preach. I feel like so many Americans are so used to this that they cannot even see why it's so awful and cannot imagine there's a better way to do things. these places are god awful and shouldn't exist.
But if the parking lots were as big as the store imagine the utilities cost $$$ to heat and cool a place that size. The only cost parking lots have is snow removal.
I live in orange county and I hardcore feel this. I'm very fortunate to live near a shopping center and do make a habit of walking for groceries/other errands when I can but about a third of the trip is literally just walking through the parking lot of the shopping center. constantly playing chicken with the impatient SUVs/trucks you find here also really adds to the sunbelt pedestrian experience.
I've been saying the same thing. Here in Texas theirs a McDonalds in every corner, Whataburger, Sonic or Stars, same shopping malls, jack in the box, five below, Burlington, Starbucks, Taco Bell, same shit.
I agree with everything. I was blessed with an opportunity to study abroad in Europe for two months, ever since I have been back I have been telling any who would listen how bad our infrastructure is in the US, it is extremely rare to see actual inspirational or culture specific architecture. Our footpaths are either non existent or only follow the road, which is unpleasant and usually not a very straight path to your goal. Passenger rail is non existent in most places in the US and our bus system is not a whole lot better. I think our reliance on driving everywhere also impacts us socially, it's extremely easy to live completely sheltered from everyone else in the community with the exception of friends family and work colleagues. I always heard Europeans are more reserved, but I had many great conversations with people who were happy to talk to me on trains, busses or while walking around, and usually I couldn't even speak their language. I really wish I could show more Americans what we are missing out on!!!
It's something I feel too everytime I travel to a city that's built for people. Including anywhere in Europe, much of East Asia, and most recently Chicago and KL, which both have good public transport. It's definitely eye opening and seeing these car-dependent places in the US is definitely depressing.
Great content. If you made a video essay on this, i feel it'd do great. Edit : 3:08 also having this much cement and asphalt increases the heat by creating heat islands. This space could instead accomodate green spaces.
Bill Bryson talked about car dependency in his book 'Lost Continent'. He also mentioned the lack of footpaths. So this is a trend long in the making & will take a very long time to change if ever.
You just answered yourself we live in a Continent not some tiny country you can fit into one state if Lucky into one large Canadian province. We’re are car dependent for this reason, it’s also cold on most places, don’t think we’re Japan or Europe and hilly China they need public transportation more than we do and as a car lover I don’t envy it. Each country has its upside down, be happy we a have a continent and way less population in North America.
in my experience living in a walkable part of LA, I sometimes still drive because that is how everything is oriented. For example, my (preferred) barber is 20 minutes on foot but 5 min by car and parking is pretty plentiful. Once the car is a sunk cost it’s very tempting to use it even when walking is a viable alternative.
Wow, i was in LA just a couple of months ago too and went to the shops in Santa Ana area and it looked just like this! It really does all look like that! And with a drive thru ATM 😂! Walking around from one end to the other felt so deserted coz of the empty carparks and no one walking around. Made me wonder do people get back in the car to drive from.one end of the centre to the other coz no one was walking around.
Good work on the both videos you have uploaded so far, very well edited and very interesting, can't wait for what more you got to upload in the future, this is Luka and I live in London England
@transportforluka9304 thanks Luka! I have some videos in the pipeline that I'll release soon! Last couple months have been really busy for me so I haven't had the chance yet, but things are settling down :)
Seems like you're a new face in the urbanism community! Great video btw! Best part is that your reporting on the problems of car-dependency is on-the-ground!
I agree, he needs to do more videos! He gives a very real experience and is very informative in a nice simple.way! Please @freerangeasian do more videos!
You definitely could do a big shop on foot or on a bike with bike bags (panniers) if the environment were safe for cycling or walking. I live ten minutes on foot away from my nearest moderately sized supermarket. I take a tree lined mixed use path to fetch groceries most weeks. The other aspect of the "big grocery shop's are only possible in a car" saying is that big grocery shops are only necessary because of car dependent sprawl. In areas which are more walkable and mixed-use it is culturally common to pick up a much smaller shop multiple times per week on the way home from work.
If people could still grow their own vegitables the grocery trip would only be for meat, dairy and flour. Try gardening in a condo see how feasible that is.
For what it’s worth, an electric cargo bike can actually be a VERY effective alternative to a car for carrying a large haul of groceries. I do it quite regularly! Clearly that won’t work for all household and all locations, but I just want to counter the the commonly held assumption that one NEEDS a car to bring home more than a single bag of shopping.
