European Fixes American Suburbia

[@realquadmoo]

When I was a kid getting to go to a playground was rare because we had to drive to a park and that meant my parents had to make time to do that. If I lived in a Dutch suburb I could’ve just gone outside and played whenever I wanted. That sounds like every child’s dream. What a nightmare us Americans live in.

[@derkies2133]

As a German, I would play either in our yard with the neighbors kid or meet with friends on the playground or the school yard to play ⚽️. Playground was just up the street and the school about half a Kilometer. Me and my sibling could walk (starting second week of first grade) or bike (starting grade 5) to school. Same with instrumente lessions and sports practice. And all that in a town of 10.000. Great stuff for raising kids

[@elizabethdavis1696]

Please consider doing a video on crime prevention by design

[@bertkreft9689]

cars are the biggest crime - you dont know - you have feelings about cars ? you have emotions about cars ? deadly violence on children an kids - is not comming from war - not from sexual abuse the first cause of killing children is coming from traffic - worldwide - we sacrfice blood for this holy machine - its a god like idol - its a feeling - thats emotional killing be design - it is inpriced as a colateral dammage

[@streetscaping]

I have talked about this briefly in my livable densities through traditional urbanism video. I will definitely include the topic in a future video though as well

[@eattherich9215]

@elizabethdavis1696: the think is that you don't know that there isn't someone troubled living in your neighbourhood until they become a crime story on the local news. The focus on crime is often disproportionate and not in line with statistics.

[@kevinmbrooks]

@@eattherich9215look up CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design).

[@starventure]

Two ways to prevent crime in an area: Don't make it easy for criminals to enter, and meet force with equivalent force when confronted with a criminal.

[@lijiashen7086]

Wow this channel is really high quality

[@ttopero]

I appreciate you diagramming mixed building typologies on a single block. I think expanding the diagram to multiple blocks & including the mixed use buildings would give viewers a better idea of how integrating multiple unit types can produce a more pleasant environment with choices & options versus the segregated, horizontal mono type of ghettos we build today in the U.S.

[@streetscaping]

Will do in a future video!

[@Mecknificent]

I love your content. It shows a better way forward, for everyone.

[@captainchaos3667]

What I would really love, and have been hoping for for a while, is a video about taking an _actual_ existing car centric suburb and improving it. What could you realistically (assuming _some_ political and monetary capital) do to make it walkable and cyclable. I think there is a lot that could be done. Take the stroads and reduce the number of lanes in exchange for cycle paths, tram rails and trees. Use the gigantic lots of big box stores and their parking lots to build transit oriented mixed use development instead, with apartment buildings and shops. Make sure they are accessible by walking and by bike from the rest of the area. Use modal filters to reduce car traffic to just local destinations. Narrow the streets with trees, bike lanes, parking spaces and chicanes. Make all intersections Dutch-style protected intersections first, and roundabouts later. Etc., etc. I'm convinced all this could be done to massively improve existing residential areas, without too much resistance.

[@MattieAMiller]

This is exactly the video I've been looking for as well. How can we effectively in-fill the existing suburbs into desirable mixed used mid-density neighborhoods, instead of building from scratch? Obviously there is the zoning and city ordinances that get in the way, but assuming a willing government and population, what could it actually look like?

[@tvh1505]

Amazing video as always!

[@TaisuFilmu]

Amazing production as always! Love the end 😂🧑‍🏫

[@Michistrasse97]

Great explanation! I'd love to see this implemented in the US

[@ShowLSWH]

*Cries in envy and agony as someone living in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas*

[@EastGermany-pc2lw]

If i could meet someone as sensible as this channel id be proposing by the 3rd date. Genuinly better than complaining about American suburbs, pointing out examples of better suburbs and not explaining what makes them better or what could make them appealing to North Americans.

[@shraka]

I like the idea of dedicated off street parking at the end of a street / closer to the main road. It prevents people from driving down the street to get to their houses while still providing a car space if required. Later once PT in the area is improved the car park can be easily converted into housing too.

[@kailahmann1823]

The distance between houses on both sides of the street and what's (not) in between them is also a huge difference. In the US there is usually a garage for 2-4 cars next to the house, then there is the 10 meter "front lawn", which is a driveway (used to store more cars) and totally useless grasland - anything that vaguely resembles "nature" on these is considered "overgrown". And then you have a giant street with on-street parking on both sides (because you need space for even more cars!), while still allowing cars to quickly pass each other. So you end with 30 and sometimes more than 50 meters across the street, which is a complete dead zone. A suburb an many European countries often has the car parking directly adjacent to the sidewalk - or the cars parked on one of the drive lanes (aka no space designated to parking at all). Some places even have parking away from the houses and only a very narrow street with no sidewalk in front of the houses - so from one side to another is only about 5 meters.

