My wife just moved in with me from Japan, here in North Carolina. The other day, we were driving back from doing some chores and she says randomly, "So what do teenagers do in American cities? I don't really see anything for them to do, if they don't have a car." I explained to her that they don't really have anything to do, especially now that a lot of malls are dying, and that's why American teenagers are usually either outside the house misbehaving and getting high, or just staying inside all day. Car dependency is ruining our cities, sure, but more importantly it is ruining our kids.
Yeah. I'm sure car dependency plays a part in this but there's a lot more to the degradation of american society. America has always been car dependent just on the principle of the land mass of the nation...kids weren't this messed up in the 50s-90s. Orchestrated by a small group of powerful people with vast ambitions you or me will never fully understand.
@@たかちゃん-j3q Unfortunately being obviously foreign in Japan has a lot of downsides. Japan is very culturally homogenous and isolated. They expect you to be just like them, and even if you are, they will always treat you like an outsider in painfully obvious ways that you will deal with daily.
Add on to this, parents were scared into having their kids not go outside because of strangers walking around snatching kids. This only occurs because there’s no adults walking around to keep an eye on other kids safety.
Jane Jocabs called this type of security - "eyes on the street". You will have people in your neighborhood that monitor's the community nonchalantly such as a baker sweeping the store front, the grandma watering her plants from the balcony, they delivery service man unloading the truck, the cluster of people chatting away at the local cafe. In addition to modernization, people have security cameras and doorbell cameras. Adults are not alone in the security and safety of their children when others play a part (don't depend on them fully while you go out on a date... but as part of an unspoken team). There is more I want to add but I don't want to write an essay.
@@uhpenyen4291 thats basically how my village works, the local governments built playgrounds, bike paths on every somewhat high traffic street, walkable streets and there is public transport which is not great but works for kids perfectly so they did many things right but what makes it safe for kids are the people who actually care. I got lost more than once as a kid and everytime someone helped me. One of my friends hurt himself on the playground and someone we didnt know helped him just to say a few examples.
@@josephang9927 Some adults a a problem but the way it works is that the majority who are good people watch the kids so that the small minority who want to harm kids gets noticed/stopped, this mainly helps for small things and if theres a generel crime problem it wont really work, but in a region like mine where there just arent really any adults who are dangers to kids it works completely fine
I once read somewhere that people want to go back to college life so bad because of its walkability. How easy it is to go from where you live to where you study to where you eat, and you can see your friends anytime just by a 10 minute walk
When I lived on campus, it was nice to be able to walk across campus to the caf or the gym. It was easier to make new friends too because we were usually on campus, unless we were at our jobs after
Back when my depression was bad, I would frequently get advice to "Just take a walk!" Except the suburbs were so repetitive and bland that they just made me more depressed lol
Talk to people that actually grew up in big cities. You'll find just as many that felt isolated, lonely, stressed, and depressed. Many that grew up or live in the suburbs may have a "grass is greener on the other side" view of urban life that is just not true. Lots of people leave cities for the suburbs or smaller cities and towns. I absolutely love Tokyo. It could serve as a poster child of urban living. Low crime, great transportation, lots to see and do, etc. But you have to acknowledge that there are a *lot* of very lonely people in Tokyo. It's a growing crisis there, and in American cities, and in American suburbs. There's lots of things we might consider blaming that on, but it's not really a suburban vs urban thing imo.
Both sides don’t carry equal merit one is worse than the other. One design is historically speaking very very new considering the advent of cars. We where living in walkable cities for our entire history until cars turned our lives upside down. Bottom line humans are notbmeant to be isolated we are social and tribal. If you have to go out of your way and grind to have a social life outside of your own family if you have one then the suburbs have already failed miserably. Loneliness exists in both urban and suburban environments but one is the catalyst for isolation. The other is closer to our old tribal minds we evolved with.
@@coolcat5911wtf are you smoking lol the modern city has as much in common with ancient Rome or Athens as the suburbs has to do with being a medieval farmer. The suburbs were born out of how degrading and inhuman the modern industrial city is. Suburbs are not THE answer, but saying "oh we've always lived in cities" is so wrong it's insane. Cities, even ancient ones, were outliers in the background of the vast majority of human population. All civilizations in recorded history with large cities we still remember all still collapsed and died by the way, even the ones that lasted hundreds of years longer than our current version.
I think a lot of what you mentioned about Tokyo has to do with the excessive work hours that people face as well as an overall culture that doesn’t encourage open social interaction.
@@hairyott3rr Chill, you are straw manning my argument hard bruv. When did I say we always lived in cities? All I said is walkable cities are closer to our ancient roots and the advent of cars fucked things up big time. walkable cities are closer to our more ancient city designs and our tribal roots of walking around in a village. Whats your point?
@@BasedOut100milexcept that isn’t the case since older Japanese generations worked even longer hours yet didn’t have the same problems as modern Japanese people
My parents live in a suburb and "mall walk." My theory is they like walking in a mall because it simulates a city, albeit poorly. Same with why they like Disney World and Europe. They also thought of moving to a planned residential community and raved about how the developer had built a school, library, fire department and a "Main Street" with a few restaurants. I though they were joking at first and said, "You mean it's an artificial city." But they shook their head and said no they would never live in a city.
I talked with my brother about this. Now that we're adults, we were wondering why we ended up playing so many video games and becoming generally isolated. We think It was just so difficult to get out and do things when we were sooo far out on the fringes of the suburbs. We could hardly bike anywhere either. As always, Im glad and thankful to see content like this that shines a light on these issues (even though they're in plain sight!)
fr bro there is nothing and I mean nothing within a walkable distance where I live and to top it off I live on a main road with no sidewalks whatsoever and to TOP THAT OFF I have to be homeschooled and I don't even have my drivers license, my teen life was BOUND to be spend in isolation, I hope I can get out of this when I turn 18
Lol! What a cop out. You were just a lazy kid. I grew up in a suburb and me and the neighborhood kids were out playing hockey, basketball, catch, etc all the time. Bike riding, exploring, etc too
@@raptors11111 I used to live in a big town- I could walk to the train station and go to a big city, or walk to the park which had a playground, or walk to any store since they were all nearby. We didn’t have too many kids on my street (there was a ridiculous number of seniors for some reason) but we all went out together and played from the time we finished our homework to when the sun went down. When I was about 11 I moved to a suburban area so my parents could fulfill that suburban American Dream wish that so many people have. There were many more kids in our neighborhood, as most suburban neighborhoods tend to have families, but I only saw a kid or two play outside every few months. And they were usually years younger than me. My parents wanted a big house with a big yard so we could play outside, but a big yard is so much smaller than a town.
"it doesn't have to be this way" That's the kicker, it was planned. It certainly does not have to be this way and every day someone somewhere is making choices to negatively effect our lives. And I hate that.
Agreed. One might argue the suburbs were an experiment, but it feels kind of surprising that we're only realizing now just how poorly that experiment has gone. The urban planning channels+videos on youtube give me hope that people are spreading the word of a better way, but I don't actually know how much these thoughts are being realized in actual modern developments.
The root of the problem is that cities are zoned to be expensive to live in, so it's cheaper to live outside the city and commute by car. And public transit? When not funded well, it's worse than driving due to delays, slowness, and noise. Well designed public transit can be good, but US commuter rails are worse than driving, and subways are worse than using Blue Bikes.