These power centers are worse than the indoor shopping centers. At least the stores in the indoor shopping center are much closer to each other. If you’re in a place that regularly gets above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, walking in a paved parking lot would not be fun.
It is true that this is how it all looks the same. I am from NYC. I moved to upstate NY when I was 16 and it had many of these centers. I had to get a car which I liked due to the car culture in upstate NY. Then I moved to Japan and it was so different. trains are literally every and there is no need for a car. That changed the game for me. Ever since then, I never liked these shopping centers in the USA at all whenever I visit my parents in the states. When businesses also move out, these centers look crappy too.
Awesome video! My home is in West LA and I am so sick of this poor standard of urbanism. It keeps me from being able to go do things--literally when I'm living at home I can't do anything but stay inside and it sucks so much. I'm doing my undergrad right now elsewhere, and I still haven't ever driven a car. Hope to never need one. Won't be living in SoCal once I'm done!
Great video and I actually live near Arizona State, in Tempe, AZ where I can do a lot of daily activities by walking or biking (knees are shot so more biking) but most of the communities around here are like what you are showing and when I travel, I see a lot of that as well - extremely car-dependent communities. You might want to refer folks to the youtube channel "not just bikes" as it covers a lot of what you are talking about .
Great video! American car dependency was basically created by big oil and car companies banding together to fund politicians who destroyed America’s public transit infrastructure and replaced it with the interstate/stroad hellscape we live in today. America will only change if we form a political movement that can take power from these massive companies (aka the capitalist class) who love forcing us to own cars and drive to power centers with dull architecture, the same mediocre chain food options, and no consideration for pedestrians to get us to overpay for basic essentials. Sorry for the rant but this video does a great job at showing a huge problem in America and my interest in history and politics can’t help but try to explain why this is the case and how we can change it. Anyways looking forward to more content from you in the future! Also I’m guessing you filmed this video in Redondo Beach???
American car dependency was created by space so is Canada, we live in a giant continent with plenty of difficult to Navigate forests mountains and deserts, without cars North America would not have developed or inhabited. You have Oil&Gas to thank for one people fly everywhere, they also prefer their cars in Europe and Asia if they have the option.
Personally i could careless about shopping and malls as Amazon can do the trick, however the novelty of being in crowded places wears pretty quick, without cars most people can’t go to work or make a living, as trains are cheaper to operate in smaller Countries and China needs them because 1.4 billion people and hills.
I like your videos so far, although I’ve never been to LA (only like 2 layovers), I’ve been to many, many cities in the States and I’m always shocked about how little walkable most are, the amount you guys spend in gas, the distances you have to go through to just so basic activities like getting a haircut or groceries. I hope you can show us different angles of the problem (?) in your future videos. By the way, do you think doing LA as a tourist is doable by transit at all? Lol I imagine not but had to ask, I might fly there very soon. Thanks. Edit: Best wishes, I’m from Mexico City.
I, too, noticed the same observation. It's very difficult to leave private cars parked and shop at various stores in one shopping area. Not all stores have a desire to be at one place at the same shopping plaza at the same time for competition reasons.
Winnipeg Canada is especially bad for power centers. I grew up there and always thought it was uncomfortable to walk around them, but couldn't articulate why, then I started watching videos like this, and looking at overhead maps, and boy did it ever click fast.
a few centuries back we used horse and wagon....and went to a general store to buy supplies for a month. any meat products came from the animals you bought and bred, slaughtered and butchered...most were salted or smoked to preserve the meat....clothing was made by the wife or mother...from cloth and patterns bought at the general store also...women HAD to be able to sew and also be first aid givers.....returning to this life style would fix the 'global warming'...concrete and asphalt would no longer be needed....and heat islands wouldn't exist.....lot of horse crap though....
1:20 LOL at the gas prices. Surprisingly, that’s actually cheap by LA standards. I remember them being $6.50 last year, even in more “affordable” parts of LA county 🥴
As someone from the UK who's visited the states a few times, i was initially intrigued by these places because they always looked modern and exciting to me. But once like you, i realised that they actually line the main roads in every state and have no variation in design or retailer options, i then began to understand that this is the uniform framework for the entire country. Great video btw.
You know we dont mind them. Its pleasant to do your shopping there. Sometimes you just want to get your errands done and go. If you want something cuter there are always some places you can go to.
These shopping centers and fast food places are so ugly. I can't believe we are still building these places with everything we know about climate change. It's really insane.
Would you consider your home country of Australia car dependent? If so, how is the infrastructure still better than the US. I'm considering moving there from the US.