[@laurie7689]

Not all US suburbs are like that. I live in a suburb that was built in the 1980's in the South. Most of the yards here are full of trees and bushes. The garages are built as part of the basement (half/half) and are under the house with garage doors pointed 90 degrees from the front door at the side of the house. The driveway goes along the side of the house and also serves as a path to the backyard. It isn't unusual to find teens doing their sunbathing on the driveways around here as it is usually the area that gets the most sun because of all the trees.

[@Wouter10123]

There is barely any affodable housing in Weespersluis (if there is any at all). Everything costs over €500,000, most of it over €700,000. We don't need more expensive housing like this; we actually need more apartments. Weespersluis isn't a great neighbourhood. It is just designed for rich people getting out of Amsterdam. We have an enormous housing shortage in the Netherlands. It's a complete waste of space to waste this incredibly valuable land around a transit hub, very close to Amsterdam, to such low density.

[@streetscaping]

The argument can always be made for more dense housing, but a mix of housing types is needed to accommodate different lifestyle preferences.

[@Wouter10123]

@streetscaping True, but currently there is no mix. There are no apartments in the entire neighbourhood. The only people that will be able to live there are expats (because of the 30% ruling) and rich bankers from Amsterdam. That's not how you create a mixed neighbourhood, and there won't be a mix of lifestyles.

[@timpauwels3734]

The market is the problem

[@himgui]

I'm from Sao Paulo but often visit the Netherlands. I've been mostly to Amsterdam, and 1x to Rotterdam and Utrecht. It's crazy how well they design the city thinking pedestrian/cycling first. I really wish my country could do something similar even tho it's different reality but I'm sure there's a better solution then what we have today.

[@amac2612]

I moved from one of these nothing suburbs in Australia to germany, iits not exactly the suburbs but its not high density city living, something that isnt offerend in Australia. Its apartments, houses, townhouses, parks, playgrounds for the kids, businesses (take away, cafe, hairdresser doctors) kids riding their bikes and playing football. And no people are not in tiny boxes on top of each other. The apartment buildings are 3-4 story walk ups family size apartments.

[@eattherich9215]

Car-centric suburbs in the UK are relatively new. In much of the countries that make up the UK, it is possible to get around on just public transport with shops and other amenities within walking distance - my doctor is just across the street, there is a large supermarket at the end of the road, a bus route a minute away, and a five minute walk to a train station. There are also a couple of dentist surgeries, although my own is where I used to live. Suburban living is for those who like dull conformity.

[@PLuMUK54]

Nobody that I know lives in a car-centric suburb. Perhaps that is because of the part of the UK that I live in.

[@EdwardM-t8p]

I love how you contrast the NA suburb-scape versus suburbs in the Netherlands without being all pretentious and superior unlike some (* cough * Not Just Bikes). However, I would love for you to demonstrate in a video how auto centric US suburbs can be refitted for transit, bicycle and pedestrian accessibility and safety and for revitalizing commercial stroad development into higher density community centers and transit oriented districts. Thanks!

[@PLuMUK54]

Retro-fitting would be impossible because of nimbys.

[@hanneken4026]

9:48 a lot of rowhouses where the cars are parked on the street have an alley along the back gardens, to access the bike sheds in the back garden and take the bins and (manual) lawnmower around. If the kids can't safely go along the pavement in front to their neighbors* they can always safely use the alley to reach the other back gardens on their own streets. (*in traffic-calmed neighborhoods this sn't a problem anyway). Usually, only if people have a big pond in their back garden they'd put a locked gate or door in the back fence to stop kids just walking in freely off the back alley - families with kids tend to leave their backyard entry open, or at least unlocked during the day.

[@DiegoMartinez-ti1vd]

Why did we do this to ourselves? how has this become a culture war issue? 😭 it’s not that complicated, just give people options to choose from. We have made everything black and white

[@mic1240]

The vast majority of Americans live in suburbs (not cities), and there is a very wide variety of suburbs, including some more densely populated than the core cities next to them. In the NE and outside cities like Chicago there are many transit options and many walkable suburbs. Newer suburbs, and cities too, is where will find sprawl.