“But it certainly doesn’t help when, walking here, sometimes feels like you’re committing a crime” This hit me so hard!! I’ve never heard that feeling put into words more accurately. It really does! In some areas you feel almost guilty and outcast for going on foot
It’s not just you. Suburbanites regard pedestrians with suspicion and will post bogus “Private Property” signs. Also, no fishing when Karen’s around. She will call po-po on u 🚓
I deliver in many suburban neighborhoods and I feel illegal the second I enter. I feel on high alert for the need to defend why I’m there at any moment.
I'm also an introvert who grew up in the suburbs. Don't think I realized what drew me into the larger city until I temporarily lost the ability to drive and started watching urbanist content. Transit saved me during this time, and now I'm looking for an even better place with good walking and transit options, where driving is fine for escaping into the mountains or an extended road trip but not a requirement for going to my local coffee shop. Sadly it's going to take decades and a cultural shift for many U.S. and Canadian cities to get to a point where all these modes of transport (rail, bus, driving, biking, walking) are valued equally for what they accomplish best.
@@ab8817 How about, car-centric developments are funded by corporate car manufacturers? And I definitely don't like driving in general, I prefer having alternatives to driving.
@@rusticcloud3325 yes we know that. and corporate developers are funding "urbanist" movements which will never bring about the european-style urbanism you yearn for in places like the sunbelt of the US. just gentrification and higher cost of living. and guess what - you still have to drive.
@@ab8817 and is that a "bad" thing??? as they are the ones OWNING the LAND and building the housing / lobbying for ETC so if they are using a youtuber "influencer" to influence decisions towards better higher densities is that BAD???
I got in an argument with someone about Chicago and they genuinely seemed to believe that all the crime, issues, etc happen in the Loop only and that we all live just where the big buildings are. I realized this and didn't even bother feeding into it because they probably wouldn't understand just how big Chicago really is.
I lived 6 years on the South side of Chicago, and I came home from work to yellow tape, twice in the same week. Not to mention when I moved further south, I had to walk pass (3ft) a dead body of a 16 year ,as CPD was getting yellow tape out their drunk. I went home and cried in my bathroom for 30 minutes .I was 41 at the time, and never seen such a thing. Chicago made my South Central Los Angeles upbringing feel like the suburbs .
Chicago was and felt extremely safe when I was there. The loop was great, never saw anything too bad. New Orleans was much more dangerous. Chicago isn't even in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the US.
Crime in almost non existent in suburbs, most people who live in suburbs do so for freedom of NOT living in a city (both from people being directly up your ass AND the expense to live in one directly), and the last portion being it offers the convenience just as much as the city because you can go into the country side just as quickly. It's a win, win, win if you have a family. Because many people aren't having families this dynamic is changing to apartments in the burbs more and more (and also because the whole, "You'll own nothing and be happy" mentality as a direct quote). All options have their pros and cons.... but the complete argument against the suburbs is dumb. As someone who knows this alot being an architecture graduate. I know this really well..... given.... idk.... we had whole class sessions and read books and studied other countries JUST on this topic..... But..... wtf do I know lol
My problem with American Suberbs is that there is no city street life and at the same time it is not a peaceful nature walk. The community somehow takes the worst of both worlds that I agree only isolates
Right? And there might be a bike/walking trail or two, but they're likely located adjacent to a loud road or highway. Experiencing an actual park requires driving
Not necessarily true; there are some suburbs that are a little more focused around nature. But at the same time, most of them in recent years have sadly become simulated cities with bulldozing old shopping centers with new ones that have all kinds of glitzy things like all kinds of shops and restaurants, and, for those who would be able to afford it, apartments or condos built right into all of that. Thankfully, this is not the case for the particular part of the suburb I live in now (bought a townhome in said burb just back in the summer), as where I am is absolutely surrrounded with nature all around with trees and wildlife galore. And along with that, I'm just mere steps from one of the states many bigger bike trails as from said bike trail, there is a little sidewalk that spurs from it into our neighborhood which is why I was so elated to have found the place I am now. And best of all, even though I'm now outside the city of where I found myself living for the past few years, I'm now just mere minutes from it as a drive back into the downtown of said city is only about 10 minutes or so.
I also think because of the suburbs things like cottage core and studio ghibli have rised in popularity. Because a world where you can travel outside and hear nothing but leaves moving in the wind and birds chirping sounds like a dream. Not only that but the community aspect of villages is so unrealistic while living in a suburb.
@@kiwenmanisuno Yup, so solutions can be sold for those problems too. And those solutions will have problems, and the ones after that. Imagine creating a solution to a problem that would decrease profits!
your saying living in the suburbs with a bunch of bore old white people doesnt have drama or bickering???? you dont have dog shit in your lawn because suburbanites cant be bothered to pick up???
Thus you don’t want to live in a high rise neighbourhood. The communities where people both live close enough together AND know each other tend to be the most safe. In a sprawled community there is a higher chance that there would not be anyone to witness the crime, but in an overpopulated area a witness is less likely to report or prevent the witnessed crime (either because they think someone else will do it or because they don’t care enough).
yesss!!! @@kagenekoUA everyone is focusing on extremes... like it's either this extremely quiet and lonely suburb vs loud and crowded cities. I think the point he makes in the video about suburbs being so car dependent are what personally gets me the most. I feel like I don't ever need to see or talk to people and I actually didnt mind that first year but now I just miss hearing human sounds? I swear you cant hear a thing in the suburb I live in and sometimes when I go for a walk it's like it's a ghost town or something. I can walk around many times and not see someone at all. It gets lonely. I'm sure it's different in a suburb with townhomes tho, as you mentioned, people live close enough.
I’ve always been the happiest when I lived in Japan as a student and tourist. No one seems to believe me when I say the environment is what makes me feel at ease. Sure, I’m partly a weeb, but man. It’s nice that if I needed something from the store, I could walk five minutes to a family mart. Or if I wanted to go downtown, I could walk an hour or take a ten minute bus ride. Anything and everything I wanted was accessible. Not to mention the cultural differences that I enjoy on top of it. Edit - also, bonus points for me being a tall white guy in Japan. That strangers would engage conversations with me. I’m normally shy and don’t say much. But people approaching me, made things a lot easier socially.
I've been there, and I believe you. But American cities suck compared to Japanese ones, because for some reason we think city governments should decide where we get to build homes and where we get to build businesses. That's stupid (with a few exceptions; adult entertainment and chemical manufacturing needs to be elsewhere).
Glad your experience was great. I’m Kenyan living in Japan. I quite find the cities claustrophobic and the culture stifling compared to home. I actually get actively avoided 😂 especially in the train and other closed spaces. But it is very convenient as you said. Safety is top notch and the public transport is incredibly reliable.
I am not an introvert by any means but I truly appreciate isolation. I've lived in just about every type of environment imaginable and I found it amazing how lonely it was living in or even near a city. You can be surrounded by thousands of people on a sidewalk or a bus stop or go into an office sit at a cubical and just not have any real connection with anyone for weeks on end. I ended up settling down in a small town in the woods with a population of about 1,500. There are weeks where I probably see more wildlife then people and times when I drive down a road 6 hours after it snowed and there are no other tire tracks made yet. We have 1 gas station that is also a pizzeria and wild game tagging station, you can't go in there without running into at least one person you know well enough to ask them how their family is doing. Interactions with people may be few and far between but at least they are genuine.
I live in New Orleans and run into people I know personally without trying constantly. I've also lived in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. Enjoyed both. If you live in a city that isn't boring and terrible you'd probably feel a little different about it imo. All cities aren't created equal. Kind of hard to feel "lonely" here when there is constantly stuff going on in the city - parades, music and arts festivals, great restaurants, nightlife etc.