I spent time in Australia, and the suburbs are extremely walkable. I was kind of blown away by how many pedestrians there were. Shops, entertainment, restaurants and the beach were all within a 10-15 minute walk. The contrast to America was nuts. And to top it off, the public transport was cleaner and felt much safer. Yeah, obviously, there were some odd people here and there, but if you’ve ever ridden a bus or light rail system in America, you obviously know how sketchy they can be. Never felt that way in Australia when riding their trams.
@somethingkindaoooh good to know because I'd consider moving to Australia from the US. To my understanding, while Australia's urbanism has a long way to go, it's still better than it is in the US.
Lmao I swear that looks like it would be in Lakewood or somewhere north of SD. They all look the same and the only thing that differentiates them are their existing property lines!
Now trying to go irvine all this but even more generic because ONE company owns almost all the malls so we get to "enjoy" at least 3 usually more of all the major grocery stores (except walmart) in a 5 mile radius
As America developed west the concept of cities being divided into blocks defined a lot of the land use. In Europe, centuries of winding roads and random building makes towns and cities much more unique. Streets in Europe are smaller. Physically less wide. If you turn a street into a 4 or 6 lane highway, then it is no longer a street. it becomes a road. Each side of the road now has a physical barrier. Crossing the road becomes something of a trek. it pushes you back to your car to make a journey to the other side of the road because the nearest crossing is a long walk. Streets are different from roads. Streets are for people in communities. Roads are for transportation and create barriers. Cars aren't evil or bad. They just require design choices. If your street becomes a highway, then on-street parking is an issue. This means you must have parking lots behind the street and a way to get to them. Retail suddenly becomes a strip mall with parking and street shops facing busy roads stop working as a place to shop. You now have created a highway with parking lots. The street has gone. The community can't even get to a shop without driving. The reality of cheap gas, investment in highways and a reduction of public transit leads to this. America did this to itself.
I lived in Oxnard 30 years ago, and it had more character back then; I'm surprised this is Oxnard(?), as other viewers point out here? There's the 80s style malls further east-north of the city, including in Ventura... the USA in general follows these corporate-backed business development trends, and unfortunately in the mainstream media news as well.
I will give myself as an example. I live a mile from a cute college town. Very walkable. But i almost always drive a mile the other way to shop or eat at strip malls. I vote with my feet. Its just easier to drive right up to the place you want to go. The strip malls are there for a reason.
Being unable to do large grocery hauls without a car is not true.. Where I live cargo bikes are incredibly common, and perfect for this purpose. Also the way my city(Copenhagen) is built grocery stores are always around the corner which means there are no good reasons to do large grocery hauls.
I am an American who has travelled extensively and lived overseas. He's completely right about this. By comparison our cities are homogenously ugly. He's also right that our national parks are distinctly beautiful.
Dont all cities in mexico look the same? Don't all cities in Spain look similar historic beautiful downtowns and crowded apartments where people live? Do you want us Americans to live crowded? Have you given up your single family home? Your car? Why is every channel hating on America so much
Maybe because it's wasteful? Have you ever thought how much time you waste commuting to Work, to School and to go shopping because everything is so spread out? This has to do with poor design not about "hating on America"!
@@xoxxobob61 its ideal!!! How about changing subways.... waiting for the next one to arrive... then wait for a bus....then its raining!!!! American cities are the future they are the example!!!! Waiting on subways buses takes MORE TIME its more wasteful!!! Keeping up those lines takes a lot of resources
@freerangeasian come home soon! We still need more vocal urbanists in Australia, and I can't imagine that the urban hellscape that is the US ever getting too much better within at least the next 10 year.
australia got pretty bad as well when you leave city centres. transportation between two places are terrible and way slower unless you only heading to the city. ( syd as example)
@bbjislegend2606 Yeah, as a Brisbanite, I've gotta strongly agree with you here. All of the train lines are radial and the very few orbital or shuttle bus routes usually have schedules no better than 30 minutes at peak times. Kangaroo Point, which despite being an inner-city suburb connected by bridge to the city, has comparatively pretty dreadful bus connections due to the truly bonkers amounts of buses funnelled through the CBD. Even despite the many, many faults of public transport in greater Brisbane, we've still got significantly better public transport than LA despite having less than a quarter of the population of LA County alone.
I appreciate your comments about urban America. I am so thankful that I live in San Francisco which is much less car-dependent, despite all its recent problems. We can learn a lot from European and Asian cities.
