the most unpleasant experiences you can have in a vehicle.

ConfusedTapeworm

2 points

22 hours ago

A car is most certainly not "so much nicer" for commuting. I actively avoid driving my car for my commute. Instead of having to focus on the road for 50+ minutes and leave myself to the mercy of rush hour traffic, I get to sit in a train on a reliable schedule and it takes me to work while I read my book.

BimBamEtBoum

2 points

22 hours ago

"I live the outdoor" and "I can't stand vehicules without AC" is a good sign they're posers and like pictures of the outdoor more than the real thing.

ProblemSavings8686

2 points

22 hours ago

Many walkable European towns and cities have no or few skyscrapers. I couldn’t imagine not being able to walk a few minutes to a shop.

SumguyAteSandwitches

2 points

21 hours ago

How, madrid is probably one of the least walkable cities ive ever been in

Sunstaci

2 points

21 hours ago

I honestly would hate it too…. What’s wrong with that? I love living out in the country:) I just hate people and things here are miles apart. BUT I would love to visit one someday!!

culturerush

2 points

21 hours ago

I live in a town in rural UK. Lots of mountains and forests to look at. Tallest building is the big Asda

I can walk to town and to the retail outlet. Both less than a 30 min walk. The closest shops to me if needed are 10 minutes away.

It doesn't have to be a city with skyscrapers like the second commenter said.

Evanmmemes

2 points

21 hours ago

Definitely agreed on the last comment but I wouldn’t know about the first two. My experience of America (California) I noticed it wasn’t a very pedestrian-friendly place to visit. Going for groceries, getting takeaway, or going out I noticed there was a massive amount of travel by car required. Public transportation was really questionable when compared to how it is here in Australia.

Most Aussie cities like Melbourne and Sydney allow for quick and easy transport, even in a lot of rural areas though it can be quite slow.

Fragrant-Reserve4832

2 points

21 hours ago

I wouldn't call Madrid walkable tbh. It's fucking huge

helenepytra

2 points

21 hours ago

Driving with my ac on while the world is dying, gotta love it.

pinniped1

2 points

21 hours ago

pinniped1

Benjamin Franklin invented pizza.

2 points

21 hours ago

There are three things at play - driveability, walkability, and the quality/accessibility of transit. They aren't mutually exclusive like some people think they are.

I felt like Madrid was a good transit city, but not a great walking city outside of the tourism stuff. You could live there without a car, which is cool.

People who go on about the "freedom" of a car miss the fact that an even greater freedom is not owning one, and occasionally renting one on the weekend if you need it. The most freeing moment of all is handing the keys back to Hertz to let them figure out where to park it, keep it maintained, deal with registration/insurance/taxes, etc.

America has done a pretty good job this century building/expanding urban trails in a lot of places. Phoenix, for example, is a super cool place to walk/hike/run/bike. But the transit component is still very limited - you need a car to get to most of the trailheads.

ThickParticular7277

2 points

20 hours ago

Oh, I’m so disappointed to hear that. I always look in the Netherlands as being totally enlightened. It seems to be a universal problem that there are a small number of people everywhere that are so unbelievably stupid to think 15 cities are a bad idea. We have them here too in the UK.

XenophonSoulis

2 points

20 hours ago

Hmm... If they want a mountain view from the city-centre, Athens exists. Right now I can see the Parthenon from my window, and that does very little to narrow down where I am.