[@dutchman7623]

It's all American box thinking... A single mother... can be high class... but doesn't need a detached six bedroom house to prove her status. Maybe a very luxury three bedroom semi complies with her needs, and maybe she doesn't like endless grass fields that have to be mowed each week... Maybe a poor family lives in a big house because they have seven kids... Maybe the office clerk doesn't need a giant pickup truck...

[@DamaxThomas]

Weesp is a great city. I have only been and stay in the historical part. I will go visit the new part at the end of December once I moved to the Netherlands

[@Infernus25]

Great video man, just wondering where you get your background footage from or is it something you have recorded yourself?

[@streetscaping]

Thanks! I record it myself

[@Infernus25]

@streetscaping that's impressive, looks very professional

[@streetscaping]

@@Infernus25 Thanks!

[@xouxoful]

2:30 A lot worse than that : they forbid anything else than low density !

[@Michal_Sobczyk]

All the buildings you showed are not mixed-use. It seems like it's just a residential area. That's why it seems like a good place to live. The streets don't seem to attract a lot of pedestrians, that's why the neighbourhood seems quiet. If they devoted the ground floor to commercial space and made the sidewalks even more attractive to pedestrians that place would be hell. Imagine hundreds of restaurants, bars, strip bars, karaoke bars, loud German tourists drinking beer, people playing guitar on a sidewalk, activists and protesters giving out leaflets to passer-bys, police cars driving with a signal on because of the shoplifters in nearby jewelery stores, delivery trucks for local stores etc.

[@Servergmr]

Mackinac Island might be the exception. It is so small and cars are prohibited.

[@StonedAvocado]

traffic can be cancer bad in the netherlands.

[@streetscaping]

Yes, but unlike the US there are viable alternatives to driving

[@markuserikssen]

This neighborhood is a really good example of a modern, yet charming new Dutch neighborhood. This is probably one of the most beautiful new areas in the country when it comes to architecture and urban planning. It should be a blueprint for many other new neighborhoods. For Dutch standards it's a rather expensive neighborhood. Unfortunately, this level of detail can't be found in all new neighborhoods across the country. A lot of new modern areas look much more bland and this level of detail in architecture. However, I still think the Dutch urban planning is one of the best in the world. My only wish is that the architecture will be better, but that comes with a higher cost. It blows my mind that after so many decades, North America still continues to build inefficient suburbia. The cost of that for society is huge.

[@benandolga]

I want to live such America redesigned to the Dutch way!

[@ramarkble101]

And the houses in the Netherlands are build with concrete and brick. They can withstand a hurricane ans the canals are there to get rid of the rainwater so flodding is prefented.

[@koenkeep]

The Netherlands doesn't have hurricanes. Storms, sometimes. But not hurricanes.

[@starventure]

Great, as long as it is just the foundation and first floor.

[@quagengineer1877]

Wood and steelframe houses can withstand similar conditions with proper quality. Blame obsolete coding allowing the cheapest and low quality materials and design.

[@blackhole9961]

The Netherlands doesn't even get Hurricanes let alone the monstrous ones America gets. Heck the Netherlands and most of Europe in general hardly receives the type of severe weather America has as its climate is generally more tame and temperate. This is not to say that pretty bad weather events/natural disasters don't happen in Europe, there is just less of it in frequency and severity.

[@Chamarel]

Guess who was in Weespersluis today hahhaa

[@Servergmr]

Thankfully, where I'm from, despite it being a drug city and having a lot of crime, in the suburban(ish)(I mean, it was next to downtown and wasn't quite outskirt sprawl) 'hood where I was from, there were detached but also semi-detached homes that it had, so there was one house that was split in half like that. Also, many of the streets were brick and were somewhat narrow, though people often drove fast anyway because they were nuts. So yeah, it's an exception too.

[@travisbassett1084]

Interesting, the parking at the back of the house. That's the way my grandparents had it in Australia in a small country town & they refused to add one to the front which would have been more accessible as they aged, because it would ruin the "look". There a was lane that ran along the back of the house, these days garages take up most of the frontage. Nice video, so really, it's all about zoning and mixing house types. Another problem with suburbia I think (at least in Australia) is it's hard to remain in the area as you age (maintaining a big lawn and house) and there are less options to downsize to without moving.

[@streetscaping]

I never got the idea of caring for a massive lawn, a small one will do and will take 10x less time to maintain

[@eazydee5757]

It’s pretty similar to some suburban neighborhoods that surround cities like Washington DC, Philadelphia, Newark, New York, Boston, and Chicago, except the amount of suburban neighborhoods similar to the one shown here in this video is somewhat less compared to the Netherlands. Heck, you’ll find little walkable enclaves similar to this in Austin and Orlando for goodness sake, except they’re not connected to public transportation, which makes it difficult to leave or get around the city and other places if you don’t have a car.