I've lived in 4 different cities and temp lived in about 6 others (had a job that required long term stay) and the culture can change really drastically between them. Austin was miles different then Detroit... No matter where you are you can look around, adapt and there will always be something to do and people to meet. However (based off this week and past events) if I had to choose between Halloween in LA or a small barn party at an apple orchard in the woods, the barn party in the woods is definitely more my crowd. @@trevor_mounts_music
Another problem with suburbs is, if you want community, you're expected to conform to the dominant culture of that suburb. Which usually means your run of the mill 2.5 kids and a dog lifestyle. You're not going to find your community if you're a social misfit, or just live a different lifestyle. While living in a city does come with their risks, you have better chances of finding people more like you than in a homogenous suburb, no matter how safe and clean it is. I'm born and raised New Yorker and lived in a smaller city before moving to the suburbs for 3 years w/my husband because he grew up there. We hightailed it back to the city, downsized our cars (just one now), don't have to deal with weekend lawn care, and the general upkeep that takes up your time because you live in the suburbs. Not to mention our food delivery rotation increased beyond Italian, pizza, and Chinese food. Ultimately, it's about the lifestyle that works for you.
one thing i hate about these videos is how Euro centric they are when so many places in Asia also achieve the same vibrant and active streets without being a "historical old downtown". Lot of people think europe was built long ago and remain dense so thats why its possible there but fail to look at all the Japanese and Asian cities who also have ton of walkability, bikability and good transit.
Europe is more than the historic inner cities that tourisis visit. the population has grown since ww2 and a lot of destroyed ateas had to be renewed. A lot got rebuilt in a car centric style just like the US. But we are also noticing that this does not work. A nice example is Rotterdam. Its center got completely whiped out in 1940. It was rebuild in a car centric way. But the last few decades it has been transformed to a walkable, bikefriendly city with a lot of public transport. That may be a more useful example for American cities than Amsterdam.
yeah in hong kong, you have those skyscrapers that are mixed use. you may have a metro station, then shopping above, and above that is all residential. so you never really have to brave the elements so to speak if you live in those communities to get what you need.
The problem is most of our cities now ARE suburbs, where we have these people who think they enjoy living in the suburbs (even though they’re in the city). So when you try to make their neighborhood more dense, they don’t like it. NIMBYs
I wholeheartedly support more city housing. But nobody asks us. They ask your city council, who are bought and paid for by developers and wealthy urbanites. And they say no.
I was born and currently live in nyc. I hate it. Suburbs is better for. There usually is a community in the suburbs unlike in a big city, meaning people are actually able to have conversations, better transportation (nyc public transportation is horrible) and the noise is way too much in the city. Really can’t wait to move one day. Looking but with prices the way they are I’ll hang around a bit longer plus trying to figure out what area is nice.
Oh man, this really hit the nail on my life. Grown up in the suburbs, and now I'm super introverted and inactive. Walking down the sidewalk is terrifying.
Living in the suburbs doesn’t influence whether or not you become an extroverted or introverted person. It wholly depends on that individual’s choices and perspective toward interactions with people. Personally, I live in a suburb with active families that take morning walks and congregate every now and then, like family barbecues. And you have reason to be terrified when walking down the sidewalk, because America can’t go one second without a kidnapping or murder of some sort. But, I can guarantee you that if you live in the suburbs, especially in an affluent neighborhood, then the chances of being attacked while on the sidewalk decreases to 0%. Even better, suburbs NEVER have the issue of homelessness-it is a place filled with only homes anyways lol. So you can expect people to have enough wealth not to steal or break into your home. The only burglars of suburban homes are those that don’t come from the suburbs. I’ve watched the entire video, and many of the points the guy makes are so incredibly biased and skewed toward data supporting only one side. If you’re going to make an argument, address BOTH sides of the argument. This makes you more credible.
That's the point though right? People move to suburbs to get away from the noise. It's all about going somewhere you wanna go in the end.. It's like going on an elevator and saying it's an elevating experience lol
Depends on what city you are talking about. Most American cities are atomizing and make you feel more isolated even though you are around more people compared to a suburb. Cities are also never quiet and usually have a worse smell to them. Not to mention living in a city is usually more expensive than living in a suburb.
Cities are dirty and noisy largely because of all the cars constantly idling and driving through them. A city with adequate public transit and walkability gets rid of the huge amount of cars and makes it way less polluting and noisy, and also safer
I live in the city. Over priced. Crime. Traffic. Smog. Going to country is a joy. But after awhile no matter what always miss the fast paced city life it seems
I grew up in NYC and now live in suburbs and I got to say the only thing I miss about cities is the walkability. Nothing else you mentioned in the video heck some of the things you mentioned I actually disagree. The stress of living in NYC really takes a toll on you. Maybe my experience is because while I live in one of the best designed city in the US, its not the best designed city in the World. Most people I know that lives in NYC, its their dream to make enough money to buy a house in Long Island and move out.
Same thing here, lived in a small Philadelphia like city, while the bicycling was nice, even going out for a tiny bit at night was awful and dangerous, like living in a 3rd world country, fentanyl zombies and shizos, people yelling at the air on almost a daily basis. Now I live in a development in one of the middle class metro areas, and it's waaaaaay safer, I can still bicycle because development connects to development connects to a park, etc... Nearly everyone is employed and works, you don't see the people sitting on their porches or hanging out in groups with nothing to do. Yes, it's boring looking, but boring is better than the crime filled city. You can drive to the city in 15 minutes for events, there aren't the cockroaches and bugs that the city had, it's really nice.
I lived in NYC for 10 years then moved out to New Jersey. Never again I will live in a large shithole such as NYC. I only wish I moved further away, to the free states.
You would feel different if you lived in upper Manhattan, or downtown Brooklyn, or a good part of Harlem. It depends on what part of your city you live. Compton is technically a suburb, but who would want to move to Compton lol feel me.
@@yessir8805 If you were privileged to be born into a family that you can afford to live there then good of you. You can make it anywhere dude. I think this is video is talking about in general.
I remember when I moved from Bogota Colombia to Ft. Lauderdale Fl I was in such a shock, I came from a dense and populated city where everyone walks, bars and restaurants everywhere you’ll literally socialize every single day all day friends and family are very close. Now I live in a place where everyone drives and nobody seems to have time to socialize. Unfortunately I got used to being isolated now and is such a tragedy
Asi terminaran resto de su vida, como mayoria ciudadanos esclavo de este pais con todo tipo de enfermedades mentales y drogadiccion.😢 El precio tienen que pagar por vivir Corporacion UNITED STATE OF AMERICA. Yo vivi mucho tiempo Ft lauderdale pero fueron otros muy benos tiempos. 😮
I got robbed and stabbed in Bogota… and it was in a populated tourist place. The country and culture is beautiful but unfortunately I wouldn’t go back. I now have PTSD from being there.
@@briann3211 ayy si yo tambien. estoy dominicana, y aqui a NYC es un poco solitaria a veces. Pero a República Dominicana mucha personas bailar, jugar, habala, salir, y otra cosas. NYC es lo mismo a este sentido, pero las personas están alejadas unas de otras socialmente. Mucha violencia en la calle puede hacer que alguien no confíe en otras personas. Me gusta NYC, pero República Dominicana es un vida que no sientes solita todo los tiempos jaja.
@@Athie_xx ooh la verdad que si yo he notado que los dominicanos generalmente son bien alegres en general. Nunca he ido pero debe ser chevere ir allá, yo honestamente estoy pensando en regresarme a Honduras en un futuro no se cuando pero talvez de aquí a 5 o 15 años regrese allá dependiendo de como vayan las cosas saludos
I think it's also each to their own. My friend/ex neighbour moved from my town (not a city, but bustling town nestled in nature) to a suburban gated community environment and she has never been happier. With all kinds of organized events, facilities, and top notch security, she looks like she's living her best life. Meanwhile I know I wont fit in there because I just can't get over the Squidville feeling. It's really each to their own.