What a dump. Theres nothing better than walking to the supermarket and shops. I would go crazy if I had to jump into my car everywhere I went. Also, the walking is a reason why we keep fit. You can see this in other countries where people are fitter because they walk alot more
I'm 55 this year and have never owned a car. Never needed one having lived and worked in various European cities my entire life. After seeing your previous video and this one i am so grateful to be European....
It's also incredibly ugly and takes the whole human component out of living somewhere. A car should be for road trips and far away destinations, not to get a cup of coffee.
Thats becuase america is so spread out and large. People drive everywhere. New york is different becuase its condense and compact. People have no choice but to bike use the subway and walk. Not enough room for cars.
Your argument is somewhat ill defined. Maybe you're doing it on purpose to get views. If so, you need to live with that decision. What you're implying is that suburbia America has very similar qualities and thatvis true in the USA and many other places. Why? Because that's the nature of a SUBURB. And most suburbs are in distant locations from work centers because suburbs are primarily design to house people. You dont have a mix of businesses within neighborhoods in a suburb. So do many suburbs look similar, yes just as many cars do. It's the nature of the beast. But there are many many cities that don't look like you're implying including in the SGV. A city that comes to mind is Alhambra. It is very walkable and there is a good mix of residential and commercial within walking distances. Yes, they have shopping centers too but you also have many other options. Even a larger city like Pasadena has walkable neighborhoods with decent public transit. Maybe as a counter argument video, you should seek out the best walkable cities with better public transit including buses or even other forms of transit like public bike access or shirt distance bus service like DASH. For example, did you know the snall City of Commerce has a completely free bus service? That they also provide free shuttle services to its residents for pretty much any legitimate purpose? Oh, and the City of Commerce has one of the biggest outlet shopping malls in SoCal too. So your overall premise is at best ignorant and at worst a flat out lie making your conclusion also suspect.
preach. I feel like so many Americans are so used to this that they cannot even see why it's so awful and cannot imagine there's a better way to do things.
these places are god awful and shouldn't exist.
It’s insane, in America, the parking lots are a few times bigger than shops or stores itself.
But if the parking lots were as big as the store imagine the utilities cost $$$ to heat and cool a place that size. The only cost parking lots have is snow removal.
@@mlong9475 I think he means the parking lots in America are too big, not that he wants to increase the size of store to the size of the parking lots
Because of parking minimums
I live in orange county and I hardcore feel this. I'm very fortunate to live near a shopping center and do make a habit of walking for groceries/other errands when I can but about a third of the trip is literally just walking through the parking lot of the shopping center. constantly playing chicken with the impatient SUVs/trucks you find here also really adds to the sunbelt pedestrian experience.
+1 on trying not to get run over
I've been saying the same thing. Here in Texas theirs a McDonalds in every corner, Whataburger, Sonic or Stars, same shopping malls, jack in the box, five below, Burlington, Starbucks, Taco Bell, same shit.
I hope your channel takes off. I like your perspective and style.
I agree with everything. I was blessed with an opportunity to study abroad in Europe for two months, ever since I have been back I have been telling any who would listen how bad our infrastructure is in the US, it is extremely rare to see actual inspirational or culture specific architecture. Our footpaths are either non existent or only follow the road, which is unpleasant and usually not a very straight path to your goal. Passenger rail is non existent in most places in the US and our bus system is not a whole lot better. I think our reliance on driving everywhere also impacts us socially, it's extremely easy to live completely sheltered from everyone else in the community with the exception of friends family and work colleagues. I always heard Europeans are more reserved, but I had many great conversations with people who were happy to talk to me on trains, busses or while walking around, and usually I couldn't even speak their language. I really wish I could show more Americans what we are missing out on!!!
It's something I feel too everytime I travel to a city that's built for people. Including anywhere in Europe, much of East Asia, and most recently Chicago and KL, which both have good public transport. It's definitely eye opening and seeing these car-dependent places in the US is definitely depressing.
I literally just watched LA transit today. You are going far with this if you keep it up.
Thank you for the support I really appreciate it!
Great content. If you made a video essay on this, i feel it'd do great. Edit : 3:08 also having this much cement and asphalt increases the heat by creating heat islands. This space could instead accomodate green spaces.
Very good point - the urban heat island effect is real
Bill Bryson talked about car dependency in his book 'Lost Continent'. He also mentioned the lack of footpaths. So this is a trend long in the making & will take a very long time to change if ever.