[@markvanderknoop131]

The Netherlands doesn't have enclaves. That the difference. So there for it's completely different

[@laurie7689]

@@markvanderknoop131 In the USA, we are VERY classist. We don't like to mix the classes. So, homes, apartments, etc., are built in a way to help keep them apart. I'm middle class. I don't want to rub elbows with the rich or the poor. I would never use public transportation for that reason, too.

[@markvanderknoop131]

@laurie7689 I know the only normal city in the US is NY because they are less delusional about other people.

[@laurie7689]

@@markvanderknoop131 They are a port city with a bunch of foreigners always pouring in of varying backgrounds (classes, ethnicities, religions, etc.) and have always been that way. That is not how most places are in the rest of the USA. There are still plenty of parts in the rest of the USA in which people hardly ever see or meet someone who is not just like themselves. When people settled here, they tended to settle in groups. Those groups still persist today, whether they should or not, hence all the "enclaves". There are areas where some people are welcome and others of a different type are not, and I don't mean just racially either. Even NYC has its enclaves.

[@deounivers7663]

Nice video!

[@TroyRibao]

How are the public green spaces cared for? Is there an HOA? If so, what is the typical monthly cost?

[@timpauwels3734]

The municipality takes care of public green space. The finances of the municipality, as part of the state, come from taxes. Just like any city street

[@TroyRibao]

@timpauwels3734 that is not true of green spaces within HOAs, they are private property cared for by the HOA. The streets however (ie- plowing, cleaning, etc) are still maintained by the city.

[@DanDanDoe]

@@TroyRibaoTim gave an explanation of how it’s done here in the Netherlands. We don’t have HOAs here.

[@TroyRibao]

​@@DanDanDoe @timpauwels3734 Thank you, I appreciate the insight. That is fascinating.

[@Jalmaan]

Your channel banner is taken at Radesingel 22 in Groningen right?

[@streetscaping]

Yes

[@itzme8763]

Why do you want to "fix it"? its just a choice preference, some people like living like that. America needs more not suburbia yes, but that doesnt mean suburbia is bad.

[@MAL1GNANT]

Suburbia is inherently bad

[@blackhole9961]

@@MAL1GNANT Ah yes, people's choices of how they want to live (Their lifestyle preferences) are bad.

[@MAL1GNANT]

@@blackhole9961 But suburbia is OBJECTIVELY bad. It's a resource sink, promotes inefficient logistics through car reliance, and can't consistently be connected to transit if we continue building aimless cul-de-sacs.

[@MAL1GNANT]

@@blackhole9961 Does that satisfy your flawed idea?

[@MAL1GNANT]

@@blackhole9961 Suburbs also prevent small businesses from flourishing.

[@SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333]

This doesn’t show how to fix American suburbia, just how new suburbs could and should be built. What’s already in place is unfixable imo, unless most of it is torn down and rebuilt from scratch.

[@Zoulstorm]

Just change zoning laws and suddenly one lot can become 3 homes.

[@Zoulstorm]

Just change zoning laws and let people build townhomes

[@blackhole9961]

@@Zoulstorm Yes, in theory. but people still live on that 1 lot of land. Will you force them off their home to build 3? Or will you wait for them to move IF they move, wait for the home to be taken off the market, and then have it torn down to build 3.

[@jjk9o9]

Thank you

[@Servergmr]

Oh, the Netherlands is so good! It is like the greatest country though honestly.

[@Random-ne3ed]

Except it doesn't make as much money as the USA and has higher taxes. Which means it's objectively bad.

[@thevannmann]

Hardly.

[@ChristiaanHW]

there are plenty of things that could/should be improved. but the key to getting that done is keep mentioning the things that need more work and keep improving. i my opinion one of the biggest problems about the US is the "the US is the best at everything" propaganda. it makes the people think that what they have is the pinnacle of humanity so nothing can be changed, because a better way isn't possible. and if you're the best at everything, why look at other places. because if you're the best, those can't have anything worth looking at/learning from.

[@PLuMUK54]

I know Dutch people who have lived in several countries and they are very critical of the Netherlands. These videos show the best, but most of the country is, apparently, not like that.

[@simondahl5437]

@@Random-ne3ed You say that like money is everything. Which it isn’t. Happiness is everything. And guess what. At happiness the US is “objectively bad”.

