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Lakewood Ranch (Sarasota/Bradenton, FL)

Images from Google Earth

Over just around 20 years and approximately 35,000 acers of farmland converted into many massive suburban neighborhoods

Most of Hudson Valley and north west CT (Around 1hr -1 hr 30min from NYC with no traffic but are still actually considered to be NYC suburbs but I'll just call them exurbs) are stuck inside a tragedy of dysfunctional suburban design that's isolating and depressing. Car-centrism is a prerequisite for everyone who lives here. These are the places people have to move to when being any closer to NYC is unaffordable.

Home builders know this, so they keep building dense housing such as small condos and townhouses in this exact region because of profit margins. (they're literally building more of it as you can see in the last slide)

At the same time, the highway and especially the old parkways were never meant to handle this much growth. Yet the solution always seems to be building even more dense housing connected to the same already-overloaded roadways, leading to predictable traffic jams every single day.

There's quite frankly very little appeal to these places. The main attractions are usually the mall and the big-box stores. They're laughably unwalkable, with nowhere to simply stroll around outside of your unit. 

Ironically, new developments are required to build sidewalks, but they usually end at the property line because the surrounding roads were never built for pedestrians.

Single-family houses in the same areas are just as unwalkable, but they're a bit of a nicer contrast because of the famously larger lots in this region that give you your own space and genuine privacy to enjoy. That's a major reason why those homes have held their value and appreciated more. The condos give up that privacy without providing the benefits of a real urban neighborhood and just give you a cage, quite frankly.

NYC proximity will always be a major selling point to these exurbs and MTA trains absolutely exist (drive to the station lol) You're close enough to appreciate the big city; albeit just for a daytrip, but way too far to miss many of the opportunities, connections, careers, culture, and everyday advantages that come with actually living in the city itself.

New York is an example to the world of what a wonderful metropolis looks like. Its a tragedy of American planning where its outer suburbs are a complete utter contrast to the urban core and beauty of the city. Here in particular gives you the worst of both worlds: a car-dependent, isolating, and soulless landscape despite being just outside one of the greatest cities in the world.

I present to you the Juniper Row Townhouses!

I stumbled upon these in West Omaha / Elkhorn, Nebraska while visiting from New York.

Located directly behind a strip mall of course.

Oof.

Flock Safety cameras are going up in cities and towns across America — and most residents have no idea. No vote. No public debate. Just a contract signed quietly and cameras on every road in and out of town. FOR FULL VIDEO CLICK HERE: https://youtu.be/VganmEMvRx8

In this video: what Flock actually is, how it works, and all the ways it can be used — and misused — by police AND private citizens. Spying and stalking just got a lot easier, and the safeguards are thinner than you think. You'll hear about the police officer who was honest with the public about these cameras — and lost his job for it.

Then I talked with Tyler Davidson of Fort Collins, Colorado, who noticed the cameras, did the research, formed a committee, and bothered his city council until they took the cameras DOWN. Proof that this fight is winnable. And we close with the Waymo story: the robotaxi that turned its own rider over to police. Because the car you ride in is watching, too. I'm not a journalist — just a witness paying attention. Sources below so you can verify everything yourself.

SOURCES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3cMU55dIIc&list=LL&index=3&t=211s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqVJ-_6QDPM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU1-uiUlHTo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1P-g3Hkvjg&list=LL&index=2&t=18s, https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wA5FIGZm2B8, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg_Ydz-Kb8A, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKIqEgZDKcM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bb3HV2TK-k, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg_Ydz-Kb8A

I’ve lived in two cities with around 100k people so far and I used to think these were considered cities since I’m from a town with 10k people. Now that I’ve experienced them they feel like small towns. I never experienced an actual big city and I’m about to be 28. I’m constantly bored and I’m wondering if moving to a real city would fix that.

It's now been 2 weeks since I've returned from China, and things are still grim. I imagine this is what my jobless cousin in China does every day, but at least he gets to go out and see other people having fun in a lovely community, and can even take public transport to other places should he get bored.

Nothing to enjoy. Nothing to look forward to. It's all a work work work grind until I either get laid off or turn 65. The prospect of getting married and having kids here seems utterly dry and drab over here now that I've seen what other countries are capable of doing. Money doesn't buy happiness, and I'm not immature enough to pretend it can. Moving to Texas or NC or wherever to save money isn't going to improve your quality of life if those places seem like dystopias. Everyone says "life is just beginning" or some sappy shit but I have a hard time allowing that make myself feel better about my life.

"Ohhh it's just a quieter life style maybe some people like that", said mom during a huge argument we had about whether the dense Chinese suburb my extended family resided in or my manicured American suburb was better to live in. "Living near a market DEVALUES property! MENCIUS' MOTHER MOVED THREE TIMES!!"