You just answered yourself we live in a Continent not some tiny country you can fit into one state if Lucky into one large Canadian province. We’re are car dependent for this reason, it’s also cold on most places, don’t think we’re Japan or Europe and hilly China they need public transportation more than we do and as a car lover I don’t envy it. Each country has its upside down, be happy we a have a continent and way less population in North America.
As an American who lives across the country, I feel like I recognize this place, though I've never been there.
The same in Canada most homes and shopping malls all look like I have been there before 😆
in my experience living in a walkable part of LA, I sometimes still drive because that is how everything is oriented. For example, my (preferred) barber is 20 minutes on foot but 5 min by car and parking is pretty plentiful.
Once the car is a sunk cost it’s very tempting to use it even when walking is a viable alternative.
Very true, I find myself doing this too sometimes
Wow, i was in LA just a couple of months ago too and went to the shops in Santa Ana area and it looked just like this! It really does all look like that! And with a drive thru ATM 😂! Walking around from one end to the other felt so deserted coz of the empty carparks and no one walking around. Made me wonder do people get back in the car to drive from.one end of the centre to the other coz no one was walking around.
Good work on the both videos you have uploaded so far, very well edited and very interesting, can't wait for what more you got to upload in the future, this is Luka and I live in London England
Cheers Luka! Glad to hear you enjoyed them :)
@@freerangeasian no problem thanks a lot
@@freerangeasianwhen are you going to upload more? I can't wait for another video, maybe you should try getting from Hollywood to Venice beach
@transportforluka9304 thanks Luka! I have some videos in the pipeline that I'll release soon! Last couple months have been really busy for me so I haven't had the chance yet, but things are settling down :)
@@freerangeasian I'm glad to hear that and sorry to sound like I'm desperate but I just really enjoyed your first two videos 😊
wow at first i was like who gives a crap, but then you were talking about car dependency good point
That’s definitely Oxnard. Gonzales Rd. and Rose Ave is where Walmart is.
Seems like you're a new face in the urbanism community! Great video btw! Best part is that your reporting on the problems of car-dependency is on-the-ground!
I agree, he needs to do more videos! He gives a very real experience and is very informative in a nice simple.way! Please @freerangeasian do more videos!
Thank you! Have some more content to publish soon so look out for that :)
that is why when I went to Singapore, that was eye opening... no need for cars for most daily activities.. but then I hate living in cities though
Singapore is an excellent city, very much a pedestrian friendly place to be. Humid though
I stopped over for a couple nights heading back home, I want to go back there, the food is amazing.
You definitely could do a big shop on foot or on a bike with bike bags (panniers) if the environment were safe for cycling or walking. I live ten minutes on foot away from my nearest moderately sized supermarket. I take a tree lined mixed use path to fetch groceries most weeks.
The other aspect of the "big grocery shop's are only possible in a car" saying is that big grocery shops are only necessary because of car dependent sprawl. In areas which are more walkable and mixed-use it is culturally common to pick up a much smaller shop multiple times per week on the way home from work.
If people could still grow their own vegitables the grocery trip would only be for meat, dairy and flour. Try gardening in a condo see how feasible that is.
For what it’s worth, an electric cargo bike can actually be a VERY effective alternative to a car for carrying a large haul of groceries. I do it quite regularly! Clearly that won’t work for all household and all locations, but I just want to counter the the commonly held assumption that one NEEDS a car to bring home more than a single bag of shopping.
It gives a uncanny feeling, like everything is all is a illusion & all these brands are in your face everywhere you go :(
These power centers are worse than the indoor shopping centers. At least the stores in the indoor shopping center are much closer to each other.
If you’re in a place that regularly gets above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, walking in a paved parking lot would not be fun.
Yes I've definitely done that before... it has never been a pleasant experience
It's not bad. It only lasts a minute.
Mate, Australian cities are not much different. The bits you showed could be anywhere in suburbia in Australia.
Ayo this guy is doing good for himself. 600 subs and 1.7k views with 2 videos. Good Job!
Haha thank you!
Love your videos keep it up.
It is true that this is how it all looks the same. I am from NYC. I moved to upstate NY when I was 16 and it had many of these centers. I had to get a car which I liked due to the car culture in upstate NY. Then I moved to Japan and it was so different. trains are literally every and there is no need for a car. That changed the game for me. Ever since then, I never liked these shopping centers in the USA at all whenever I visit my parents in the states. When businesses also move out, these centers look crappy too.
For whatever reason there seems to always be a Wendy's near a Wal-Mart
Awesome video! My home is in West LA and I am so sick of this poor standard of urbanism. It keeps me from being able to go do things--literally when I'm living at home I can't do anything but stay inside and it sucks so much.