It’s crazy to me how community and rural living is separated here in America. In Europe rural areas have a bunch of community activities/centers, weekend fairs, holiday festivals etc. even in the city we don’t have that much issues with community building like Americans seem to do.
One thing that I do advocate for is for people of the community to participate by attending their city hall meetings. There are a lot of meetings. Choose a few to attend. See how it works, see who goes, see who is left out of the planning decisions, who is part of the decision making, what is being planned, who is doing the actual planning? Remember, the community has a voice, just have to be part of the process.
When people start attending, they start closing them. Get a big group and check it out sometime. They will let you a couple of times, then change the venue last minute etc. At least in California that’s what they do for important meetings.
Fascinating. Im pretty surprised when I see many empty parks on a beautiful summer day. I wonder where all the kids are at. I always feel amusement parks like wonderland are overrated. They are extremely packed and busy, Located in the suburbs, all the parents take their kids there, but there are so many other fun things to do locally. Loved the video essay!
Parents don't get the Summer off of work like children do with school. The weekends are for getting the house chores done, shopping, and getting a chance to rest.
@@laurie7689reality now in North America, but it can change, after all there's more than one continent on Earth with people that hsve parental leave among many quality of life improvements many countries have.
@@micosstarAmerica is a business, not a country. Haha! America sucks once again! Also, knowing Americans I doubt they can change. Look at their politics! They get nothing done…
@@laurie7689 I swear to god I hope I never get caught up in that lifestyle, absolute misery, imagine missing out on your whole life because u have to work
@@iiCounted-op5jx Playtime is for children in the USA. Once you become an adult, you are expected to work for the rest of your life for the most part. Retirees tend to live only a few years after they leave work, then they drop dead. I personally knew (worked with) one guy who died in his 40's because he was stressed from work. Also, my college professor once invited a young friend of his (also in his 40's) to give a lecture. That guy also died just 2 months later from work-related stress. Businesses in the USA aren't required to give anyone vacation. Vacation is considered a perk.
I HATE suburbs. I grew up in a big city until my family moved to the buttcrack of nowhere. When i tell you i was MISERABLE. I absolutely couldnt stand it. Nothing to do, having to drive a million hours to get somewhere fun, etc. I fought deep depression and alienation. I'm thankful that the internet was at least a thing bc I could connect with so many people far from my area. That's the thing that saved me from ending myself. It affected me so much that I REFUSE to stay in any sort of small town/suburb. Even after I have my children. I live in Europe now and to say my mental health significantly improved is an understatement. People arent meant to live in suburbs with some strip mall an unwalkable distance away. We crave community. Our ancestors walked all over the place - foraging for food, migrating to more hospitable environments, discovering nature, interacting with the world at large - That's our natural state of being and what allowed us to become some of the most advanced animals on the planet. Truly one of the most evil inventions of the past century is the suburb. I'm waiting on a class action lawsuit.
That may not be a suburb. I live in a suburb and can walk to school the train resturaunts my friends house cousins house hell I can even walk to a few colleges. I think a lot of people get sub-URBS confused with rural towns
@@bfly6984I think I would know more about where I lived for over a decade than you would, sir. Please don't belittle people's experiences because they may not match your own. And you do not live in a suburb. Suburbs do not have trains - they're car centric communities on the outskirts.
@@Sheltur_0311yup, a lot like mine. The worst part is that by driving it's so quick to get to places but for some reason walking takes HOURS. I never understood that. Where I live in Europe, you can often find that the public transit option is FASTER than driving.
I grew up in a suburb, rode my bike everywhere including stores, parks and friends’ houses. We played ball in the street and never felt isolated, lonely or depressed. Folks in the suburbs socialize, connect and bond with their neighbors. Go figure. Downtown was frequently a fun Saturday trip; we took a city bus the 15 miles downtown supplied with lunch money from dad plus $5 each to spend. We enjoyed the bustle and noisy traffic but I would never have wanted to live or grow up there. Too crowded, too much noise and it was always good to get home. As a young adult I moved to Seattle, which at the time was the most beautiful big city I’d ever seen. It was walkable, safe and clean; drug use, gridlocked rush hour and homelessness hadn’t arrived yet. It was almost idyllic for 11 years. One night I couldn’t sleep so I took a short walk to get some air. I stepped outside and had an epiphany of sorts. My home was at the top of a hill overlooking the city and for the first time(I know, 11 years), I realized that the ‘roar’ of city noise never stops, it’s inescapable. The light pollution eliminated enjoying the night sky as much as I had in my childhood. Things that had never bothered me before started to grate on my nerves. I moved away 18 months later. City living is not for everyone, nor is living in the burbs or rural life. It’s important that people have that choice; same goes for owning a car. Living in the confines of a so-called 15 minute city sounds like h€\\ to me. Where people live is not a ‘one size fits all’ issue.
As someone in 20s and having grown up in outer suburbs of Seattle i also enjoyed growing up around here. Im naturally pretty shy and quiet especially since my fam moved around a lot before we settled in WA but i loved playing with friends and just biking around the community or hanging out at each others houses. I'd also say that i love people in general so i dont think growing up in a suburb had some of the negative effects mentioned in the vid. But i guess this could depend on the community you live in, and i think something like community events and stuff could help neighbors build a strong bond with each other
Feel this. I'm stuck here with a very debilitating disability and absolutely no way to provide for myself or move out. Suburbs suck out a person's soul.
@@dansands8140 How is an EMPTY 9000 space surface parking lot paradise? And more people would stay out of the suburbs if cities themselves didn’t become so fucking unaffordable which is a different issue.
Small towns and suburbs are two different things. Personally I hate the suburbs. There are no sidewalks, everyone drives everywhere, and people don't come out of their house. A small town on the other hand is very different. They usually have narrow little streets where people will casually stroll to a quaint little downtown area. Coastal towns are usually like this and get a lot of tourists in the summertime.
Not only do they lead to artificial societal isolation but they also lead to inflated house prices due to the land shortages suburban sprawl development causes. They also destroy once valuable habitat for animals. Sure they leave wetlands undeveloped but those get clogged with runoff and litter.
I live in a suburban neighborhood and it has been one of the loneliest experiences of my life. We've lived here almost 5 years, and we still don't have any close friends in this neighborhood.
I got my license last year and a car this year and the way my mental health radically improved once I was able to go places without relying on Uber is nuts. But Im a decent distance from the closest city have to drive at least half an hour to get anywhere fun. It just made me hate suburbanization even more
I see the opposite of this issue. It's impossible to build a community where people are packed in so tightly that you rarely see the same face twice. Nothing is more lonely and isolating than feeling alone in a crowd.
Agreed. I was looking for this comment. It depends on the kind of person you are. in the United States cities are riddled with crime, noise,trash pollution, and rude people who think the world revolves around them.
I literally don't know any of my neighbors well and I've lived in the same suburb for 15 years. I'd think riding in the elevator in an apartment complex would force more conversations.
So there is the place for the middle ground: 2-5 stories residential buildings where there are enough people to form a sense of community and simultaneously not so many that you can’t memorise even a half of the people you share the building's front door with
As someone who grew up living in suburbs for the majority of my life, this video speaks to me greatly. It truly is isolating, no matter what people say. The solution isn't "duh just get a car then" or "you just need more friends" it's the fact that I need to drive to get ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE. Where I live now (lower-class suburb with no sidewalks) I can't just walk places without first driving to a park where I can freely walk, then drive back when I'm done....and traffic is a daily problem that I need to put up with (Florida moment). It's miserable and lonely.