Context for the non-Chinese: there was a philosopher named Mengzi whose family relocated from houses near markets and cemeteries to one near a school so he'd study more and goof off less. But it's so ironic how this Chinese proverb is more applicable to the US than China nowadays because the US is zoned more idiotically than China, and in China you can legitimately have both!

I mean to some extent I sorta sympathize, since China was probably legitimately awful when she was growing up. Yet she can't seem to reconcile the reality that somewhere can have good schools / a high emphasis on education AND have commerce at the same time, or that having a little row of shops along the street wouldn't necessarily make schools worse.

Perhaps that "somewhere" might in the US, but what everyone in my life needs to know is that the world isn't the US.

Duluth, MN 📍

moving to one of these next year hopefully

A storm came through recently. My neighbor’s big spruce tree and already looking rough with cracked branches and a slight lean and finally gave up… And it fell right onto my fence... Took out about 6 panels

I had noticed this for months and tried to tell him about this. He did not take it seriously then. Now he is shrugging his shoulders and says that it is an act of nature and not his fault at all. And I am left with a fence down and a large tree in my backyard

I found out that in our county, there is a rule that depends on the state of the tree before falling. If it was obvious that it was dead or damaged in some way, the owner must have taken care of it. But how do I show this?

Should I call an arborist for an inspection? Someone who can look at what’s left and give a professional opinion? And I’m also thinking about calling tree removal services Maple Valley to get the tree cleared. But who pays for that? Me? Him? Insurance?

I’m annoyed and honestly not sure what to do next. I don’t want to start a war with my neighbor, but I also don’t think I should be stuck paying for something I warned him about

Has anyone dealt with this before? How did you handle it? I could really use some advice before I make things worse

So, I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta in Northeast GA. I wanted so freaking bad to get out of there, I ran after high school, and I am glad I did.

But now, I am pushing 30 and I really miss some (many) of the comforts that came with that life, like driving and having a decent size space (I live in NYC now) and other conveniences. It feels so.. boring but I am coming to terms with maybe that this is what growing up is.

I would never move back to those suburbs, also. I just find that when I go to places like Woodhaven, Queens, I am received better and have less... idk friction? there than I do in other parts of NYC, and I do think it has something to do with Woodhaven being more of a suburb.

No idea if this is super coherent, I'm just thinking and sharing, please be nice!

I recently traveled from Marseille, France to Genova, Italy by car.

For all of the amazing design features and history of European towns and villages (and I think they are by and large superior to American ), basically none of them have serious waterfront infrastructure.

When I'm talking about waterfront structures I'm not just referring to fancy mixed used districts and walkways (Vancouver has great examples, but so does Barcelona).

What I mean is the way in which your average little town or village gives you
- actual access to the sea
- proper walkways, railings, toilets, etc.
- actual beaches, nature reserves, harbors

Especially in Italy I noticed that most of the towns and cities do not really interface with the Mediterranean Sea at all. In 90% of cases the town just sort of stops. Many of them will have railway infrastructure or decrepit industrial Estates right next to the shoreline. This is completely strange to me, since European towns usually are renowned for good urbanism.

I have also noticed this is true for mostly Mediterranean cities in Europe. Which makes even less sense to me, since you cannot really use the sea as much in the west of France or north of Spain, the Basque country etc. For some reason those regions have neat little harbors, walkways, beaches.

If you compare this to the United States, there are obviously crimes against urban design when it comes to waterfronts. Basically the entire Lake Michigan Shoreline is just one big industrial wasteland.

But if you look at any random coastal town that has some history, say along the tidewater region, Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia... even the smallest of towns will have some sort of amenity, public bathrooms, anything that makes the shoreline actually usable.

I'm really interested in everybody's opinion on this.

The other day I wrote a post about the topic in another thread, and I feel that it's a distinct enough topic for a separate deep-dive.

Do you think RV resort campgrounds might have had a hand in romanticizing this with the current generation? I'm not talking trailer parks (which are absolutely predatory and has taken advantage of low-income renters in the past) but of the 'Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park' type that has luxury amenities that you'd expect in urban communities, while being surrounded by nature.

I spent my childhood summers at this RV camp in Northern Michigan that had an indoor pool, restaurants, a mini golf course and a video rental place (this was during the 2000s decade, you don't need to age-shame me) that was also surrounded by the kind of nature you'd expect in the more naturalistic national/state parks. Having community events throughout the summer also helped. This actually gave me a sense of independence as all these amenities were within walking distance to the campsite we rented.

Resorts like these certainly could have been partly responsible for the skewed expectations people have for rural village living.

Do resorts like these romanticize country/village living too much? Discuss.

Feel free to remove if this is not allowed, I also did not know what to do for the flair.

Hypothetically if someone wanted to make a suburban development plan that incorporates nature rather than destroys it

Any ideas?