We Might Be Able to Fix the Suburbs

[@JesusChrist-qs8sx]

The thing I hate the most about suburbs is the commercial centers. Instead of thriving Main Streets with mixed housing neighborhoods on their edges...we have massive parking lots, drive thru restaurants, and chain and big box stores.

And the artificially created ones outside of the residential areas, are just large businesses making something feel like a Disney Land commercial area. Instead we could have something closer with smaller independent businesses, working together as a community.

[@peterbelanger4094]

@ LOL...."working together as a community"......LOL.... how is that EVER going to happen? especially in the US?

[@peterbelanger4094]

@ And smaller independent businesses? heavy regulation lobbied by huge corporations prevent those from existing anymore.

[@peterbelanger4094]

You can make yourself miserable, complaining about all the things you don't like, or you can just move somewhere you do like. There is no money, and it's too big of a job to go and bulldoze the existing suburbs and build something a better way. It's just fantasy to think it will change.

[@aminy23]

Main streets don't thrive with high rent and expensive labor. Walmart/Costco is cheap because giant trucks bring massive amounts of inventory which gets forklifted to the aisles they need to be in. A tiny mom & pop store needs shelf stockers (which they can't afford) and is stocked with a truck that illegally blocks the road in front. Urbanization thrives when you have a two-class society which allows you to have a poor working class that's easy to exploit. When you improve human rights, then suddenly that model collapses. Dubai was built urban with cheap immigrant labor who was treated terribly. China was built urban by exploiting laborers as well. In the US, our urban cities love being sanctuary cities because undocumented immigrants = undocumented labor exploitation = exactly what Caesar Chavez fought against. Economy of scale is vital for creating affordability. Amazon's big warehouses makes their products cheaper than the small corner stores/liquor stores. It's easy to make a video saying "this could be a nice restaurant, this could be a corner store", but in reality those businesses can't afford that rent or the labor needed. And if we switch to urban densification as a solution. This creates a situation where you won't own anything, and would be forced to pay for everything your entire life which is serfism. Someone like Jared Kushner or Lakireddy Bali Reddy owns the apartment complex and they earn rent money indefinitely thriving off the poor. Pedestrian friendliness and cycling is loved, as long as they feel safe. Many women would rather drive in the dark after work rather than walking alone past the dimly lit back-alleys in their urban neighborhood. Parents don't want their kids walking past giant homeless tents or druggies shooting up on the street. Mixed housing works great when you have beautiful small businesses like a florist or artesian baker. It's not so great if you live next to a tire shop, plastic recycler, or fish market.

[@thomashendricks9774]

When I was a kid, growing up in New Jersey. In the town I lived in, there was 3 'convenient' stores within a five minute walk of my house. They were inside the first floor of regular houses. Over time, they were all force to close and converted back to living spaces. I remember going to each of them for penny candy or sometime a gallon of milk. It was the best, should bring them back.

[@Coffeepanda294]

Being able to take a short stroll to a coffee shop or convenience store is heavenly.

[@baassiia]

I agree. I live in Europe and small/medium food shop next to housing area is a MUST. I live in a city but I used to spend lots of time in rural areas and each village has small shop that you can walk by foot, like in max 15min! It's so wierd that US banned food shops...

[@trevor_mounts_music]

Most of New Orleans is still like this - corner store underneath with a family or two living above.

[@aceman0000099]

What I don't get is, who is politically opposed to this stuff? Why can't you vote in a mayor or a Governor or whatever that can change these laws?

[@Coffeepanda294]

@@aceman0000099 The single family home desert has wide cultural support in the States, partly because Americans are so insular they literally don't know of any other way to do things. There's steady progress, but it's an uphill battle.

[@mikedamat]

The fact that people are opposed to this blows my mind. This makes so much sense.

[@Coffeepanda294]

The comments threads of these videos are really something to behold.

[@komicalkramer6188]

its a culture thing. :/

[@6000.]

Probably because it is mediocre, no offense

[@airborne1459]

9:00 Ngl it just seems counterintuitive having less lanes and more traffic is going to make it even harder to get to point A to point B and also make it more dangerous with more traffic jams

[@airborne1459]

There engineers for a reason.

[@zachydrogeo]

I’m a civil engineer working on a design for a strip mall in northern New Jersey. The parking requirement from the town necessitates we have over 500 spaces available for this one shopping center (there’s no way they will ever be filled considering what’s going there). There’s already an empty parking lot with a couple hundred spaces behind the site that seemingly belongs to nobody but we can’t just use that. And of course you can’t walk to this shopping center unless you want to walk along the shoulder of a highway. What’s even funnier is that people always say “land is so valuable in this town because it is right outside of NYC” but It’s like this town literally wants to be a parking lot. The whole thing makes me regret going into this field lol. So unfortunately it’s not as easy as just saying that engineers need to do a better job. We are mostly beholden to the wants of the client, I.e. real estate development companies, and municipal code. If anything is going to change it would have to be political, not just ‘hiring better engineers’. Trust me, I’d like nothing more than to work on a project tearing down a Walmart Super Center and replacing it with a charming, walkable downtown district, but that’s not the direction a lot of places are going.

[@machtmann2881]

Thanks of pointing out the realities of your field! So many online urbanists think it's easy to point out problems and then prescribe solutions. But it takes a lot to change all those development codes and default practices (not that we shouldn't though). It takes years just to approve and build one building. Physical infrastructure isn't computer code, you can't just change it on a whim and get immediate feedback on if it's working or not. Working through all these development codes, municipalities, politics, etc. is tough work, way harder than anything we studied in engineering imo.

[@michaelsitka4751]

I agree with what you said but I must point out that this was kind of the point of the video, he did say that the laws must be changed before we can improve things.

[@elorani1714]

In situations with excessive parking requirements like that, is it viable to 'future proof' the overall design of the property by laying out the parking lot and associated paths and curbs in a way that specific could be developed in the future if the property owner received an exception to the rule, or if the rule ever changed? Given the increased discussion and movement on reducing rules that lead to auto-dependent built-environments, is that aspect ever considered? Thanks for sharing your perspective!

[@Paul_Bedford]

There was a time that those minimum parking regulations made sense. But we now have online shopping and social media so not as many people are using vehicles to do their non-necessary shopping. So now we need a new study to see what is now a sensible max capacity for parking

[@Summersault666]

The problem is not having available parkings. When you have it, it's not a problem!

[@thesandboxbandit3838]

Did I just stumble upon a top tier urbanist channel in its infancy? This is a great video.

[@inesalag]

It's the algorithms..

[@thesandboxbandit3838]

@@inesalag the algorithm at its best.

[@freemanol]

I think so too. It's a breath of fresh air. Too often urbanist channels focuses too much on anger and frustration against carbrains. It's good that this channel can convey urbanism without playing into the polarisation.

[@FraserKM]

@@freemanolAgreed: Like yeah NJB is cool but so much of the message feels negative. It's the main reason why I watch CityBeautiful and CityNerd instead.

[@ajinkyakamat7053]

The Great Omniscient Omnipotent Algorithms has recently been very kind to us meek viewers. It hath chosen to shine it graceful light on smaller channels.