[@mattsaleh]

Wat fantastisch! Een andere Dutch glazer! 😂

[@ЦзинКэ-ы5х]

IMHO, completely cutting off some sections of houses from cars like at 10:07 can have negative consequences - like, emergency vehicles would be unable to be as close to stress calls as possible. So I would suggest either a removable barrier or anything like that, so in times of need police, firefighters or medics can pass.

[@streetscaping]

The red bollard can be removed for car access! But I believe in most cases emergency vehicles would carry a patient on a stretcher instead of driving inside since the distance is very short

[@ЦзинКэ-ы5х]

@@streetscaping >The red bollard can be removed for car access! Well, it's good then. >But I believe in most cases emergency vehicles would carry a patient on a stretcher instead of driving inside since the distance is very short I disagree. First responders are not robots, forcing them to move heavy objects (and unresponsive people are heavy) without serious reason is gonna inflict tiredness, lesser response time, and higher error probability (and the price for error in that case - death). Also, why would you like them to run back and forth from the vehicle to the patient/suspect/fire? Let them be as close as possible, for better, faster, and safer service for us and for them.

[@baddriversofcolga]

The U.S. basically asked the question: How can we make neighborhoods and cities as terrible as possible?

[@superbrownsheep3777]

more like “how can we force everyone into a car and convince everyone that biking, walking, or public transport is inferior and for the poor and needy”

[@starventure]

@@superbrownsheep3777 How? Easy! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Detroit_riot

[@kru21]

Sure there are many things Americans could do different, but there are reasons for our developments and roads. Everything was built this way because of Henry Ford and other Auto makers, and Oil barons. They wanted us to have to buy cars and gasoline. This country is ran by businessmen, they don't want us to ride bicycles then we won't spend any money. We will also be less likely to see a McDonald's and stop if we aren't in a car.

[@vel0_rouge]

Is pnly called "the missing middle" in places that dont have that type of accommodation. In the Netherlands, its not missing, you were only after showing lots of good examples of it!

[@Precel42]

Most Dutch suburbs are composed of the same type of single-family rowhouse with no variation, no mixed use, and a lot of space reserved for cars just in the backyard

[@simondahl5437]

Composed of doesn’t make them the same. They are very different, but most importantly very different in terms of size.

[@frisianmouve]

This video points out the differences in Dutch and American suburbia, but I thought it'd be about retrofitting American suburbia

[@TaisuFilmu]

I thought it was going to be about the collapsing economy…I guess we’re both disappointed now..

[@stefandebruijn2654]

Video suggestion: Utrecht is developing the polder Rijnenburg. The planning is in very early stage, it will be years before anything gets build. They published a video about this early stage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYDJZamBoch7b8Usi=Zp8kBhzIw9RcwwZW. Maybe you could make a comparison with the US on this type of planning.

[@petersteinmeijer519]

7:25 The A team are visiting.

[@snodu111]

the neighborhood is fine i guess, but given the national housing crisis and overwhelming demand for housing in amsterdam, and the fact that it's right next to a train station close to amsterdam centraal, they really should have built denser housing or at least added some residential towers close to the station. the netherlands can't stay a nation of tiny villages with the kind of population we have. look at places like japan where every almost every single rail station has high density development around it, that's proper TOD. the only people who can afford to live in weespersluis are rich yuppies.

[@RavarsenBlogspot]

Can you fix south Asian towns?

[@marcusnl66]

Never going to happen.

[@marcelmoulin3335]

Thank you for the superb video and excellent analysis. I hope that American planners-in-training take stock of proven Dutch building/city planning practices. By the way, should Trump become President, how would his administration affect current New Urbanism practices?

[@diametheuslambda]

... and exactly zero redesign takes place in the video. 10/10 clickbait, would fall for it again

[@streetscaping]

3:42

[@pricelesssummer3250]

NO!

[@streetscaping]

Say no to traffic, you mean?

[@sancheeez]

but why would you need to cross the street when you can just DRIIIIIIVE there??

[@TexMarque]

Typical baloney from an urbanist. There aren't any trees and no real backyards with high prices.

[@MAL1GNANT]

kek

[@MAL1GNANT]

And when will you people realize urbanism is a necessity?