I'm doing my undergrad right now elsewhere, and I still haven't ever driven a car. Hope to never need one. Won't be living in SoCal once I'm done!
Thanks! And yeah, if you don't have a car/can't drive/are under 16 its very suffocating to have your mobility taken away
Great video and I actually live near Arizona State, in Tempe, AZ where I can do a lot of daily activities by walking or biking (knees are shot so more biking) but most of the communities around here are like what you are showing and when I travel, I see a lot of that as well - extremely car-dependent communities. You might want to refer folks to the youtube channel "not just bikes" as it covers a lot of what you are talking about .
Not Just Bikes is incredible - I watch his videos all the time
Great video! American car dependency was basically created by big oil and car companies banding together to fund politicians who destroyed America’s public transit infrastructure and replaced it with the interstate/stroad hellscape we live in today. America will only change if we form a political movement that can take power from these massive companies (aka the capitalist class) who love forcing us to own cars and drive to power centers with dull architecture, the same mediocre chain food options, and no consideration for pedestrians to get us to overpay for basic essentials. Sorry for the rant but this video does a great job at showing a huge problem in America and my interest in history and politics can’t help but try to explain why this is the case and how we can change it. Anyways looking forward to more content from you in the future! Also I’m guessing you filmed this video in Redondo Beach???
Facts, bro. You couldn't convince me of the shopping centers in the video. Looks like our shopping centers here in the Rio Grande Valley.
American car dependency was created by space so is Canada, we live in a giant continent with plenty of difficult to Navigate forests mountains and deserts, without cars North America would not have developed or inhabited. You have Oil&Gas to thank for one people fly everywhere, they also prefer their cars in Europe and Asia if they have the option.
Personally i could careless about shopping and malls as Amazon can do the trick, however the novelty of being in crowded places wears pretty quick, without cars most people can’t go to work or make a living, as trains are cheaper to operate in smaller Countries and China needs them because 1.4 billion people and hills.
I just watch as you're an attractive Aussie in crazy California. Keep up the cool vids mate!
I like your videos so far, although I’ve never been to LA (only like 2 layovers), I’ve been to many, many cities in the States and I’m always shocked about how little walkable most are, the amount you guys spend in gas, the distances you have to go through to just so basic activities like getting a haircut or groceries.
I hope you can show us different angles of the problem (?) in your future videos.
By the way, do you think doing LA as a tourist is doable by transit at all? Lol I imagine not but had to ask, I might fly there very soon. Thanks.
Edit: Best wishes, I’m from Mexico City.
I, too, noticed the same observation. It's very difficult to leave private cars parked and shop at various stores in one shopping area. Not all stores have a desire to be at one place at the same shopping plaza at the same time for competition reasons.
Winnipeg Canada is especially bad for power centers. I grew up there and always thought it was uncomfortable to walk around them, but couldn't articulate why, then I started watching videos like this, and looking at overhead maps, and boy did it ever click fast.
I concur ! vehicles should be a WANT, but in any city apart from NYC having a vehicle is a NEED for basic necessities
a few centuries back we used horse and wagon....and went to a general store to buy supplies for a month. any meat products came from the animals you bought and bred, slaughtered and butchered...most were salted or smoked to preserve the meat....clothing was made by the wife or mother...from cloth and patterns bought at the general store also...women HAD to be able to sew and also be first aid givers.....returning to this life style would fix the 'global warming'...concrete and asphalt would no longer be needed....and heat islands wouldn't exist.....lot of horse crap though....
What's crazy is the farmland just north that power center as you go up Santa Clara Ave. You don't see that every day in SoCal.
You are at the corner of Gonzales Road and Rose Avenue in Oxnard, California. While you're there, have some fresh strawberries.
1:20 LOL at the gas prices. Surprisingly, that’s actually cheap by LA standards. I remember them being $6.50 last year, even in more “affordable” parts of LA county 🥴
Yes I remember that! The times where $6.00 was "cheap" were surreal
As someone from the UK who's visited the states a few times, i was initially intrigued by these places because they always looked modern and exciting to me. But once like you, i realised that they actually line the main roads in every state and have no variation in design or retailer options, i then began to understand that this is the uniform framework for the entire country. Great video btw.
I had a huge travel year (for me), all over America, and you are dead on with this. It really saddens me. We need rail transit!
You know we dont mind them. Its pleasant to do your shopping there. Sometimes you just want to get your errands done and go. If you want something cuter there are always some places you can go to.