[@ktmriki]

As someone from Europe, seeing a five-five lane intersection with only stop signs controlling traffic is absolutely insane. I'd be afraid for my life driving there.

[@thorpower1015]

Stay in Europe you won’t have to worry about

[@bobsemple9341]

​@@thorpower1015why are u so angry about people trying to help you? We're obviously smarter so take our help in fixing ur little country

[@Coffeepanda294]

@@thorpower1015 The truth hurts, apparently.

[@thorpower1015]

@@bobsemple9341 I'm not angry, Im just pointing out what we like here in America, don't try to Europe America, you are not smarter if you were you would not be so self righteous like all the rest of you city types.

[@thorpower1015]

@@Coffeepanda294 enjoy your crowded cities, I'll stay in the wide open suburbs anyway.

[@ignasanchezl]

This is so cool, I love the way you present the possibilities and how they are literally illegal to build.

[@Streetcraft]

it's wild! thank you!

[@AllTheUrbanLegends]

I love the presentation of alternatives and the focus on how to fix things. I also like your introduction of retail to that intersection. The theory is sound. I think, personally, I would prefer to see that more towards the center of the neighborhood and off of the arterials but otherwise it's a good idea. I think, however, in a real world scenario this wouldn't work. The corners of that intersection look pretty wet and development was likely avoided for a reason. It also may be satisfying part of their open space requirements so that land wouldn't be buildable anyway. Also, "illegal," while technically true still Rings a bit hyperbolic. It's legal or illegal in the sense of it being an ordinance. These things get changed in Florida pretty regularly in a 3-6 month, statutorily defined process. It's not hard to change zoning, you just need political and/or local voter buy-in.

[@jaken005]

One of, if not the best i have seen so far! Great real world examples, shows the problem and gives advice to how to solve it in a realistic and constructive way!

[@timogul]

Every regulation exists because before it, someone died.

[@Gingercat-]

@@timogul ? No.

[@vista3790]

I love how this channel is advocating to fix the suburbs instead of just leaving them to the city or moving to another country

[@v.kut7307]

Funny thing is, that this fix would bring the city to the suburbs, but if done correctly more to a European city. Only need to allow zoning of middle housing, and it would start to be looking more like one. When I was in Fort Lauderdale visiting relatives I already thought about why you can't have anything in the suburbs and need to drive anywhere, same about schools etc. I am from Germany and I have my next store 5 min away and live in a house btw.

[@longiusaescius2537]

@v.kut7307 boomer relatives?

[@v.kut7307]

@@longiusaescius2537 close to the end of the boomer generation, it is a rich doctor family in a gated community. That, btw. was also very strange to have a guard in the entrance and need to show ID and such. Felt less free and more like in a camping vacation park.

[@longiusaescius2537]

@@v.kut7307 I'll take the ID showing if it keeps the sidewalks piss free, and they would just move to America typical boomers

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

@@v.kut7307no. We don’t want your leftist urban policies in the suburbs. We want wider roads and larger homes 🙄. Stay in the city if you want a 6 story apartment building

[@TomanovicsGergely]

03:43 "Don't build infrastructure for biking and walking because no one bikes or walks here" sounds like "don't build a bridge over the river, becasue no one swims trough it anyway, so there is no demand to cross it" :D As a dog owner I like to walk a few kilometres every day, but at that place I'd also get in my car and find a place where it's worth walking because it looks like a distopian hell.

[@Coffeepanda294]

Wonderful argument.

[@VestedUTuber]

Also, people don't walk or bike in a lot of suburban areas not because they don't want to but because it's unsafe to do so due to being forced to use car-focused infrastructure.

[@razor191919]

In San Francisco, we have many bike lanes, car-free streets, and significantly reduced car lanes. Yet, I only see a maximum of three bikes a day, and most are on the sidewalks. So we have removed one to three car lanes on most streets, only to have it be a complete waste. San Francisco also massively reduced parking spots, so instead of people driving and parking, we all rely on rideshares. This forces cars to remain on the roads longer than necessary because they are never parking and are often driving around unoccupied. I've been contemplating leaving SF with the homeless drug issues and high cost of living, but transportation also being absolutely trash is probably going to be the final nail on the godless city.

[@timwalks]

I'm really glad you went into the legality of this idea. The whole time I was watching your proposal I kept thinking "that just breaks so many building/zoning codes". This is the fundamental problem I think. We've made it way too hard to build anything convenient.

[@Re_Doubt]

Agree that is a huge part of the problem. Second big problem is the issues that reducing down to 1-lane per direction roads will cause for emergency crews and repair activities.

[@zianchoy]

@@Re_Doubt Could be solved with different types of emergency response vehicles (e.g. small cars/minivans/bikes) or with roads that are blocked off for emergency-use only.

[@Re_Doubt]

@@zianchoy I like your creative thinking and I would love to see smaller more efficient emergency vehicles. I think that would require reform to the US's civil lawsuit system as well as likely reduction of US vehicle safety and emissions regulations (which currently drive large bulky vehicle design for aerodynamics and crash safety). In our current legal environment, slimmed down emergency vehicles are not very feasible. Would love to see change in this area.

[@Jehty_]

​@@Re_Doubtwhy would 1 lane per direction roads cause problems for emergency vehicles? Pull over and let them pass

[@forfdasbrot991]

@@Re_Doubt He put the cylcling lanes next to the road. In Europe it is often the case, that, if the road is blocked, the emergency vehicles just drive over the cycling pathes.

[@PauxloE]

10: 22 "Due to the fact that all these neighborhoods are gated, this wouldn't be possible due to the physical barrier" - Even for gated/fenced communities, you could just add pedestrian/bike access doors into the fences. Nowadays this can be automated (residents get some entry card), so you don't need additional guards.

[@retroryan838]

Better solution, don’t build gated communities. It’s a pointless design and a waste of money.

[@salamipitza]

but but my privacy. isn't that the whole reason why suburbs exist

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

Instead of restricting these new roads to pedestrian and bike access, you may as well make them accessible to cars now that you've changed the class of the widest roads from arterial to local.

[@abexuro]

@@takatamiyagawa5688 That's not a good idea. If you do that you'll get more cut-through traffic and the roads inside the neighborhood become more dangerous. The arterial is still not at local level, since it'll have a higher posted speed and separated modes of transit. While the neighborhood has mixed road use, so you want to limit car traffic and speed there as much as possible.

[@britefeather]

​@@salamipitza I haven't noticed more privacy in suburbs in practice.

[@Kringlord97]

"I have all of these places within a 30 minute drive" mentality astonishes me when it could be "I have all of these places within a 5 minute bike ride".

[@NotUp2Much]

This is just pure, unfiltered copium. Anyone can bike anywhere, no matter how far. You don't need to live in a walkable city to be able to bike to a restaurant or store.

[@baneofbanes]

@@NotUp2Muchthat’s the single dumbest thing I’ve read today.

[@NotUp2Much]

@@baneofbanes There are people who bike 3-4 miles to and from their jobs every day even in winter. Your only excuse is that you're lazy.

[@australasiaa]

3-4 miles would take the average person approximately 20minutes to cycle. This cannot be equated to the distance 30minutes in a car would take you. Almost no one would cycle up to an hour to reach basic amenities. It's not just a case of laziness ​@snap__shot

[@baneofbanes]

@@NotUp2Much no you’re just a fool. I frankly doubt you’ve ever even rode a bike before on anything other than flat ground.