NYC and DC are two of the best walkable cities to live in. No need for a car and yes, there is inexpensive housing in these cities. Don't let anyone tell you that it's "too expensive" to live in these cities. There are tons of rent-controlled apartments and inexpensive townhomes in NYC and DC.
@@Moderador-bo9px So are the suburbs...only they are kept better hidden. Most of my friends and I have lived happily in the city for decades with no trouble. Several of my friends have raised families well in the city. A couple of my friends have expressed relief that their kids can walk safely to school, to the park and to shopping areas. My neighborhood, which I've lived quietly in for over seventeen years, is well-lit and people feel safe walking their dogs or even themselves at night. No need for the expense of a car, no need of the stress of finding parking. And no situation of people being stranded without a car. Very easy to hop on a bus or train or tram where I live.
The whole topic was about walkable vs non-walkable cities, so yes I can see how living in NYC and DC would be favorable over suburbs. Social issues are an entirely different thing that every city has by varying degrees, but at least you get to grow up seeing faces and interacting with people more, vs suburbs--becoming shut-in introverts the more you live there.@@Moderador-bo9px
The city is 1000x worse. My city has junkies everywhere. It literally feels like a walking dead episode. Everyone is trying to save enough money to move anywhere else.
Texas suburbs are miserable hellholes. People here are real lonely. There's no sense of community here & nowhere for teens or young adults to hang out. Everyone has to do a fuck ton of driving for the simplest errands & the roads are always clogged up.
@@SlashinatorZ take a cow pasture. Pave over it. Now add big box stores and lots of parking. Now add big signs visible from a car everywhere. Now make sure that driving is the by far most common way of getting around… typically using stroads. Now add bars that you drive to… and lots of Starbucks in shopping centers. Now add conservative politics (for better or worse!) Congratulations you’ve recreated Texas lol
@@prancer1803 and I've been asking different dating coaches & talking heads about dating in a place like this but they all give ivory tower advice. Like dude, this is Texas we don't have gender studies clubs or anime fan bars.
I lived in the city but I have a dog and it was very hard having so few green space for him and little space to run around. Now I live in a suburb and I’m so much happier. I think if I was not a dog owner it would be a different story. But as a parent or dog owner I think the suburbs are perfect
I love living in a house with a yard. Plus away from downtown or other busy places. Would never want a condo/apartment touching or close to other people. Driving is only thing I like doing, would never use public transport or walk lol. We like just driving around for fun. One weekends drive for few hours different places sights to see.
I live near the hood in Alabama. Screw walking or biking. Summer is like 9 months here. I'm tired of the loud exhausts, the sirens going to the shelter nearby, and just craziness of residents. Give me a suburb! They sound like deep metropolitan problems tbh. Somewhere like Huntsville, Alabama is a small to mid sized city.
Our suburbs here in my local town has its own shopping mall, shops, theater, and plenty of extra curricular activities for kids to do. And the park sits in between. So we have wide sidewalks that’s convenient for residents to walk to and from the shops. I wish more suburbs would do this.
This sums up pretty well why I'm thinking of moving out of Canada. Sure the quality of life is ever so slightly higher than in East Asia but I'm way less active and happy living in a suburb.
Moving out of canada? Have you considered some of the cities in Canada or you just ready to be free of the north american grind? Asking because I think both the US and Canada have some hidden gems but they're just hard to find
@@allen-sun Im american so I have little authority on Canada but I have heard good things about Montreal. I also think despite their failings Vancouver and Toronto have good areas in them despite their more noticeable flaws
@@adamknott7830 Ottawa is another "good" option also places lime Winnipeg have urban parts and your money will allow you to MOVE INTO THEM compared to places like Toronto / Vancouver as far as US cities go can't help you
@@jasonriddell I only visited Seattle for a week, but it was definitely a lot more walkable than the suburb I live in. My younger cousins live there and they can go pretty much anywhere on a bus or train (especially since public transport is free for people under 18 and students).
I gotta say, I have my friends and we do things together, but honestly I really like being isolated because I just really don’t like people that much. I like living out in the middle of nowhere. It makes me really intentional about where and when and if I decide I want to even be social on any given day. I especially really have to say I find random strangers in public incredibly annoying and I can’t stand having forced conversations with random people on public transit and in physical stores. It’s just too much, and I’d like to just be left alone. Also, there’s nothing more empowering to me than getting in my own, clean, personal vehicle that I own going where I want, when I want to, without having to crowd in with a bunch of strangers and deal with all the delays and bs it goes along with public transit.
I agree, as someone who has lived in sprawling cities with decent public transport and bike paths all my life. I'm very friendly, but I prefer to be alone any chance I get. If you want to live in a city as portrayed in the video, great, go for it. I however am planning to build a home on some remote land somewhere someday.
The question is why do you hate people though? There is something else that caused that, if we all had this attitude it would be hard to advance the human race. Not natural imo
The only issue that I always mention about living in the USA is isolation. I feel like I started having constant depression ever since I moved here. Sometimes it fades away, but then it comes back, when I skip one, two, five events and become antisocial again
Give me walkable suburbs and I’ll be a happy boy. There’s a mall pretty close to where I live, the problem is, it’s on the other side of a river, and you can only get there taking the highway (which has signs plastered all over it saying no pedestrians) it’s like they go out of their way to make it not walkable
My family and I are moving out of the Suburbs this weekend because of how terrible its been making us feel. Theres no contact with neighboors, no places to hang out unless you just want to eat, ad the school aren’t even very good. Suburbs do honestly suck.
I really appreciate that these videos and this channel exists. I felt like I was going crazy when trying to connect with friends and family about this topic, because they never understand why I have this craving to just be in the city, and choose to use public transportation/walk everywhere. I don’t want to move to the city because I have “big dreams” or something, I just feel happier, more productive and active in that culture
Suburbia is fantastic. It allows you to choose to have privacy and solitude while at the same time you can drive to the city when you want to socialize or work. It's always so peaceful and quiet in the suburbs, but if you're feeling like some hustle and bustle, you can head into the city. It's nice to have the choice.
I lived in the suburbs before moving to the city. While visiting my family in the suburbs, I’ve realized how depressing and isolating it really is. It’s such a coincidence that this video popped up when I was really thinking about how much I couldn’t live in the suburbs.
