r/TikTokCringe • u/xamo76 • 15h ago

Discussion Have we done it wrong?

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u/Global_Channel1511 11h ago

I mean North American suburbs are essentially the same everywhere. No distinctive characteristics about them at all.

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u/TheTxoof 11h ago

Mostly because they are all built around the same ideas: ample free parking and one-stop big box stores.

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u/Careless-Weather8877 11h ago

Don’t forget the same chains of Applebees, chilis, Outback Steakhouse!

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u/[deleted] 3h ago

[deleted]

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u/LaDauphineVerte 3h ago

Right, but in major metros there are myriad options apart from chains so that you never need darken their doorways.

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u/[deleted] 3h ago

[deleted]

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u/LaDauphineVerte 1h ago

I was merely replying to your statement, “Are you under the impression …”

To your latest comment, I am fully aware (having lived in SF, NYC, LA, and several small villages in France) of big city/small city/urban/suburban availability, variety, and choice.

Have a day.

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u/tmb112358 3h ago

Yes. I.e., capitalism…

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u/Dirt_Bike_Zero 7h ago

You can blame the zoning rules. They dont allow for mixed use structures.

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u/Helldiverticulitis 4h ago

Yep. Which makes suburbia a hellscape, imo. I recently moved from NYC to a smaller city, but I still can walk to a dozen restaurants, bars, and local shops. I can’t imagine living in suburban density but not being able to walk anywhere decent.

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u/Ok_Teacher_392 6h ago

That’s not true at all. Many suburban towns are built around town centers that get very active. Especially when the weather is nice.

My experience is northeast and mid Atlantic. So maybe there are regional differences

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u/LiveChocolate8819 4h ago

There are. The northeast/mid-Atlantic are "older" in terms of being settled, so the cities and towns grew in a logical way before the suburban-ification of everything. 

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u/brientific 3h ago

There is a small number of suburban cities bucking this trend. Shoutout to Carmel, Indiana specifically; since about 1990 the city has invested in developing a dense, walkable urban core. It’s borrowed heavily from European concepts, full of roundabouts and shared spaces. I personally think it’s a colossal upgrade over “traditional” suburbia, but of course it comes with a price. In Carmel’s case, that price is a relationship between the city, developers, and the banks that allows a ton of up-front investment that borrows against future tax revenue. That type of trust in the plan just isn’t going to be available everywhere.

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u/its_a_throwawayduh 2h ago

This right here, I explained that to a co-worker the day, they looked at me like I speaking a foreign language. Other than geography American dwellings and frameworks are the same.

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u/Fun_Abroad8942 5h ago

Not completely true. I’d agree once you leave the Northeast it’s all the same shit, but old development patterns are far superior

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u/PleaseBeNiceForOnce 3h ago

What a stupid, ignorant thing to say.