[@5afe_4u]

I went to middle school with Chase Coyner, one of the students who died in that crash. He was a pure soul, always very friendly. I remember hearing the news, and it was hard to believe. Great video.

[@elplaceholder]

Rest in peace🪦

[@th5841]

Road safety has a hard life, living out in the dark. Just like homeless people, it is neglected. We have our priorities. Some young people getting killed is sad. But what can we do other than find a person to blame, clean up, forget and move on? In this case they build a roundabout. Nice, but just a drop of water in the sea.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

Let us pray Jon Voight's Anaconda Prayer: May the souls of the departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace. In nomine patris, et fille, et Spiritus Sancti Amen.

[@vickomf1]

I went to LRHS with them it was a sad year for sure

[@abexuro]

This is probably the best way I've seen this problem explained. You also don't blame anyone for the car-centric design and don't try to evangelize people to cycling. Good approach and very refreshing. I loved the example of how it could be built instead in particular. It makes it very clear that things are the way they are because we choose them to be so, and change can be very real and practical. Also, that fake main street is both extremely hilarious and depressing at the same time.

[@Streetcraft]

Thank you for noticing! People don't listen if you blame them for how they're living their life, so it's important to notice where differences occur and what changes can be realistic.

[@kurplunk-studios]

We can blame someone for the car centric design though. Auto companies that lobbied and worked with firms to make cities more car centric.

[@askeskipper3783]

Car centric infastructure is still the problem tho

[@Joxat_]

Also there's this huge misconception that whenever someone wants to make life less car dependant there's always people commenting "Well i LIKE driving" and "You can't force me to take the poor and drug filled train or bus" and it's literally just better for everyone because more public transit and more walkability makes driving easier and more funding simply makes public transit better, cleaner and safer.

[@exchangAscribe]

but cycling IS better. it objectively is. you should get people to cycle whenever you can.

[@semaj4818]

As someone who lives in Europe, The Netherlands to be precise. I'm so glad there's so many round about, it slows down the traffic but saves so many lives. Also, there's so many pathways for pedestrians, cyclist/bike and there's supermarket close by except at more rural/farm area tho. US really need to learn from East European countries, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia etc.

[@One4Truth]

I absolutely agree; we also need to follow your example in healthcare, education and work/life balance as well! Unfortunately, the majority of Americans nowadays are too self centered and have been programmed to believe that success is shown with how big and flashy their homes and stuff is and want the exclusivity of the gates or private community for status. God forbid anyone is slowed down or inconvenienced for the sake of everyone as a whole; it's "me, me, me" here, sadly.

[@RoCK3rAD]

@@One4Truththe Netherlands is not the country to follow they harass minorities and have literal black face characters in their mainstream culture. Look it up it’s called zwarte piet

[@dlazo32696]

@@One4TruthSo in your eyes, what is success?

[@One4Truth]

@@dlazo32696 that's a difficult thing to describe, but I'll try. Success to me would mean I'd be happy overall/content, living comfortably in an average 3 bedroom ranch house with a yard for the kids to play in, a pool to relax in, a driveway and garage in which to work on cars, flower beds to water and most of all good health. My kids being happy, healthy and kind is the greatest success. Also, enjoying my job is important; we spend too much time there to be doing anything we don't like. Of course, no one wants to be poor and being rich be wonderful, but I'd never want wealth at the expense of others. I can't understand the mentality of those who don't want to see others rise, for everyone to have a fair shot and get a piece of the pie. I'm nearly there, I love my job and my kids are wonderful(3 of which are grown and have become young adults that I can be proud of). Now, I just would like to own my own home and more importantly, need to obtain good health. It's very difficult to enjoy even the great things in life while living with chronic illness and pain, but I've been trying my best!

[@JK-vc7ie]

We don’t need to learn anything. Suburbs are far superior to the high density urban living of those countries. That’s exactly what we do not want. That’s the whole point of living in the suburbs.

[@kailahmann1823]

What really frustrates me is the American habit of building double-lane roads as soon, as there is even a little bit of traffic. Here in Germany, more than one lane per direction triggers so many automatic (!) safety regulations, that even relatively large cities try to avoid building any of them and sometimes even remove them.

[@elplaceholder]

Yeah, most streets in argentina are one way for that reason

[@britefeather]

Like, it's going to have traffic either way, might as well avoid making it terrible.

[@daltongalloway]

I missed that part when America is Germany 😂😂😂

[@evanfinch4987]

then stay in germany

[@freemanol]

i always wondered why a double lane road feels much more dangerous. it's much harder to cross and even as a driver it feels much harder to drive safely as some people zig-zag across the lanes

[@duc87452]

I'm glad this channel focuses on showing simple changes to suburbs and doesn't completely hate on them. When channels are in your face about hating suburbs they often completely alienate lots of viewers.

[@thatvietguyonline]

What the world (America included) needs is less unnecessary asphalt 8 lane-roads, less subdivisions of suburbs, and more 15 minutes cities to be built.

[@thatvietguyonline]

And more roundabouts with stop signs.

[@LiLBitsDK]

@@thatvietguyonline you must be american... we don't use stop signs for ROUND ABOUTS... you use YIELD signs... stop signs are bad and shouldn't be used... you actually rarely ever see them here...

[@jakobs-gx8vv]

Just watched both of your videos and I love your channel already. Your videos have such a high quality, and I couldn't agree more with everything you're saying

[@FotoMatanda]

Couldn't agree more.

[@Streetcraft]

thank you!

[@aidancoleman4866]

There's a place called St. Armand's key in Florida that does exactly what the video suggests and it's been really successful. It's essentially just a roundabout surrounded by businesses and it brings a lot of life to a suburban area that's otherwise disconnected from good stores and restaurants

[@sarasota_commutes]

St Armand's feels more like the Lakewood Ranch faux downtown example than the redesigned intersection. It's a destination to which people drive (although there is a free trolley available) rather than walk or bike from where they live to exist for a normal day. The nearest grocery, for example, is Whole Foods in downtown almost 3 miles away. Most people can't afford to eat at the Columbia Restaurant 3xday!

[@aidancoleman4866]

@@sarasota_commutes yeah i agree it's somewhere between a lifestyle center and an actual downtown, definitely not an affordable spot for everyday living, but I think it's nice that it's there

[@KG-we6by]

Sarasota is a real community that’s years ahead of everywhere else around it

[@shawnmayo8210]

I hate the businesses-around-roundabouts idea. I am a big proponent of roundabouts, but they're premised on flow. Stopping to get into and out of business districts is a more stop/slow down heavy practice so the entrances need to be away from the round abouts. A round about at the ends of the streets the shops are on makes sense.

[@b_uppy]

The best way to "build a suburb" is to remove most zoning laws. Let them grow organically instead of by nimby rules.

[@mlbrooks4066]

Umm, no. That's how you end up with gas stations and strip malls crammed into the lot beside your house.

[@b_uppy]

@mlbrooks4066 Wrong assumption, on your part and duly noted you used a strawman arguments. "A gas station next to your house" is a safety issue and should have different rules and would come under retaining some zoning laws. And strip malls are exactly the product of excessive zoning regulations because of ie parking requirements, housing precluded from retail space, etc.