[@SincerelyFromStephen]

“There aren’t any trees” US style suburbs clear out swaths of forest and replace barely a fraction of what was lost

[@liamphillips4370]

Good video. Could you perhaps do one where you focus on fixing existing suburbs instead of only making more, but better ones? A society could potentially save insane amounts of money if they were able to utilize their existing utility layout, but with better street design. Combined with a deregulated zoning environment, an area could quickly densify - and if done on a regional scale, mass immigration would be helpful. Really, I'm curious how we can fix what we already have, to avoid the seemingly inevitable mass exodus from cul de sac suburbs that would otherwise occur (which would be a huge waste of all the electrical, hydro, and usable construction there). I am particularly curious about the ones without "good bones"-the aforementioned cul-de-sac suburbs like the Levittowns. If a suburb lacks those "good bones" (i.e., a downtown), can we not simply perform a bone implant operation? This seems to be the real question American suburbia must answer. (I think a potentially useful book to read would be "Sprawl Repair Manual" by Galina Tachieva.)

[@streetscaping]

The sad reality is that many places in the US will forever be isolated and only accessible by car as the density is simply too low to sustain shops or public transport. The only real solution involves replacing some existing houses with higher-density housing (creating a small downtown). While building dense housing on parking lots around commercial centres might seem ideal instead of demolishing existing housing, it requires changing parking minimums and increasing density in nearby areas so people can walk or cycle instead of driving. Nonetheless, even in isolated areas, improvements can be made, starting with bike lanes as American streets have all the space. You don't have to build curbside protected bike lanes as rebuilding a street is quite expensive, paint with flexi posts is very cheap and will encourage people to cycle. While these bike lanes may not enable commuting by bike, they would allow residents to cycle within their neighbourhoods and potentially ride to the nearest supermarket, friends, etc.

[@liamphillips4370]

@@streetscaping Thank you for your response. I very much agree that the housing market in general, and of existing areas, must be deregulated. However, I believe it would be extremely beneficial to explore how this could potentially change the cul de sac detached neighborhoods. Maybe they could be restructured via infrastructure changes to be small, almost "villages" with semi-frequent transit service to somewhere either with downtown or the potential for one? Maybe, as you said, some of these areas' infrastructure can be developed in such as a way as to "implant" downtowns in them, as we both pointed out. In any case, something seems clear: If most car infrastructure is financially unsustainable if we are to salvage existing utilities and engineering, we have to restructure. These aforementioned communities would need to be connected with some economical form of transit, even if that means reducing the frequency of said transit. We also cannot discount immigration; if we are forming a hypothetical here, we can explore a highly lax immigration policy, which could allow for the mass settlement and hence densification of these communities. I think one thing we ought to note is that a culture is much more malleable than we give it credit for. Car culture existed because car use was subsidized; a culture of living in these drastically changed, but financially solvent communities would also be procured with time. The task at hand, it appears to me, is salvaging, without taking a loss in the process (as that would be counterproductive), what work we have already done.

[@laurie7689]

@@liamphillips4370 We chose to live in these low-density suburbs away from downtown places BECAUSE we don't want to live in those higher-density places surrounded by shops, etc. The entire point of suburbs is to get out of and stay out of downtown areas and to get away from people, in general. If you don't like suburbs, then stay out of them. You will be happier and we will be happier. Quit trying to turn suburbs into your place when it obviously isn't what you wanted in the first place. It is my place and a place for people like myself.

[@liamphillips4370]

@@laurie7689 Hi Laurie! Thanks for your response. The issue with your point is that nobody has a problem with low density. Rather, we have an issue with low density that cannot fund itself and is subsidized by the productive urban areas. If you wish to actually bear the financial burden of where you live, great! Then I have no problem. It is only when people want this cost to be socialized onto wider society, where municipalities function on debt and deficit and must be constantly bailed out or default (like Detroit), that I have a problem. In other words, people should actually have to pay the market rate, infrastructure included, for where they live, and not exist by virtue of the government socializing the cost onto everybody else.

[@laurie7689]

We're not going to increase our density. Low-density is WHY we move to the suburbs in the first place. Also, attached buildings burn down or get ruined by smoke damage when a neighbor has a fire. There are many apartment fires every year in which people are displaced. Regulations don't normally allow people to return to smoke-damaged structures. Also, I'm not willing to share green spaces with other people. That is why I have my own yard to serve as my own private greenspace. I live in the Southern part of the USA which is very hilly and sub-tropical. This region is hot and humid. We get thunder-burst showers that just pop-up and extreme heat. Walking or biking is very rare in my State because of both the hills and climate. I don't care if the store is only 5-10 walking minutes away, I won't do it. I'll still get in my air-conditioned car to go to the air-conditioned store from my air-conditioned house. The Southern USA didn't really become livable until the invention of air-conditioning. It feels like you are going to melt when you step outside and the air, itself, is often times so heavy with moisture that it is hard to breathe. Walking outside is like swimming through the air. I try NOT to go outside if I can help it. At least in my yard, I can set it up to be comfortable with a deck, fans blowing, etc. Most of the homes (like my home) in my suburb are surrounded by or underneath the trees for shade. The houses here are two-story homes and the trees go up at least another 1-2 story's in height, themselves. Of course, during tornadic storms, they sometimes fall on top the homes crushing them. Most roofs can't handle the weight of a full-grown tree.