My wife moved to america from Korea. We lived in the suburbs and even a more “happening” area in an apartment. She was miserable. I also was miserable and never really realized it. I was always feeling bored and isolated but just kinda got conditioned to it since I’m American. We moved to Korea this year and it’s night and day different. Walking everywhere, don’t own a car, use subway when needed, parks everywhere, everything I need is walkable. It’s amazing and I have daily encounters with people that work at the stores below where we live. Always saying hi and talking etc. I would love for america to totally change its infrastructure. But probably not in my lifetime sadly
@@maolebron1615 I feel you. Def a different vibe in a a city vs suburb in america. I have lived in DC. But there’s just something different about Korea. Feels safer, cleaner, better public transport, way more cafes, etc. I realize that’s preference tho cuz some people enjoy DC, New York etc. but from my personal comparison it’s still not even close
@@maolebron1615 marry yourself a foreign girl lolol. That’s what did it for me 😂 expensive af tho 😩 but yeah Korea is awesome if you ever get a chance to visit :)
I grew up as a military brat and had lived in just about every situation possible. I lived in Düsseldorf Germany which makes American big cities look like crap, it was quite awesome. Then I lived in a suburb (Granada Hills California) on a busy street (Devonshire) and it was sheer misery and the worst place I ever lived. After that I was in Ilvesheim Germany which is a small town between Mannheim and Heidelberg and it was great. When my dad retired we moved back to the small town in the cornfields where we had lived 6 years earlier which was much better than the city or any suburb, we could ride our bikes anywhere we wanted to go, everything was walkable it was quiet and clean and there was no crime, we played in the woods and when I was a teenager I got a job on a farm and drove a tractor on the road and took care of different animals. I used to feel sorry for city kids because they could not do the cool stuff I did growing up. I still live here now and I can walk to just about anything I need, I have a 2 mile commute to my job and live in a historic old neighborhood and have neighbors that I grew up with, the only downside is that the town is a major tourist attraction and we are overrun with people every weekend
I live in suburban Minnesota, could be considered rural to some, 50 minutes from the Twin Cities. When Ive been in the cities, I found my anonymity so relaxing. I knew no one was looking at JUST me, and as someone with social anxiety- I actually felt more calm. I blended in, or at least felt that way. But I still cannot imagine the stress an urban environment could cause day to day. I live in a quiet apartment a mile and a half from any main road and hear none of that traffic. Im still in the “burbs” but the old style - at least where every house wasnt the exact same look and color. I used to live on the outskirts of a suburb like that and it was eerily comforting; especially walking during a snowfall. Liminal space, thats for sure.
I’m definitely moving out of the US. Whether it’s some place in Italy, Scandinavia, or Japan, I AM leaving. This country is horrible and I honestly wouldn’t wish this place on anyone. I WANT to walk. I WANT to have fun in a city. As a kid, I WANTED to play outside, but I couldn’t. I have to wait five minutes to go to the store because there is a literal river of cars coming straight for me.
Yea no. Love the suburbs even more as a 38 yr old. I take walks all the time here (with no car involved ) and am surrounded by nature and it’s peaceful. I have anxiety and being in the city yesterday, surrounded by chaos, definitely put me in fight or flight. That wouldn’t be healthy long term. I enjoy driving to places I need to go and putting my music on. I teach fitness classes so I have a community on a regular basis. It all depends on the person. In my 20s the city life was a dream but now I could not see myself thriving with constant stimulation. And I don’t know about your take on noise pollution; have you ever been to Chicago? No thank you. 😌
Thank you for this comment. I’ve lived both in America AND Europe, and I can tell you I prefer the American lifestyle. You have OPTIONS, to live AWAY from all the loud downtown city noise, to, living in a quiet suburb with loads of walking area. Idk what this guy in the video was talking about, but in all suburbs the neighborhood is very quiet and there’s loads of safe walking areas nearby. As opposed to Europe, everything’s SO close you don’t feel safe going for a walk because there’s cars and stores at every corner. Not trying to be a hater or anything but this video just sounds like he misses Japan and was raised there then moved to America later on in life.
@@moldyslug What are you talking about in Europe we have suburbs that are far away from city downtown and also you have to understand European nations are very different
I'm an adult without a car license and it sucks. There is nothing for me to do but walk to the gas station, or walk to the park where its a very very small plot of land, not enough nature there for me to actually explore, and all of the stuff there is for kids or people who are coming with many friends. I get drunk or really high because thats the only way I'll be entertained going outside, no places to hang out at or explore. Its depressing. I don't leave the house much because theres nowhere TO go, Its all just empty pavement roads and houses, they removed all the nature in my area to build more houses and suburbs.
I strongly disagree. I really enjoy owning a house where I can grow my own vegetables and chill with my dog in my backyard. I don't want to be crammed into a small space living close to a street where lots of cars pass all day listing to traffic. Even having lived in cities in apartments VS now living in a home in the suburbs I'm much more connected with the people I live around now. Also its a waste of money and a poor way to build wealth. I only pay 850 a month for my mortgage and alredy have considerable equity in my house because it was a fixer upper.
Idonno, I say hi to my neighbors and we have chit chat over coffee in our yards sometimes. I prefer having some space so I don't have to hear people and they can't hear/see me. Although my neighborhood suburb is heavily wooded, has small houses, was a campground that got converted into a neighborhood in the 70s, and has gravel roads so it's not the typical suburb.
That does sound dreamy. I love dense, urban cities but I could see myself falling in love with the area you described. It’s good that you recognize what you have isn’t what most mean by “suburban.” In fact, when urbanists talk about the suburbs growing into the impersonal places they are now and advocate for a return to what suburbs were originally idealized as, it’s the setting you live in that most have in mind for how suburbs should be designed.
So true. For 16 years I worked at a small office in a small village only a short 15 minute drive from where I lived. After that I worked for three years at a WAREHOUSE three times further and had to commute on larger roads and highways. Those three years of longer commuting and working in what felt like a sterile tomb, my anger, aggression, depression, and even road rage rose. It wasn't good. Thankfully I'm working local again taking small roads to a grounds keeping job where I'm outside more in the fresh air and daylight.
I am both a mental health provider & live in a single family home in a neighborhood where NOBODY walks , knows anyone, and there isn't nowhere to walk to or interact. Ironically, I only live 7 miles from downtown of a major USA city, but no valid public transportation, and I still fell isolated and sucleded. Being a home owner is very beneficial. However, I would move to a city loft or townhouse if % rates weren't so high..... I absolutely am looking for a way out of neighborhood hell.
it’s even more boring when you live in the countryside, but it has it’s advantages cause i hate people and there’s less noise, traffic, pollution, and crime so
Great video! This basically sums up my exact thoughts! I'm also an introvert but I recognize the importance in social connections. I hate the car-dependent, isolating nature of suburbia and everything that it represents for all the reasons mentioned in the video. I'm definitely planning on moving to a good urban area once I'm done college!
It’s also the appearance. Even compared to the cluttered unattractive image of urban environments, suburbs, especially subdivisions are the most depressing and uninspired neighborhoods of all. It feels monotonous and dystopian (I don’t want to say utopian) in a way. Racking up debt to create the illusion of success while living in a cookie cutter house that was rush-built with cheap materials off a recycled plan. Only to have your neighbors touching doors and likely an HOA governing everything you do. I can’t imagine any creative types managing well there. I’ll take a house off the main road in the country any day.
the vast majority of country houses have the same architecture as suburbs from 1870-1990 when you think of suburbs you think of modern 90s era mcmansion suburbs, ive seen older 1890s-1980s suburbs with nice architecture new and old
What I find interesting is the homelessness in the cities. Especially LA. It was good and all to be walking along to your favorite place until you had a sort of "a few screws loose" person harassing the patrons in a restaurant (this is just an isolated event I experienced but nothing was really done about that). Don't get me wrong. I am for better urban design and better ways for people to get around as for one point, I'd rather people who would rather not drive or don't like driving to have an alternative that is actually decent to get around. as for the homeless issue, that is a problem that needs to be solved for full on urbanism to completely work since that can be the deciding factor for a majority of people.
Those problems are all interconnected. Walkable neighbourhoods are now still a privilege for a few people in a city where all the space is taken by single-family developments, which promotes homelessness.
@pedrob3953 funny enough the most walkable parts of cities are either high end developements or very poor ghettos. As stated, it's suburbia that tends to be car centric.
IMHO living in Vancouver and there "urban miracle" is IMHO a bit of a "scam" and is causing what is happening in LA AND Vancouver plus Toronto ETC basically super high density OR LOW density with NO "middle" and still a LOT of "protection" for single family homes and little interest in actually building DENSITY EVERYWHERE even NOT near transit is causing housing to un attainable by "normal" families unless you "drive till you qualify" and for VCR or LA that is a LONG drive
I mean we're going to have to practice better urbanism regardless. It's not like cities can expand forever and we are in the middle of a housing crisis and home ownership is quickly becoming a fantasy for a large portion of the population and it's not like rent is getting any cheaper. We need to build more homes and the best way to do that is to build density or we run the risk of making the homeless crisis a lot worse.