[@b_uppy]

@@serious_house That pharmacy, pizza place, and grocery store sound downright convenient. I mean PIZZA...

[@hwfcup1344]

@@b_uppy It's a norm in Eastern Europe to have everything listed either on the first floor of your condo, or in 5 minute walk distance. You don't have to have a single gigantic shopping mall when you can have 100 smaller shops all scattered around the place. I mean America is wonderful, but the way you expand cities is downright abhorrent.

[@b_uppy]

@hwfcup1344 Agreed. I would love a few home-based shops in my neighborhood. Instead it's "drive several miles to town" if you want to sit and visit in a "local village square."

[@duskpvpmc]

When i first saw this channel I thought you had over 100k subscribers, I was very surprised to see less than 100! The quality is VERY high and loving you content! Keep it up!!

[@Streetcraft]

Thank you!!

[@Blackadder75]

You can see its a new channel by the use of stock video clips.

[@wolframstahl1263]

This channel had

[@wolframstahl1263]

@@Blackadder75 Nothing wrong with using stock footage in morderation to illustrate some points. Seeing what seems to be original footage with quite some effort put into it (and even a face behind the channel) is encouraging.

[@Blackadder75]

@@wolframstahl1263 sorry if it came off as negative, I didn't say it, it is just an observation. I see new channels using these and established channels not using it. (exceptions happen of course) SoI think that content creators in general prefer to make their own footage, once they have the means to do that.

[@swennykins]

What I love most about this video is that you provide a balanced, factual discussion that acknowledges problems while also looking at solutions. I’m so tired of the channels that just point fingers and laugh at suburbs and car dependency without actually trying to solve the problem. Keep up the great work!

[@Streetcraft]

Thanks!!

[@exchangAscribe]

its not worth the work to solve it. the design is inherently flawed and would require way too much work and time that likely wouldnt even pan out in real life. nothing is going to change for the better until the politicians and government controlling this stuff allows it too. and they likely dont even realize the problem.

[@ano_nym]

And everyone usually is some sort of commie.

[@ano_nym]

@@exchangAscribe this video is literally showing a solution, mate.

[@exchangAscribe]

@@ano_nym i know, i just described why that solution would likely be more work than its worth and wouldnt pan out. also, his solution is *theoretical* ; it may not even work at all in real life. and like the video and i said, the current laws and people in power prevent anything from getting better. unless the laws and regulations change, this solution or any like it will not be possible.

[@schm147]

Jupiter FL is like this. It has a main street with a bunch of restaurants with apartment buildings directly on top of them, and row houses with the doors 10 feet from the road and garages on the other side. They also close off the main street every other weekend for events and festivals. I was always envious of their sense of community.

[@Amir-jn5mo]

Welcome to the ever expanding urbanism channels. You got yourself a new sub. The inefficient, isolating, land destroying and tax negative suburban experiment must end. We need European and Japanese style zoning and suburbs that actually have inclusive zoning for residents, shops and offices. Also that walkway path connecting the divisions to the main road is so underrated. I lived in a suburb in Toronto that had this exact walkway that let me walk from my house to the intersection where there was a major grocery store chain in order to shop. Legit took me less time than driving out of the subdivision thanks to how efficient the walkway was. The kentucky subdivision example is also huge. I recently moved to Vancouver and one of the major things i appreciate about the old suburbs is that majority of apartments and houses don't have a driveway leading on to the street. They are usually hidden in a back alleyway or just dont exist. It makes the main street of the suburb so much more quiet, low traffic and friendly.

[@Streetcraft]

Totally agree, walkway connections are not talked about enough!

[@graavy]

I've stayed in a few different Toronto suburbs over the years (my brother lives in a Midtown studio, so staying with him is kind of infeasible) and they've all been MILES ahead of the average US suburb, as far as green space, pedestrian connectivity, and development scale are concerned

[@peterbelanger4094]

Not everyone is like you. not everyone wants to live in a city. many of us HATE living in apartments/condos and do not want to be in crowded spaces, cars or pedestrians. Why must you expect people of one country to live like those in another country? Are you suggesting we homogenize the entire world and force everyone to live in the same ways? many people in the US happen to like how we do things here, and quite resent attempts to make us more like Europe or Asia, or even Canada. We do not want to go along with you folks. We like our big stuff, and "wasteful" lifestyles. At some point you folks are going to have to start FORCING people to go along, since you will never persuade us to go along.

[@Amir-jn5mo]

@@peterbelanger4094 It's hilarious cause out of all the countries, your the one forcing your lifestyle on everyone. Mandatory parking, mandatory setbacks, mandatory minimum lots, mamdatory height limits. Literally every aspect of suburbia garbage is forced upon people. Free country my ass. Shame on us to want the choice to build whatever we want instead of living in some racist boomers zoning experimentation from 1940s

[@elplaceholder]

​@@peterbelanger4094yeah, its just putting stores and buisness nearby, not rebuildind the place from scratch

[@kingvictor2174]

Wow. I watched both videos without looking at your channel. I thought, you had like 500.000 subscribers, but only 84! You make amazing content, you have earned my sub

[@wolframstahl1263]

Just hit 8k a few minutes ago. Wouldn't be surprised to see that rapid growth continue for quite a while.

[@hananas2]

I really like how this channel isn't just ranting about how everything is bad and wrong in the US, but rather highlighting issues and presenting realistic solutions to them. Keep up the good work! BR, a Belgian with 5 bicycles and 0 cars. I'm rooting for you guys!

[@jadenbankhead]

I had this recommended in my feed and waited a while before watching it because I didn't think I wanted to watch another video from a someone "discovering" urbanism and laying out the argument for the thousandth time. Finally got to watching it and I'm glad I did! The way you animated and presented your arguments is so fantastically clear. This will be the video I share anytime people are curious why I won't shut up about walkability. 🙃 And I also feel like I learned something new intuitively seeing the way you animate and lay out your arguments. Feels so good to get this nuanced take and hopefulness in how to fix the suburbs instead of abandoning them. Looking forward to seeing what videos you make!

[@stepaglushkov7731]

Dude, you are SO good, please keep going. As a transport planner, I applaud your efforts to talk about common problems of the profession and its consequences. Your narrative and video editing skills make it pleasant to watch. If I lectured on transport planning at the university, this channel for sure would be part of the curriculum.

[@ShotgunAFlyboy]

That lakewood ranch unprotected left pseudo-highway is super common in FL too. They're built due to the amount of water-runoff control making a center-ditch the easy answer.

[@jonesrmj]

This is a fantastic video! I love seeing the increase in urbanism content on KZbin to help educate people on the negatives of car-centric planning and how we can improve these places. I'm also thinking about making urbanism content as well. I'm hoping this content helps lead to positive changes with urban planning in the US! Wishing your new channel success!

[@peterbelanger4094]

Most only complain about what they do not like and present very few solutions. Most urbanists have some insane expectation that everyone will be ok with dense urban living. NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE IN A CITY!!!!!! many people HATE apartment/condo living and do not want to be piled on top of others all the time. Anyway, just look at the condition of cities these days, who would want to live there? Why do you think city living is better? It sucks! STOP ADVOCATING FOR A SOCIETY THAT FORCES US INTO CITIES!!!!!!!!!!