[@DanDanDoe]

Regarding fires: sounds more like the issue is bad building quality and bad regulations. Despite the Netherlands being much denser, the US has significantly more deaths in building fires. In 2022 the US had 2720 deaths in residential fires, the Netherlands had 37. The US has 19 times the population, but 37*19 is still only 711. Despite all the row houses it’s rather uncommon for fires to spread to other houses here, for a large part because of the building materials. There’s also some strict rules about fireproofing your house. Google images of “woningbrand Tilburg” and you’ll see how there’s a pretty big fire in a single row house while the neighbours are basically fine. Why aren’t you willing to share green spaces with others? Plenty of houses in the Netherlands have front and backyards, which are very private. Most houses in this video have a backyard. Having public green spaces can be good for communities. Kids come together to play there, neighbourhood committees can use the space to organise events, people who don’t have a backyard can go there and feel the grass between their toes, people play with their dogs. Combine the green space with other amenities, like shops, a cafe, and you can have a vibrant community. And again, nobody’s forcing you to live in a city here in NL. Plenty of people live on (former) farms, you can have a lot of private green space around you, especially if you don’t mind driving to get to a shop or something. Right now, in much of the US there simply aren’t many options for people who do not want to live in a low-density car-centric suburb.

[@SincerelyFromStephen]

Wow this is depressing. Your life is only possible because of air conditioning

[@brunogrigely4527]

:)

[@Joker-no1uh]

Americans like big yards and lots of space. Everyone in Europe is way too close together. I moved to Denver and only lasted 4 months before moving back to the burbs. People are not supposed to live that close together in a small space. It's unhealthy and unnatural. Tiny apartments and people stacked on top of each other is awful. I never had a house key growing up and we never locked our doors. There is literally no crime. I know all my neighbors and we all know who should and shouldn't be around. If anything were to happen I will protect their property and vice-versa.

[@koenkeep]

Again, this is not a video about Denver or American cities. This is about how the Netherlands designs its suburbs. You can either learn a lesson there or continue your polluting, financially unsustainable and car dependent ways.

[@nianbozhang9070]

The video didn’t just advocate for apartments, but also townhouses, duplexes and some detached homes too. All have more than enough space for healthy living.

[@nunyabidness3075]

The way you grow up has a lot of effect on what you find comfortable. There is no real right or wrong. The problems get created by subsidies and free lunch policies.

[@JaydenHolland-wo4fd]

The average house is 300,000 dollars the average worker can't afford that. Humans are also not made to live so far apart or have unused yards. Being stacked on top of each other is not awful. Having to live with 5 people in a 2-3 bedroom house only a little bit bigger than an apartment is awful.

[@nunyabidness3075]

@@JaydenHolland-wo4fd I’m not sure the average worker ever could afford the average house. I didn’t buy a home until I made more than the average family. My first home was maybe 2/3rds the cost of an average house. I think there’s a LOT of people getting made sour by a misery industry which tours a lot of misleading stuff. Yes, we have a housing crisis. Yes, it needs improving. No, the press and the politicians are not going to actually do anything to help which is good because all the things they ever do just make it worse in the long run. Please stop playing into their hands. If you aren’t happy, vote out the incumbents. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. We need to stop buying this BS that it’s always the other side’s fault. I just heard an effing Senator say if re-elected, she will fix things she hasn’t made any better in NINE years in office. I voted by mail, and I voted neither for many of the top offices because neither candidate actually had a plan worth trying except a guy who always has a plan, but doesn’t get things done because he spends his time getting his face on camera embarrassing the other side. I’m so through with all of it.

[@dimrrider9133]

Lucky for the health of the people all electric cars will be vanished in 20 years.

[@benandolga]

Buy horse 😂

[@Hendrik-jan-de-tuinman]

ga eens buiten amsterdam kijken!