Thanks for making this video. I agree with everything. I live in a smaller city, but we are getting more people. Driving is much more miserable now than it used to be. This is a very isolating, alienating way to live.
Thing about small towns is, everyone who doesn't fit the mold of what is considered "normal" in a small town leaves after high school unless they don't have the means to. They go to the cities. I would have been perma-single without doing that. I never dated one girl who was from the country like me. There are places sort of in-between urban density and typical 60s and later suburban sprawl. Inner suburbs can have it. Our inner suburb was platted in the 20s, but nothing got built there until the 50s. So it has a street grid and sort of small lots. There are a lot of stores (some big box, but many not). It's dense enough to be walkable, but you have to cross stroads a lot, and there is a surprisingly good bus system. There's also some good bike infrastructure. I see a lot of older kids/teens riding bikes together without parental supervision (in 2024).
In urban cities I have found that people are more likely to ignore you and appear too busy to hold a conversation. In more spacious environments, especially rural ones, people are more open to talking and having meaningful conversations. This is probably because encountering humans here is far less frequent, where as in cities its saturated.
@@Julian-ns3it Take a person on a farm, they are busy, yet they can stop what they are doing for a 5 min chat as they don't see thousands of strangers passing them by every 5 mins.
I highly recommend listening to James Howard Kunstler - he has a TED talk on UA-cam and some presentations about how awful most American architecture and suburbs are for our psyche and health. I’ve never owned a car and it’s not always easy but thankfully I’m in a neighborhood where I can walk and I use Uber when I need to. You absolutely said it - we have places that aren’t worth caring about or living in that make us depressed!
I literally witnessed a similar effect in a third world country, my home. Basically, I grew up in a tiny village. Every kid pretty much went to the same schools, and gave each other time to play and bond in the streets. Originally, I thought to myself, "why aren't they studying or something?" I grew up introverted, and lacked touch with reality... Until I went to the capital to visit my cousin. It more or less mimicked the suburbia effect. That shit was lonely as flip - I had access to every channel known to man, a plethora of food, infinite internet, but the streets were TOO QUIET. wtf? It suddenly hit me: people are so close to one another, and yet we have sacrificed the chance to appreciate the sense of community. It sucks
idk man i lived in the center of tokyo for 10 years...i moved to the suburbs this march because i wanted a larger living space, a smaller community, and much MUCH quieter environment closer to nature. I dont regret it so far. I might move further out to the burbs when it comes time for me to buy a house.
I haven't spent much time in suburban Tokyo, but I think you'd probably agree that Tokyo suburbs are a whole different thing than American/Canadian. I lived in good ol' suburban kurumashakai Okinawa and the idea of walking to Lawson was not thought of as strange.
If you actively want to live in a suburban area then it would be expected that you’d be happy there. Similar to what he said about Amsterdam’s citizens; with a multitude of transportation options, it takes those that prefer/need to walk, bike, or ride public transit off the roads and the ones left on the roads are those that want/need to drive. They still encounter issues like traffic, waiting at lights, stopping for pedestrians, etc. but the fact that they are doing it by choice increases the chances that they are unbothered with experiencing those things. Having viable options makes everyone happier as we get to choose what we prefer but the way that suburbs - specifically North American suburbs - have been designed post-WWII either forces those options to be unpleasant experiences or nonexistent altogether.
A Tokyo suburb is *very* different from a suburb of a typical American city. In terms of density, transportation options, and access to amenities, a typical suburb in the Tokyo metro area is closer to downtown/urban core of a smaller US city than to its suburbs.
Downtown is still a place for poop, mentally ill people, and smells like shit infested with weirdos. I grew up in a city and was very poor, commute to city for work everyday now. when I was in my 20s and lived in city in affluent neighborhood and it was fun no regrets. Once started a family in my 30s I love living in the burbs ATVing in my neighborhood and woods, ziplining 200ft from my kids tree house, fishing by local lake, peace and quiet at night while seeing more stars. And for driving traffic sucks in my daily driver, but I get to drive my sports car on the weekend and park them in my garage. When I go visit NYC now with my kids I’m just grossed out by the smell, sidewalks, stickiness, rude, impolite and selfish people which feels like everyone there and 9:19 thinking to myself “ these people need to get out more, outside this massive city compound and human experiment” So city is cool, but it’s subjective and different phase in life so there’s no right answer. When ur older and start a family who knows you’re opinion may change. As for me, I’ll visit all day but I’m this stage of my life, I love living in the burbs and can’t imagine living in the city raising a family but maybe that’ll change in the next chapter. If you ever come out to the burbs I’ll take you out to a nice dinner and show u a good time.
I grew up in a large city and I live in a more suburban area almost rural now and I feel a lot safer out here than I ever did in Philly, Atlanta, or NYC. Kids play outside here which it’s definitely too dangerous to do now in larger cities so I guess it just depends on your needs. I wanted to be able to go to the store without fear of getting assaulted or robbed or hearing gun shots on a regular basis. I couldn’t even go to the movies without someone shooting in the theater so I think it just comes down to what you personally need to be happy. 🤷🏾♀️
Here's my take on suburbs. Just fix the zoning laws by allowing mixed-use zoning and change the minimum square foot requirements per lot. Rezone land that isn't being used properly and plan better urbanism. Change the length requirement for road width, and then if some how it gets to this stage (Would be extremely lucky for this to occur) Build better suburbs or the same and people can choose where they would like to live, ea. Urban Lifestyle or Suburban lifestyle. If these changes would happen the price of living in an urbanized area would decrease and land values increase, urbanism will be more accessible, and everyone will be happy.
...over a huge parking lot! I lived close to a Target but the food places where across the street. No fun walking over the parking lot and over 5 lanes of traffic and than over some bushes to the food places as they did not have anticipated that someone would walk from the street to these places;-)
I try to walk 3 miles along the coast to see my friend who lives in an adjacent seaside town whenever I can for exercise and to enjoy the surroundings. But I always look and feel out of place when I’m doing it, almost like I’m committing a crime as you described, because the path is so tiny and narrow beside a busy road and apart from the occasional cyclist, everyone else takes the car/bus. My dad says that when he was growing up in the 70s and 80s it was normal for kids to cycle 30 mins to school and back everyday and then play outside in the street in the evening with friends. It’s insane how much the world has changed.
I find myself super jealous sometimes of pre war neighborhoods where they have a pharmacy, grocery store, and a few places to work within a few blocks of where people's houses are. And on top of that they have many "third places" to really connect with people in the community. The best example is some parts of Saint Paul (that I can remember). I lived up there for one year while I went to college and I definitely don't miss the school, but I feel sad when I realize I can't hop on a train and get somewhere within ten minutes. Or take a 15 minute walk and get the supplies that I need which otherwise would have been found at a big retailer. I feel like I would eventually choose to live closer or maybe inside a city in the future. I'm in the process right now of trying to figure out what my next job is going to look like and I'm quickly finding out that I can't just work somewhere near my house. Which is probably why I didn't do that to begin with lol Over the last year I suffered from loneliness so much. And after the pandemic was "done" I really couldn't understand what to do with myself. I finished school, had my savings from all the past jobs I did. And yet I only had my family for support. There is just no culture at all when you live in the suburbs. There's not many proper places to meet people in the community, and even in my small neighborhood, no one takes a walk unless they're with their dog. Like people don't want to talk to you. It's so sad and demoralizing. I don't think I would want to live in New York City, but I watch videos, and hear stories. And it genuinely seems so fun, just the idea of there being an easily acessible corner store to get groceries from. Or being able to take a walk to go to a food place, and it isn't a 30 minute drive to eat at somewhere--seems nice. Maybe I should just start traveling or something 😹
I really like the design of lots of cities, the problem is that cities are extremely expensive, have WAY more regulations than most suburbs, are extremely hostile to anyone with ANY conservative/religious beliefs whatsoever, have lots of crime, give you a lot less living space even with higher budgets, and just overall can feel oppressive in their own right when there's little to no nature in sight in most cases. For all the problems I have with suburbia, I could absolutely never see myself living in a city.