[@railroadforest30]

@@peterbelanger4094a larger percentage of people living in dense cities is the only way to preserve nature.

[@niklas6882]

@@peterbelanger4094Nobody thinks that cities are the only solution, lol. But car-dependent suburbs aren’t feasible for many reasons. An easy solution is to build suburbs that aren’t car-dependent, which is what you will find in many countries outside of the US.

[@JesusManera]

​​​​@@peterbelanger4094This video is literally about making minor, incremental improvements to the liveability of suburbs by designing them better, not "forcing people into cities".

[@JesusManera]

​@@niklas6882Exactly. Even in Australia I grew up in a suburb that was walkable, well connected to public transport and easy to live car free, simply because it was designed properly without the zoning and parking restrictions that strangle the life out of American suburbs.

[@peterphilips1003]

Thank you for making a great expositional video explaining what suburbs lack and what citizens and planners can do to make them more resilient! You approach these urbanist topics in a way that encourage people who may not be your typical urbanist to rethink the suburban status quo. Great Job!

[@leftcoastfunk]

i love the concepts you touched on here! Having the private space, the community space, AND the convenience space in well planned communities like you've shown really changes the entire vibe. In contrast, my "convenience" are massive shopping centers that I have to drive to despite their "close" proximity, and my "third place" is just my bathroom because there's literally not a single space in my entire local area where I'd like to just hang out and chill

[@paufreiree]

Your channel is exploding, can see you'll get far. This morning you had 24 subscribers, now already at 80. Keep going man! Your videos are top quality!

[@kailahmann1823]

wait 24? When I started watching this video, it was 590… now it's almost 800.

[@kyh148]

@@kailahmann1823it's 2.62k now

[@Basih]

3k now, subbed.

[@yangliu6901]

holy this channel is growing FAST

[@JasonWood100]

4K now, and well deserved! Cheers to 5k by the end of the day

[@DobberD]

Sir plz keep posting amazing content. And remember never sacrifice quality over quantity.

[@Streetcraft]

Thank you! There will be more content on the way soon!

[@Bwilliams2]

Roundabouts are a great addition to many areas. Now the public needs to be educated on how to use them!!!

[@GWVillager]

This is an excellent video, I love how you focus on making tangible improvements and completely agree with everything you said. It’s exactly the sort of thing we need!

[@aadilranesh]

The aerial footage in your videos look really great. It almost looks like it's rendered. I haven't seen such good aerial footage from any other KZbin channel.

[@marcelmoulin3335]

Thank you for the informative, well-executed video. Creating intimate, attractive, car free, transit oriented development communities promotes that feeling of community which is all too often lacking in the US. I count my lucky stars daily that I live in charming, walkable, and cyclable Middelburg... in the Netherlands. American city planners and architects could learn a lot from the Dutch. (By the way, albeit a Dutchman, I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.)

[@natalieschmitt5619]

I watch A LOT of urbanist content. I've read at least ten books on urbanist principles and ideals as well (for those interested, the book that first opened my mind is "Happy City" by Charles Montgomery). While I certainly have not seen it all, I can honestly say that is perhaps the best "primer" that I have seen yet on distilling the most salient problems of - and solutions to - suburban development. Your use of overhead drone shots and the superimposed graphics is extremely effective. For many people who have only lived in the suburbs, it is difficult to actually grasp just how much space is wasted in such development patterns. As such, it's even more difficult to try to imagine anything else that still maintains a sense of "suburbia" without becoming too "built up" (a common concern you will hear from many suburbanites who like these types of development patterns). With your use of simple graphics, you easily overcome this imaginative leap. Overall, excellent video. You've definitely earned yourself another subscriber! I can't wait to see where this channel goes.

[@Streetcraft]

Thank you so much!!

[@peterbelanger4094]

You 'urbanists' want to force people who prefer living in lower density into living in high density cities. Do you urban apartment/condo dwellers really want people who are resentful at being coerced into denser living than they are comfortable, living next to you? Contrary to you beliefs, some people actually LIKE living out in the suburbs, and you have no right to force them out of that lifestyle.

[@elplaceholder]

​@@peterbelanger4094people in the suburbsvare not going to be kicked out, you are just going to have some stores here and there, and better streets

[@Ashorisk]

​@@peterbelanger4094 nobody forces anyone the only thing most urbanists promote is MORE CHOICE and not only 1 type of suburbs.

[@bocbinsgames6745]

@@peterbelanger4094 Either you're just trolling or you haven't seen the video

[@jellechristiaans6838]

In the Netherlands we've had so-called "Vinex" suburbs since 1995, which are suburbs designed with the express purpose of building car-less convenience in mind. Every suburb area is to have a school, some grocery stores, a movie theater, etc. all of which should be accessible by bike/foot or public transport.

[@tann_man]

In the US that's illegal :(

[@Coffeepanda294]

Sounds wonderful. The Netherlands is leading the way.

[@ak1noakin0]

I swear in the future I'm going to flipping movie to The Netherlands and learn Dutch.

[@Totenglocke42]

So they're not suburbs, just slightly smaller cities. Hence the problem, not everyone wants that miserable life.

[@jellechristiaans6838]

@@Totenglocke42 I guess you can also think of them as smaller cities, yea. I just used "suburb" in the sense of a recently built area next to a historic/existing city (center). What do you think is miserable about living in a residential area with facilities?

[@Pieceodapie]

So glad u mentioned Nortonville Commons. As u described the issues that plague suburbanism, I couldn't help but think to myself how I visited a beautiful community in the suburbs of Louisville that solves every problem mentioned

[@davidcrespy948]

I like this video because it gives simple fixes to already existing suburbs rather than merely griping about how most suburbs suck (which they of course do). I learned a lot in a short time and forward to more from this producer. Well done!

[@kaybee7860]

yes i loved that too! explaining how to fix the problem instead of just pointing out that there is a problem

[@joe8643]

I imagine that a suburb like this is the perfect place to implement local transit too. Imagine having a light rail system that travel between community centers, schools, business parks, and the different corners of the neighborhood. Not only that, but if we banned on grade parking lots and put those underground, we could leave a lot more surface space for parks etc. eventually you end up with a very inviting community where it is super easy to get around from one place to another. With bike paths, sidewalks, and transit, you can eliminate the need for most local car trips. Driving is essentially reserved for mid distance trips. At this point, it is viable for people to live without owning a car

[@pedrorequio5515]

The Problem with American low density zoning is that any Kind of high density Transport(such as rail because rail is mostrou fixed cost, transporting 1 is the same as 100 almost) is of the table since it cant be sustainable. For example in that example of Lakewood Ranch, in that section you have maybe 1000 People, in a similar are in an European city(or some if the more dense cities) you have 10 times that, this makes any Development easier. I say this from an European perspective where leaving your house and going to a café or a Park, or quickly run to the store to buy something is the way we live our lives, and this kind of isolation of these neibourhoods(even gated neibourhoods which are even more) seems dystopian(of course it would sound normal for an American, just a different perspective).