❤
Very good points, and clearly locals sympathise.
As an American, I totally agree with you.
These shopping centers and fast food places are so ugly. I can't believe we are still building these places with everything we know about climate change. It's really insane.
Would you consider your home country of Australia car dependent? If so, how is the infrastructure still better than the US. I'm considering moving there from the US.
I spent time in Australia, and the suburbs are extremely walkable. I was kind of blown away by how many pedestrians there were. Shops, entertainment, restaurants and the beach were all within a 10-15 minute walk. The contrast to America was nuts. And to top it off, the public transport was cleaner and felt much safer. Yeah, obviously, there were some odd people here and there, but if you’ve ever ridden a bus or light rail system in America, you obviously know how sketchy they can be. Never felt that way in Australia when riding their trams.
@somethingkindaoooh good to know because I'd consider moving to Australia from the US. To my understanding, while Australia's urbanism has a long way to go, it's still better than it is in the US.
Lmao I swear that looks like it would be in Lakewood or somewhere north of SD. They all look the same and the only thing that differentiates them are their existing property lines!
It really could be anywhere 😂
That is Oxnard, CA
Visit the United States for its nature; nothing else.
America does have very beautiful nature.
Not true. Our family loves every road trip we take. In US. And we want to see more.
@@saratemp790 Have fun!
Nah. /
@@Urbanhandyman many beautiful small towns to discover
Your videos are great.
thanks, glad you like them!
Now trying to go irvine all this but even more generic because ONE company owns almost all the malls so we get to "enjoy" at least 3 usually more of all the major grocery stores (except walmart) in a 5 mile radius
Not everywhere in America looks the same. That’s clearly Oxnard, CA. You can tell by way the palm trees sway in the light. 😂
True but that's missing the point 😂
@@freerangeasian I know. Just kidding. Your videos are dope! Keep it up!
@@arjayjalmaani thanks!
I'm curious to know which suburban hellhole this is!
When you were listing off the chains I was waiting for you to say Cheesecake Factory and turn into a @CityNerd video
HAHA you're right, a missed opportunity there
As America developed west the concept of cities being divided into blocks defined a lot of the land use. In Europe, centuries of winding roads and random building makes towns and cities much more unique.
Streets in Europe are smaller. Physically less wide. If you turn a street into a 4 or 6 lane highway, then it is no longer a street. it becomes a road. Each side of the road now has a physical barrier. Crossing the road becomes something of a trek. it pushes you back to your car to make a journey to the other side of the road because the nearest crossing is a long walk.
Streets are different from roads. Streets are for people in communities. Roads are for transportation and create barriers.
Cars aren't evil or bad. They just require design choices. If your street becomes a highway, then on-street parking is an issue. This means you must have parking lots behind the street and a way to get to them. Retail suddenly becomes a strip mall with parking and street shops facing busy roads stop working as a place to shop. You now have created a highway with parking lots. The street has gone. The community can't even get to a shop without driving.
The reality of cheap gas, investment in highways and a reduction of public transit leads to this. America did this to itself.
The palm trees, high gas prices, the Chevron gas station, and the sunny weather showed that this video was taken in the State of California.
Love your accent, judging from your accent, are you an Aussie?
Thanks, yea I am
It's the exact same situation in Australia lmao
I lived in Oxnard 30 years ago, and it had more character back then; I'm surprised this is Oxnard(?), as other viewers point out here? There's the 80s style malls further east-north of the city, including in Ventura... the USA in general follows these corporate-backed business development trends, and unfortunately in the mainstream media news as well.
I will give myself as an example. I live a mile from a cute college town. Very walkable. But i almost always drive a mile the other way to shop or eat at strip malls. I vote with my feet. Its just easier to drive right up to the place you want to go. The strip malls are there for a reason.
This would be more interesting if you had taken the Greyhound to Oxnard...
Being unable to do large grocery hauls without a car is not true..
Where I live cargo bikes are incredibly common, and perfect for this purpose.
Also the way my city(Copenhagen) is built grocery stores are always around the corner which means there are no good reasons to do large grocery hauls.
Plaza’s 👀
I am an American who has travelled extensively and lived overseas. He's completely right about this. By comparison our cities are homogenously ugly. He's also right that our national parks are distinctly beautiful.
Dont all cities in mexico look the same? Don't all cities in Spain look similar historic beautiful downtowns and crowded apartments where people live? Do you want us Americans to live crowded? Have you given up your single family home? Your car? Why is every channel hating on America so much
Maybe because it's wasteful? Have you ever thought how much time you waste commuting to Work, to School and to go shopping because everything is so spread out? This has to do with poor design not about "hating on America"!
