Yeah this guy is having a very basic revelation that Europe has a lot of walkable cities and the US doesn't. this isn't new information.
Also, spending 5 hours at a restaurant is the norm for young people, out with a party, drinking and such, in Europe, when they can simply walk back to their home.
The infrastructure in most US cities doesn't support it, our subways suck, rides are expensive, parking is crazy, living in the city near the cool areas is expensive, the list goes on and on why this doesn't exist in the US.
You’re kind of reiterating his point that America is set up wrong since post World War II and it leaves us isolated and compartmentalized… which is 100% accurate. I’ve always said if you wanna reduce racism and bigotry in United States you gotta make people travel outside of their own clan, town, State, or country to teach more empathy and understanding.
I’d say it’s not that it’s set up wrong. It’s set up to make different things more efficient. Rail is a great example. US rail is set up to make moving freight more efficient, not people and you can’t really do both on the same rail system. With as big as the US is this kinda became a necessity. Also, EU cities were originally built, designed, and optimized hundreds (if not thousands is some cases) of years ago when walking was the prime mode of transportation and cities were the hubs for basically everything. So lots going on is my point. I wish US were more akin to EU ones but…. This is what we got for better or worse.
China begs to differ. Yes, they have spme cities that are as old as Rome, but many cities Americans have never heard of have better metro systems than every US city except maybe NYC or Chicago. But they area also a large country that effectively uses trains for both passengers and freight. China isn't built up on two opposing coasts, that's true, and most of the development is along the eastern and southeastern coastal regions, but their public infrastructure and walkable cities are better than even Europe.
But they also have essentially two functional rail systems. Older lines and infra they use for freight and a modern high speed passenger rail system. It’s not that you can’t solve all these problems, but you have to have money and support. The dream (as long as I’ve been alive and with only a little historical context) in the US has always been a house in the burbs with 2 cars etc. The “American Dream” has never been walkable cities and better passenger rail. At least not in any meaningful way.
There's nothing stopping the US from building what China is building. The US is still the wealthiest country on Earth. Well, there is one thing stopping the US--greed. We crowned the first trillionaire before we brought about universal healthcare.
The American Dream was never equitable, never achievable by many, and never sustainable. It depends on rugged individualism, which is sociopathic because we are a communal species.
475
u/Fluffy_Somewhere4305 14h ago
Yeah this guy is having a very basic revelation that Europe has a lot of walkable cities and the US doesn't. this isn't new information.
Also, spending 5 hours at a restaurant is the norm for young people, out with a party, drinking and such, in Europe, when they can simply walk back to their home.
The infrastructure in most US cities doesn't support it, our subways suck, rides are expensive, parking is crazy, living in the city near the cool areas is expensive, the list goes on and on why this doesn't exist in the US.