[@udishomer5852]

Unfortunately light rail is way too expensive for such low density neighborhoods. Light rail can be viable in cities which are 10-100 times denser than the suburbs shown here. But buses or minibuses can work even in these suburbs.

[@fraizie6815]

That's in an ideal world but an ideal world doesn't rely on capitalistic values

[@maas1208]

​@@udishomer5852 What about Hybrid Rail?

[@danielvazsobelski6852]

This is one of the best well put together video I have seen about suburbs and the issues

[@Zadow]

Being in Australia I think there are many suburbs that aren’t far off this already It’s generally VERY easy to get around life without a car here, and if you need to bus or train well, the infrastructure is surprisingly great

[@JesusManera]

Yeah in Australia, even the worst and least-urbanist outer suburbs are still more like the "fixed"/proposed version in this video, but with better PT too. And the older middle-suburbs here are worlds apart from those barren US suburbs, so much better.

[@stevieinselby]

@@redrox3312 Australian suburbs are kind of midway between Europe and North America. They are typically built as very low density sprawl, but they do generally have some provision of local shops and facilities and at least a skeleton public transport network. Superficially they _look_ more similar to North America, because what you see is the vast expanse of large houses, but functionally they are different because they don't have the harmful zoning laws.

[@darthvader907]

​@@redrox3312 depends on the area. Newer suburbs, like those in the west of Melbourne, tend to be more like thr American ones, but older, more established suburbs are more walkable and have some local stores, similar go the redesign proposed in this video

[@the_unkown5194]

I just finished watching both of your videos and they are both amazing. I feel validated in my feelings and the increase in this type of urbanization content is really educational. Keep up the great work

[@rosegoddess2214]

As someone who lives near Lakewood Ranch (and has driven on that diamond interchange more times than I care to admit, ugh) A+ to all of this. Some Florida drivers would complain about all the roundabouts and some just aren't ready to actually drive them, but I love them. Also actual footage from UTC on a KZbin video I stumbled across breaks my mind. You would probably believe the traffic around that in like a mile radius during tourist season, although you wouldn't want to. This is rambling, but this is a fantastic video! Nice job

[@zephocracy702]

For being a new channel, you have the video quality of some of the most popular urbanist commentary channels. You've earned a sub and hope your videos reach the people it needs to!

[@davyjones419]

Fantastic video. I like how you ground your topics in real world examples, it makes the content more easily digestible and relatable. Great work!

[@figbloppa7183]

You NEED more subs bro, I can tell your channel is about to be huge

[@afrophoenix3111]

This is outstanding work... Just happened upon this video out of the blue (still gotta check the other), and I love what I see and hear. I'm rather looking forward to what's in store in the future. Glad to have another urbanist/city planner channel in my feed.

[@orbitalstitch]

These are extremely slick, well edited and produced videos for a young channel, well done! (I mean they're top tier full stop, and even more impressive for a debut. It must have taken a tone of work)

[@Mo-mu4er]

Your graphics and markups are top-tier! You also covered a lot of topics at just the right depth to hopefully start people thinking about these issues.

[@cgk1276]

Great video and as someone who enjoys suburban some of the stuff you’ve presented here are things I’ve wanted for a long time

[@dc2guy2]

Thanks for showcasing places that have been redesigned for the better. I think that will make more people feel less hopeless about change, at least for me anyway :)

[@tann_man]

Too bad its all illegal

[@wselander]

Absolutely brilliantly made video! “Inconvenient suburbs” really nails it on the head. We’re so used to prioritizing car travel in the US that we totally miss out on the communal aspect that people need! It then gets touted as a luxury when it should be a commonality.

[@TheBadlandsSandvich]

To be fair to city planners and zoning, there’s also the issue of heavy “Not In My Backyard” mentality among older residents, and this is one of the primary reasons for these problematic zoning laws existing in the first place. There have been plans and attempts to build developments like the one you outlined at 8:00, but they were shot down by Karens and other boomers who flat-out don’t understand how such a development would benefit them. They complain that such communal developments next to their homes would bring unwanted noise and undesirables to their quiet little neighborhood. They do not seem to understand the difference between a small cluster of shops and a massive shopping mall. Educating people about the benefits of mixed-use and bringing residential and commercial spaces closer together is just as important as changing the zoning laws.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

Well if you think NIMBY's are only boomers then you're in for a surprise. Many young people in their 20s and 30s (including me and everyone I know) have that mentality too. The only way to get more of them on your side is from videos like this who are more reasonable by trying to promote smaller improvements to the suburbs without actually doing a entire makeover of the suburb and banning cars like many other urbanists try do promote.

[@TheNobleFive]

​@@Jon_Nadeau_ Things are changing. Many of my colleagues, young and in the military, are becoming more partial to better public transit and places where you don't have to drive. Many of them aren't liberal either, they just don't put total car depenency on a pedestal like people used to.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

@@TheNobleFive I wouldn't say people put "car dependency" on a pedestal. They usually put things like low density, low crime, more privacy and land on a pedestal. Car dependency is just a side effect of building suburbs that way. Most of us (regardless if we like cars or not) just think that it's worth the tradeoff. I have no issues with public transit but the problem is its hard build and pay for public transit without higher density and mixed use zoning, which will likely turn the suburb into the dense inner cities we once moved out of.

[@Seb512]

Good to see a decent urban planning channel not blatantly against cars. Your ideas are very similar to those of 1990s planners in the UK. Check out Gamston, Nottingham for instance. Good roads but walking and cycling is much quicker and cheaper, and also more pleasant as a canal runs through the middle. Lots of grass and trees and roundabouts etc. They could’ve spread out smaller shops a bit more but it’s miles better than the cheap newbuild estates in the US and England.

[@Chluke25]

You can thank the engineers over at Stantec's Sarasota office for Lakewood Ranch. Massive, publicly traded firm that did most of the work for Lakewood Ranch over the years. Throughout all of engineering school we're told that the top priority is safety, but the truth is that the top priority of the decision makers is profits.

[@nikocakee4621]

Glad to finally see an OPTIMISTIC urbanist in the community! Subscriber earned!

[@n0ah1897]

Amazing video! I think Carmel, IN does this really well (still with a lot of room to improve, though. I want a light rail in Indy). Between the Monon Trail, mixed-used pathways, and abundance of parks and roundabouts, we can get to main street Carmel in under 10 minutes on a bike from our traditional suburban neighborhood.

[@Streetcraft]

Carmel is the suburb to keep an eye on for sure. They're doing a lot of things right.

[@Sir_Austin_T_Gee]

Road design: One road design concept I love about rural areas in the Midwest that I often implement in cities skylines is a concept often referred to as a Michigan Left. These wipe out pretty much all the negatives of the design at 2:00 and still allow the main arterial to move at high rates of speed.

[@jamalgibson8139]

Your example at the 5 minute mark is exactly what I think of every time someone tells me, "oh it's so convenient to just hop on your car and go anywhere you want." Because it's really not that convenient to have to hop into your car every time you want to go somewhere.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

I disagree. I think it's very convenient.

[@jamalgibson8139]

@@Jon_Nadeau_ I really don't care. I'd rather not be forced to drive everywhere, but if you want to be forced to do it, then you do you.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

@@jamalgibson8139 Exactly! 👍

[@vibrantgleam]

It is until you realize it isn't the only form of transportation and it's actually more isolating than public transportation and possibly making friends while doing so.