@@xoxxobob61 its ideal!!! How about changing subways.... waiting for the next one to arrive... then wait for a bus....then its raining!!!! American cities are the future they are the example!!!! Waiting on subways buses takes MORE TIME its more wasteful!!! Keeping up those lines takes a lot of resources
@@dianabenavides2913 lol
Can I ask why you moved to the USA? Australian urbanism isn't exactly fantastic but compared to practically all of America, we're leagues ahead...
Agree with your point on Aussie vs American urbanism. I'm here for uni
@freerangeasian come home soon! We still need more vocal urbanists in Australia, and I can't imagine that the urban hellscape that is the US ever getting too much better within at least the next 10 year.
australia got pretty bad as well when you leave city centres. transportation between two places are terrible and way slower unless you only heading to the city. ( syd as example)
@bbjislegend2606 Yeah, as a Brisbanite, I've gotta strongly agree with you here. All of the train lines are radial and the very few orbital or shuttle bus routes usually have schedules no better than 30 minutes at peak times. Kangaroo Point, which despite being an inner-city suburb connected by bridge to the city, has comparatively pretty dreadful bus connections due to the truly bonkers amounts of buses funnelled through the CBD. Even despite the many, many faults of public transport in greater Brisbane, we've still got significantly better public transport than LA despite having less than a quarter of the population of LA County alone.
I appreciate your comments about urban America. I am so thankful that I live in San Francisco which is much less car-dependent, despite all its recent problems. We can learn a lot from European and Asian cities.
You must live in a decent part of SF.
@@SharpBalisong Most areas of San Francisco are decent. Come see for yourself.
I live in North Beach-Chinatown.
@@howardng8534 I have many times.
What a dump. Theres nothing better than walking to the supermarket and shops. I would go crazy if I had to jump into my car everywhere I went. Also, the walking is a reason why we keep fit. You can see this in other countries where people are fitter because they walk alot more
The problem with walking is you are limited where you can go to. A car gives you freedom.
"Petrol Station" british? :)
Aussie/NZ
I've been saying stuff like this for a long time that its too cookie cutter.
Funny, I never eat Del Taco or Wendy’s. We don’t call them Power Centers.
Luv your personality, keep it up 🎉
Thank you!
That’s a beautiful Walmart
Says no one ever! 🤣😋
I'm 55 this year and have never owned a car. Never needed one having lived and worked in various European cities my entire life. After seeing your previous video and this one i am so grateful to be European....
It's also incredibly ugly and takes the whole human component out of living somewhere. A car should be for road trips and far away destinations, not to get a cup of coffee.
100% agreed
Thats becuase america is so spread out and large. People drive everywhere. New york is different becuase its condense and compact. People have no choice but to bike use the subway and walk. Not enough room for cars.
It's also inconvenient for people who have a disability and can't drive
Oxnard
The sky is also same color everywhere😭 Travelling is so overrated
Land of strip malls
Indeed... I just came back from a trip to the Midwest and it was an eyesore.
You are a very attractive man.
Your argument is somewhat ill defined. Maybe you're doing it on purpose to get views. If so, you need to live with that decision.
What you're implying is that suburbia America has very similar qualities and thatvis true in the USA and many other places. Why? Because that's the nature of a SUBURB. And most suburbs are in distant locations from work centers because suburbs are primarily design to house people. You dont have a mix of businesses within neighborhoods in a suburb. So do many suburbs look similar, yes just as many cars do. It's the nature of the beast. But there are many many cities that don't look like you're implying including in the SGV. A city that comes to mind is Alhambra. It is very walkable and there is a good mix of residential and commercial within walking distances. Yes, they have shopping centers too but you also have many other options. Even a larger city like Pasadena has walkable neighborhoods with decent public transit.
Maybe as a counter argument video, you should seek out the best walkable cities with better public transit including buses or even other forms of transit like public bike access or shirt distance bus service like DASH.
For example, did you know the snall City of Commerce has a completely free bus service? That they also provide free shuttle services to its residents for pretty much any legitimate purpose? Oh, and the City of Commerce has one of the biggest outlet shopping malls in SoCal too.
So your overall premise is at best ignorant and at worst a flat out lie making your conclusion also suspect.
Cool
@@freerangeasian I see. You have an agenda. It's not about objective observations. I suspected as much. Understood.
But that's what people want. A car. That's one of the most important things for any 16 year old kid, perhaps world wide.
Nah. /