[@animatiekoning1617]

The Dutch suburb you showed in the video is absolutely NOT affordable for the vast majority of people. If you want to live anywhere in this country on an average salary, you most definitely need a car to do basically everything, just like in the rest of the world

[@streetscaping]

If you live in any urban area, you absolutely don't need a car. If you live in the countryside there is still public transport and people can and do cycle to their nearest small urban center. I lived in Groningen, and I've explored most of the small villages around the city, which are some of the most secluded parts of the country, and people take public transport there and cycle. Obviously, a car would make life easier, but if you live within walking or cycling distance from frequent transit, you can live without a car.

[@rifahd138]

What a nonsense comment. I live in Amsterdam and I don't need a car for anyting

[@walawala-fo7ds]

I was reading about the Dutch housing crisis. Maybe Europe needs to help itself first

[@eingrobernerzustand3741]

Yup, the city folks are eating farmlands like crazy. We need a minimum dwelling unit density of 75 dw per hectare of primarily residentially used space for any place with more than 500 people

[@ChristiaanHW]

that's because The Netherlands has too much people. we have 18 million people and a livable area of 34.000km2. that's 1/3 of Spain's population in an area that is 1/13 their size. meaning (roughly) 4 times the density. or 1/18.5 of the US population and 1/280 of their landmass. there comes a time where a country just hits the max amount of people it can sustain, and home wise The Netherlands has hit that number. unless we build only big ass apartment buildings and everyone has to live in towers, like those in cyberpunk or the Judge Dredd movies.

[@DanDanDoe]

@@ChristiaanHWThe Netherlands has always been one of the densest countries in the world, reliant on other countries for many of its resources.

[@MikeHunt-fx9rg]

I’m good with my single family home.

[@HigherQualityUploads]

Okay. Are you willing to pay higher taxes for it? Because currently America doesn't charge suburbanites enough for the cost of their infrastructure. That's likely coming soon due to the renewed interest in reducing the national debt.

[@kvm1992]

It's not the missing middle and not all American suburbs is the same. Depends on where you go.

[@MrAronymous]

Oh my god not a video excusing Weespersluis and calling it a good suburb. I mean compared to America it may be heaven (I mean you have to do really bad to even reach their level) but everything about this development is short sighted. It's a great example of really bad planning obscured by cutesy facades. Just because it's "right outside of Amsterdam" doesn't make this a good development. Technically it now is within the Amsterdam municipal boundary since the Weesp municipality got merged/volontarily annexed into the Amsterdam municipality, but the city of Amsterdam itself would have NEVER developed a new plan like this. The current design is a result of cash grabby short-sighted politicians. Sorry to be harsh but this also shows again just because you have video editing skills and a passion doesn't make you knowledgable about a subject.. If you want to redeem yourself then make a video praising Utrecht Leidsche Rijn Centrum to get your karma back in check. Problems in Weespersluis: -It totally spatially ignores its greatest asset; proximity to the historical center of Weesp and its train station. There is no denser housing on that side of the plan either. Not even better walking or cycling connections. It's total madness. -It's car-focused! Yes really! All the houses are grouped on islands and the bike paths are winding and non-direct. -It was an empty polder and there is too little green space left. Should've built more compact and left more open nature. -It is mostly low-density 'upper middle class' single family housing, not a good mix of all housing types! And to think we're having a housing shortage and meanwhile this hot pile of steaming low-rise spread out garbage got approved. Truly small town hands in pockets decision making. -There will be some mixed uses like shops but they won't be centrally located at all. -It's a public transit wasteland. There is no single bus line planned. It's T R A S H. But with good looking facades, I will give them that.

[@streetscaping]

There is a solid mix of housing typologies and the mixed-use area is a 10-minute walk away from the train station. While it is indeed a relatively low-density area, it's worth noting that there's always a demand for suburban living that the market will continue to meet. One might argue for exclusively high-density developments as seen in Leidsche Rijn Centrum, but I can tell you as an urban planner that the reality is that a diverse mix of housing options remains essential to meet different lifestyle preferences.

[@RealConstructor]

Not everyone wants to live in communist neighborhoods like you suggest, many prefer these nice neighborhoods as shown in the video.

[@daphnelovesL]

@@RealConstructor communist? you must be American

[@MrAronymous]

@@RealConstructor Well then those people can go live in Lelystad.

[@TaisuFilmu]

Then again, you have to realize that the comparison is mostly between US and NL. And yes, he is talking about suburbs near Amsterdam, so obviously it is going to be about upper middle class.. unfortunately in this economy that is the case for most suburbs everywhere.