[@Totenglocke42]

​@jamalgibson8139we'd rather not be forced to walk everywhere and make a daily trip to the grocery store instead of once a week. But here you are, being a douche wanting to force everyone to live your bizarre fantasy.

[@SJ23982398]

You also need to address density. Cornerstores and mixed zoning don't work very well with single family homes. Since density is too low, so these stores get too few customers, and actually need large parking lots. But if you throw in the occassional 2-4 story apartment building (which btw is much harder to build in the US and Canada due to ridiculous fire regulations) density is high enough to support enough traffic for local stores and restaurants.

[@bradmathews]

Exactly the point I was going to make. The transformation examples he brings up are really great, but no not actually work for a very low-density suburb like the FL example. Increasing density allows more walking and biking options. Our surrounding area in San Jose, CA has lots of smaller strip malls which is the best compromise for our density, but half the customers need to drive to them, and most do anyway.

[@machtmann2881]

Yes, we need more density! Especially where housing is most expensive because that's how you know it's overdue. Unfortunately, too many people think we would immediately get Kowloon Walled City instead of some really nice looking 4/5-plexes and apartment buildings with shops around the corner.

[@person3070]

This is a great idea! It allows people who like the space and privacy of a single-family home to still live, while still allowing for ever-increasing affordability and the lifestyle that living in apartments brings!

[@mrrrrrrrrrr]

I do agree that suburbs need more density, absolutely! However, I do think single family home areas can support small corner stores. Where I lived in México, a lot of neighbourhoods are single family focused and even then you have a corner store on almost every street. Most of these are owned and run by people living in the neighbourhood (often above or besides the store) but there are also chain corner stores (OXXO, 7-11) close to most areas, all of these reachable by walking! In my neighbourhood there were also many small businesses like bakeries, butchers, farmers markets, etc all reachable by 10-20 mins of walking (which my 75 year old grandma does almost every day!). Car dependency and low funding of public transportation (and mostly safety) are also a big issue in Mexico but zoning is really good in my experience.

[@tann_man]

Its all illegal

[@SFCFilms]

I do agree round about on single lane roads makes roads a lot safer but on double lanes it’s scary to drive. A lot of what you’ve mentioned in this video was incorporated in the design of Canberra, Australia last century and I do see the difference between the old suburbs and new and you’re absolutely right. The new suburbs are so isolated and bike and pedestrian paths are non existent or after thought. Older suburbs are so peaceful and a joy to live in. Well done on this video, very eye opener.

[@grantdole]

Amazing work! I love your examples and visual storytelling approach to show before/after and what life could be like.

[@dunkalunk]

Great start to a channel! Hope to see more about fixing suburbs!

[@glenmale1748]

The zoning laws in the states blow my mind. I live in an average Australian suburb of nearly 9,000 people. It has only 2 sets of traffic lights, both at the exit points onto arterial roads. There are zero stop signs.... zero! Every intersection is a roundabout. Nobody stops. Traffic just flows. We have multiple medical centres, dentists, pharmacies, chiropractors etc. A huge primary school (elementary school). There are at least 20 restaurants, a massive hotel and convention centre, and 2 supermarkets. A servo (gas station). And multiple other retail outlets. None of them are more than 5 minutes away. Unless absolutely necessary, I hardly ever leave my little mini-city. It's awesome. It is possible to have mixed zoning that works for the citizens. It just means throwing out existing paradigms.

[@Mirtrius]

Incredible video, your illustrations demonstrating what could be built are top notch and not like anything I've seen from the huge urbanist youtube channels

[@lincolnreed367]

Truly an amazing channel! Such high quality and research going into this content.

[@kyleb5169]

Your videos are so satisfying to watch! I love seeing the brilliant changes. I don't live in the suburbs but I know friends and family that do live in them. I prefer/love country living around farms and fields.

[@gloofisearch]

These are great videos. Thanks so much. I used to live in Florida and loved it. Often though, I moved to places were I could walk to these "Lifestyle" centers as otherwise they defeat the point. However, I am in Spain now and boy, what a difference. Pretty much all of Malaga center is car free and people are out walking and meeting till the early mornings every day and night. In Florida, I used to walk to a store or little restaurant and walked back to my house as nobody really stayed there and enjoyed the place. Most drove there, got a coffee and drove off. It actually is a very sad life if you go out of the house to a restaurant, get your stuff packed up and take it home. Not only do you use a lot of time, but the food gets cold and you do not meet any new people. There are some bright spots in Florida where they try, but overall, this train has left the station a long time ago and cannot be fixed any more.

[@SuperiorSandbox]

I attended Lakewood Ranch HS when those two students died. Neither I nor my immediate friends knew them but it's tragedy that should not have happened nonetheless. Most of the issues you bring up about suburbs like Lakewood Ranch, most people here don't even know how to conceptualize - I know I didn't. It took me a long time to realize the fundamental issues with where I grew up, and how much better things can be. Seeing these videos about places I grew up in and still frequent to this day is very entertaining! Thank you for making them.

[@eddyherrera3207]

On point. Well done. I am extremely interested in changing my community.

[@anderswennstig5476]

Well done, I was a little skeptical of clicking on yet another "urbanist" "suburbs bad" video from a channel I didn't recognize but this video was very high quality and your use of a single main case study worked very well. Cheers from Seattle! Let's change the world!

[@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk]

Where is this strawman even coming from!

[@anderswennstig5476]

@@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk ?

[@zanebaldwin5978]

Great video! Everyone in city planning should have to watch this.

[@therealist9052]

Bro I'm already learning more about good SUSTAINABLE city planning practices (real-life, cost-effective, and ACHIEVABLE goals) with just this one video than my university course! Subbed!

[@exekious321]

Great video. You touched on most points that make a great community. Look up Carmel Indiana. It’s the best example of how to redesign a suburb.

[@eggballo4490]

Something I think you neglected to mention was public transit. I suggest installing red bus lanes on the sides of a road instead of parallel parking.

[@vxcmdr]

People need to park somewhere, you're better off having Public Transit in the center median.

[@SanderEvers]

@@vxcmdr You don't need to park if you go by public transit. Build a large parking garage (or parallel parking streets) at the start of the street with a bus stop and let the bus stop at the community center. Now you have more space for the community. This is actually how it works in a lot of places in Europe.

[@VestedUTuber]

@@vxcmdr Ever heard of a "Park And Ride" facility?

[@vxcmdr]

@@VestedUTuber Yes we have this in Australia, but you know people have cars and would like somewhere to park plus car enthusiasts actually contribute to the local economy by having car meets at the local shops.

[@VestedUTuber]

@@vxcmdr Sure, but you don't need to put parallel parking along every single street for that. Also, for car meets specifically, parallel parking along the side of a road isn't exactly a good choice of location.

[@mandy8558]

Michigan has been doing this in a lot of small towns actually! The small town my mom grew up in did the same kind of transformation recently, and the downtown is a lot more lively now.

