Walkability: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 00:17, 1 March 2024

Why

Driving (and other passenger transport) is a major contributor to climate change, and electric vehicles are not necessarily better for the environment in the near future.

If neighborhoods were designed better, people wouldn't need to drive so much.

General principles

A neighborhood should have:

Considerations

Environmental impact of new construction - not as bad as driving, but still significant.
- It would be better to repurpose existing buildings instead, whenever possible.

By region / What needs to be done

North America

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South America

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Africa

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Asia

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Europe

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Oceania

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FAQ

"Are you trying to take away my car, you filthy commie?"

No. We're just trying to design your neighborhood so that you don't need to drive as much, so you can save some money.

"But aren't 15-minute cities just a way for the globalists to try and control everyone?"

I have no idea what are the motivations of the global elites, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Having things within 15 minutes from home is a good idea.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-A '''walkable''' neighborhood has most of what people need within walking distance from [[housing|home]].
+==Why== __NOTOC__
+Driving (and other passenger transport) is a major contributor to [[climate change]], and [[electric vehicles]] are [[electric vehicles/Fossil fuel powered|not necessarily better]] [[cobalt mining|for]] the environment in the near future.
-{{minor|Walkability is a continuum. It's unlikely for a neighborhood to have ''everything'' for ''everyone'', but the more it has, the less people have to drive or use [[public transit]].}}
+If neighborhoods were designed better, people wouldn't need to drive so much.
-==Things worth having within walking distance==
+==General principles==
-* [[Food|Groceries]] and other stores
+A neighborhood should have:
-* [[Education|Schools]]
+* [[Things within walking distance]] <!--(or at least a reasonably short driving distance) TODO: say that on the page linked to-->
-* [[Green space|Parks]]
+* [[Pedestrian-friendly streets]]
-* Recreation centers
-* Places where people [[Labor|work]], in general
-* Outdoor public spaces for events & festivals
-{{minor|''Got something to be add to this list? Join the {{talk}}.''}}
+==Considerations==
+* [[/New construction|Environmental impact of new construction]] - not as bad as driving, but still significant.
+** It would be better to [[/Repurpose|repurpose existing buildings]] instead, whenever possible.
-The goal is to have a neighborhood that people can actually enjoy spending time in, and not just at home.
+==By region / What needs to be done==
+<!--
+TODO: add links to subpages on cities/towns, i.e. [[Walkability/Toronto]]
+NOTE: we don't necessarily have to keep the 'by continent' arrangement; maybe just have an alphabetical list of countries? idk
+-->
+===North America===
+{{empty}}
+===South America===
+{{empty}}
+===Africa===
+{{empty}}
+===Asia===
+{{empty}}
+===Europe===
+{{empty}}
+===Oceania===
+{{empty}}
+==FAQ==
+===="Are you trying to take away my car, you filthy commie?"====
+No. We're just trying to design your neighborhood so that you don't ''need'' to drive as much, so you can save some money.
+===="But aren't 15-minute cities just a way for the globalists to try and control everyone?"====
+I have no idea what are the motivations of the global elites, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Having things within 15 minutes from home is a good idea. <!--Let's make our own plan instead of leaving it up to billionaires.-->
-==Motivations for walkability==
+==See also==
-* Transportation is a major contributor to [[climate change]].
+* [[Public transit]]
-* [[Electric vehicles]] may not be a [[Term:viable|viable]] solution soon enough.
-* In many parts of the world, neighborhoods are designed in a way that forces us to drive a lot.
-==Tradeoffs of new construction==
-Although walkability could save [[energy]] by decreasing reliance on transportation, this has to be weighed against the energy footprint of constructing brand new buildings to make walkable areas.
-A much better solution is to repurpose existing space as much as possible.
-==Repurposing existing space==
-===Suburbs===
-The majority of people in USA & Canada live in suburbs that are very ''not'' walkable.
-{{minor|This was originally by design, due to automobile companies lobbying for specific policy decisions made back in the 1950s. Many of the policies are unfortunately still in place, as [[zoning]] laws.}}
-Although it's hard to have true walkability if a suburb's density is low, there are still '''improvements''' to be made:
-* Commercial space
-** Repeal some [[zoning]] laws: Allow homeowners to run small businesses from their homes. Most homeowners wouldn't, but there'd be a few enterprising folks who might [[residential to commercial|turn part of their house]] into a small grocery store, or coffee shop, or yoga studio, or whatever else you'd typically see in less-suburban areas.
-*** In some cases, someone might buy a house specifically to repurpose it into a small business. This could be good in moderation but would be a problem if too many investors did it (a big concern for the first neighborhoods to try such a policy). So there would need to be policies ''limiting'' this. Also, any decrease in housing should be offset in other ways.
-** Office space
-*** People are increasingly working from home.
-* Public events
-** Use part of a park (suburbs usually have a lot of them) as a "public square"
-* [[Housing]] density
-** [[Subdividing]] some houses into duplexes. Good for walkability - and even more importantly, helps alleviate the housing shortage. Note: This doesn't mean subdividing ''all'' houses, just some percentage of vacant ones.
-<!-- UNPLACED NOTE: bring back "coach houses" {{npn}} -->