However, I think it is fairly obvioius that the public choices made in this country over the last half-century have subsidized and favored suburban living over other forms, thereby influencing many people at the margin to move to suburban communities. If the public spending on highways and roads vs. rails and public transit were switched, the landscape would look very different.

It’s true that people have expressed a preference, and for majority that preference is to live in lower density suburban communities. However, it’s also true that the costs of that lifestyle are increasing, and allowing the costs to be borne by those who are in the position to make the choice of where to live can only help achieve a more rational distribution of population.

When you look at the underlying reasons why people choose suburban homes, I think you may find some hope for promoting higher-density (and more sustainable) housing patterns. Chief among those reasons are:

(1) Good schools

(2) Access to *safe* greenspace (especially for children)

(3) Convenience of parking & guests

(4) Proximity to highways

The problem, as a lot of suburban residents see it, is that high density urban living often doesn’t offer those four amenities. Schools in urban areas are often poor (Cleveland, where I live, is one of the worst!). Greenspace, if available at all, is concentrated in city parks and not well patrolled for children’s safety. And the latter two items (parking accessibility & highway accessibility) are also not so great in urban areas.

I’ve recently changed my mind a bit about this issue, though. I think that there are viable ways that high density urban areas can address these issues:

(1) Cluster housing: By ensuring that there is a certain amount of greenspace (think mini city parks) for all residential construction, you can help satisfy the desire for greenspace. Also, you have to make sure that you have neighborhood groups watching over those mini parks, so that the neighborhood kids can hang out there and have (safe) fun.

(2) Magnet schools & special school districts: you can carve out portions of a city and allocate special school districts to them. So let’s say you want to attract middle-class residents to a poor city (like Cleveland). Then you zone a special school district in the middle of the construction zone and ensure that people moving in there can be assured of having a decent school. Alternately, you make sure that the city has at least a few merit-based magnet schools so middle-class residents have somewhere to send their kids. Sure, it’s gentrification, but it’s a viable economic development strategy.

(3) Cars & parking: this is obviously the hard one. Suburban residents do indeed see cars as central to their lifestyle; urban living fundamentally cannot fully accomodate that perspective. But what about providing secure parking lots on the outskirts of neighborhoods? Residents could use public transportation most of the time, but still own their own cars and use them for longer trips…?

–Steve (grossreport.blogspot.com)

It’s not that New York City is an oddball, it’s that the rest of the country lives in an completely different manner than any other civilization in the history of mankind.

1st – the price of gas is not high historically. It is about 70% of its high when adjusted for inflation which is the only fair way to price it.

2nd- it is no where near as high as it is going to get

3rd- life in the near suburbs, far suburbs and exurbs is only “desired” when gas is cheap.

4th – the price of gas is only a part, some would say, a small part, of the price of auto dependence, both the individual price which seems to be Mr. Tuttle chief concern and the social price. The space and opportunity costs of individuated transportation that are externalized make urban life (not just NYC) much more affordable (sustainable?)

People’s personal desires are of small importance in relation to the earth’s ecosystem and of civilization as a whole.

Its either change or nature will make you change. Its pretty simple.

Humans are smart enough to know that they cannot continue making the choices they are making. If they refuse to change, then they are simply inviting the problems that this excellent post presents.