[@bannol1]

Australia is a highly urbanised society. 72% of Australians live in our major cities. Australians love their suburbs and the Australian dream is the quarter acre block with a house on it. However, blocks have shrunk to much less than half of a quarter acre and houses have become huge. Australia faces many of the same challenges that American urban developers face. Interestingly, many of the suggestions brought up in this video are implemented across the suburbs of our major cities. Roundabouts, walking and bike paths, smaller mixed business centres are very much our reality. I live a 20 minute return walk from the nearest shop to my house. I can get to those same shops in about 3 minutes by car. We do have a major shopping centre a 15 minute drive away and supermarkets in various directions are also a 15 minute car journey. We are spoilt for choice and convenience. We have walking tracks, parks and sporting facilities that can be reached by foot in less than 10 minutes and walking is good for us.

[@JesusManera]

Agree, Australia is similarly suburban and still has issues but designs its suburbs MUCH better than the US with more mixed zoning, pockets of density, generally building along rail corridors with extensive public transport networks servicing the suburbs, safer road designs (speed bumps, roundabouts, frequent crossings, traffic islands, lower speed limits) and a lot more off road walking and cycling paths to connect housing to shops and transport links. Even what I'd consider to be our worst, least urbanist and most US style suburbs are like that, let alone the older middle suburbs which are often very walkable and well serviced by PT and shops every 600-800m or so.

[@il3077]

Hahaha I was just thinking this as I was watching then I read this comment

[@ausaskar]

Strict zoning still prevents utilities like the old corner "deli/tuck shop" you'd find in established suburbs. Which like the American example means you have to drive all the way into a shopping centre to pick up a bag of sugar.

[@beback_]

Suburbanization is rooted in a fetishized idea of the English countryside so it's an issue faced by one degree or another by the entire anglophone world.

[@tomazstarasinic2081]

@@JesusManera , you mention safer roads. However, in comparison to Europe, these roads are quite dangerous and would likely not meet European approval standards. Roundabouts are only found on smaller suburban roads. There are no roundabouts on major roads, even though they could certainly benefit from them. Instead, there are large, wide, and potentially dangerous intersections equipped with speed cameras and red-light cameras. This seems to be their solution to the problem. This is particularly true in Adelaide. Correction, there is one big roundabout on a mayor road, and it is designed really bad and stupid, no one knows how to drive on it.

[@YOjeremyRaps]

I’ve watched so many urban planning videos and few have this sort of optimistic problem solving out look. Well done 👏🏽

[@tann_man]

Too bad its all illegal.

[@Storm74.]

This is the best city planning/traffic engineering channel I’ve ever found. Keep up the great work!!!

[@patrickmelo3398]

Great video! I loved the term "illusion of convenience" to describe overly accommodated, car-oriented design. Also good job with the smooth editing!

[@coleciervo5454]

Really really great video. Another beautiful example of a walkable, human-scale, mixed use neighborhood is the Village of West Clay in Carmel, Indiana. I was blown away when I visited, it's an example of how suburbs *should* be built. The only thing it's missing is a rail connection to Indy

[@Cyrus992]

I agree. They can use existing or add elevated rail

[@maas1208]

​@@Cyrus992 Or Make a Commuter Rail System

[@Cyrus992]

@@maas1208 I am also in favor of personal rapid transit.

[@JavadVF]

I wouldn't have known that this is a small channel if I hadn't looked at the subscribers count. This is top tier, high quality content! So congrats to you on making these!

[@Mr_Cool]

This channel is way better than most other urbanist channels. Keep up the good work!

[@mart6856]

Only 100 subscribers?! This is great content, keep it up!

[@Streetcraft]

Thanks!

[@Kodeb8]

It's kind of insane how quickly the urbanism movement is growing, but I'm all here for it. I'm confident we will see huge strides happening within the next few years.

[@severinveganigang8036]

Bro this content is amazing. You deserve a million followers and more. You speak clearly, you have good voice quality, the video is well edited and the graphics are pleasing, the way you present the topic makes it very interesting and you can summarise really well. Easily my new favorite infrastructure - urbanism - mobility youtuber. This truly is amazing. Keep it up, greetings from Helsinki, Finland 👏

[@engso.arthur]

This channel is top tier. Suburban regulations are soviet-level restrictive, so any commercial zone is outside. Zoning laws should be lax, so a more organic and people-centered city can sprawl, like Europe.

[@Coffeepanda294]

It is incredible how central planning-like North American suburbs are. And to add to the irony, they defend it because they like the... "freedom". There's something Orwellian about that.

[@pavelshevchenko4848]

So funny how you mentioned the city in Michigan just out side of Lake Orion and Pontiac. The entire video I was thinking about when I visit that area and how I love that road stretch with roundabouts before it turns back into traffic lights. The entire area feels easier to drive through and also feels more walkable.

[@benpicone6454]

@1:38 Tell me I'm not the only one who spotted it 😂

[@wassupcuhwatchumeancuh]

Yeah, we both saw a penis drawn.

[@Dino-Mite718]

I see it too 😂

[@Heartfromsomewhere]

It’s open/circumcised too😂😂😂

[@DrCatdeJong]

I'm dutch, everything is within 5 minutes walking away from my house. We have a large town square, with a supermarket, bakeries, drugstores, ect. It's wonderful, i live in an old suburb designed to be walkable.

[@Totenglocke42]

No, you live in a small city, not a suburb. The entire point of suburbs is to get away from the cramped area, high traffic, high pollution / noise / crime /etc environment.

[@shawno8253]

I love your videos because unlike many other channels like this your videos have a positive undertone. Many channels would look to Europe on how to do better which is fine but you show how the us is currently improving and how we could expand it to other areas of the us.

[@TR3X0YT]

I am a teenager, if I want to subway and other places across the street I cannot because of the ridiculous traffic next to where I live. There is no bike lanes that I can go on so it is nearly impossible to get across the rode. If developers just added a bike crossing I would be able to go to the places I want to go without being trapped in the endless suburb.

[@Coffeepanda294]

And ironically, the argument for building this way is that it gives you 'freedom'.

[@vibrantgleam]

Sameee. I wish I could walk by myself to places. Maybe even have a mall or small outlet shop next to the suburbs that I could commute to, making friends. But no. :(

[@Totenglocke42]

There's a traffic light, you go when your side has a green light. Jesus kid, do they not teach such basic things anymore?

[@meadowsproductions981]

​@@Totenglocke42 have you considered there aren't traffic lights everywhere?

[@Totenglocke42]

@@meadowsproductions981 There are at major intersections. Pretending there aren't is just moronic.

[@richardvargo2740]

"Suburban living is incredibly popular in the US" - Yeah because there are basically no alternatives. Suburbs are a result of zoning laws lobbied by car and oil companies. You're not allowed to place commercial building within a residential area, why? Because, walking or biking becomes more convenient than driving. You're only allowed to build single family houses, why? Because if the residential area becomes too densely populated, then public transport becomes viable enough to replace cars. You need to fix the zoning laws first. Then you can suddenly free up a huge footprint of roads and parking lots and replace it with public transport, nature and dedicated walking and biking paths.

[@alexflosho]

I love the way you represent everything that’s wrong with my local area. I love driving but sometimes hate driving here.

[@rubyfoxall1656]

This video is super high-quality and makes for a great intro to urbanism. I love the example about getting sugar for cookies - it's such a simple yet powerful argument for multi-use zoning. Thank you, keep it up!