Depends on your neighborhood and neighbors, I grew up in a suburb but almost every house had a kid in it and we would play everyday and I made friends that I still have today
SHOCKED that you have so few subs. Love your style - not a new take, but a really good expression of it. I moved from the suburbs to a big, walkable, metropolitan and diverse city in the US and haven't looked back! Although I disagree that 番茄炒鸡蛋 is not the key to happiness......
Chicago!@@NicholsMediaPress I have lived in NYC as well but found it too expensive. Chicago is similar in a lot of ways - walkable, diverse, lots to do, don't have to have a car to get around in most of the city. But much cheaper!
But if you don't live in the suburbs, how can you own a house? I despise apartments with burning passion of a thousand supernovae. But you can't buy a house in a big city, so it's either suburbs, small cities, or rural countryside.
@@jasonriddell : If I remember correctly, "Missing Middle" homes are just smaller apartment buildings, which don't really solve the "I hate apartments" problem. Terraces/townhouses are better than apartments, but not nearly as good as detached houses. You still pay rent (in the form of an association fee), the shared walls mean less privacy, and there will be more rules about what you can and cannot do with your property. All things considered I'd prefer a townhouse over any kind of apartment, but detached houses with no HOA are the gold standard.
My 14 year old is set on leaving the country at 18 just to exist in a walkable city. She’s over our culture and our infrastructure to the point of waiting to escape and I kind of can’t blame her.
This is sadly true. I live in Arizona where it's 90 degrees on an average day and everything is so spaced out. I have to walk miles to go to places of even mild activity. I even walk on the road at points. My area in particular is so car dominant that the interstate is only a few miles away. Despite having a great homelife, I feel trapped and upset with little opportunity to explore the world around me. My only friends are across an active road and my neighborhood feels boring as no one goes and talks to other people. I'm glad people are talking about this because I seem to be the only one in my family that cares.
I want more transit options including biking infrastructure but I find it annoying how a lot of people keep comparing the US to European cities which usually doesn't get nearly as hot. I don't want to ride a bike for 10-15 minutes to work just to be covered in sweat when I get there.
@@mattwolf7698 every single bus or light rail or train in the us has AC (im fairly confident on that) biking 10-15mins is at least 5 miles so the idea of better US public transit is you take a light rail or some train to get much closer and your biking time is under 5mins. At worst you take a bus (mostly bike friendly too). I live in Sacramento where it can get 115f in September and I cant imagine actually biking downtown instead of taking light rail lol. having bike paths so its easier to get to the station will help a lot and so will better headways on the lightrail itself. I think comparing US to EU cities is still a vaild comparison because the heat isnt that bad if you have public transit that exists since everything in modern times has AC
My wife just moved in with me from Japan, here in North Carolina. The other day, we were driving back from doing some chores and she says randomly, "So what do teenagers do in American cities? I don't really see anything for them to do, if they don't have a car." I explained to her that they don't really have anything to do, especially now that a lot of malls are dying, and that's why American teenagers are usually either outside the house misbehaving and getting high, or just staying inside all day. Car dependency is ruining our cities, sure, but more importantly it is ruining our kids.
move to japan tf u doing lmaooo i feel bad for ur wife fr
I do too, we fully intend on moving to Japan together in a few years.@@たかちゃん-j3q
Yeah. I'm sure car dependency plays a part in this but there's a lot more to the degradation of american society. America has always been car dependent just on the principle of the land mass of the nation...kids weren't this messed up in the 50s-90s.
Orchestrated by a small group of powerful people with vast ambitions you or me will never fully understand.
@@たかちゃん-j3q Unfortunately being obviously foreign in Japan has a lot of downsides. Japan is very culturally homogenous and isolated. They expect you to be just like them, and even if you are, they will always treat you like an outsider in painfully obvious ways that you will deal with daily.
The Big Tech billionaires are orchestrating an attack on the soul and time of the children.
Add on to this, parents were scared into having their kids not go outside because of strangers walking around snatching kids. This only occurs because there’s no adults walking around to keep an eye on other kids safety.
Your area just sucked. We ran around outside literally all day and our parents never worried about anything except us getting hit by cars.
Jane Jocabs called this type of security - "eyes on the street". You will have people in your neighborhood that monitor's the community nonchalantly such as a baker sweeping the store front, the grandma watering her plants from the balcony, they delivery service man unloading the truck, the cluster of people chatting away at the local cafe. In addition to modernization, people have security cameras and doorbell cameras. Adults are not alone in the security and safety of their children when others play a part (don't depend on them fully while you go out on a date... but as part of an unspoken team). There is more I want to add but I don't want to write an essay.
@@uhpenyen4291 thats basically how my village works, the local governments built playgrounds, bike paths on every somewhat high traffic street, walkable streets and there is public transport which is not great but works for kids perfectly so they did many things right but what makes it safe for kids are the people who actually care. I got lost more than once as a kid and everytime someone helped me. One of my friends hurt himself on the playground and someone we didnt know helped him just to say a few examples.
Or they fear the adults? I don't want city junkies around my kids either.
@@josephang9927 Some adults a a problem but the way it works is that the majority who are good people watch the kids so that the small minority who want to harm kids gets noticed/stopped, this mainly helps for small things and if theres a generel crime problem it wont really work, but in a region like mine where there just arent really any adults who are dangers to kids it works completely fine
I once read somewhere that people want to go back to college life so bad because of its walkability. How easy it is to go from where you live to where you study to where you eat, and you can see your friends anytime just by a 10 minute walk
I live in the suburbs very close to the city
Korea town is a five minute drive
@@amethyst1062 you still have to drive
When I lived on campus, it was nice to be able to walk across campus to the caf or the gym. It was easier to make new friends too because we were usually on campus, unless we were at our jobs after
@@Padlock_Steveif it’s a five minute drive then you can still walk lol
@@j99044walk comfortably?
Back when my depression was bad, I would frequently get advice to "Just take a walk!" Except the suburbs were so repetitive and bland that they just made me more depressed lol
You're not alone. Being in this environment makes me want to stay home and drink.
Drink and walk until the repetitive suburbs transform 😅
Houses should not be copy pastas. The reason town homes of the early 1900s of the cities were so amazing is because each one is unique.
Yeah it feels like if you were trapped in a backroom... so disturbing
Still even in a more diverse area: taking a walk doesn't cure depression
Talk to people that actually grew up in big cities. You'll find just as many that felt isolated, lonely, stressed, and depressed. Many that grew up or live in the suburbs may have a "grass is greener on the other side" view of urban life that is just not true. Lots of people leave cities for the suburbs or smaller cities and towns.
I absolutely love Tokyo. It could serve as a poster child of urban living. Low crime, great transportation, lots to see and do, etc. But you have to acknowledge that there are a *lot* of very lonely people in Tokyo. It's a growing crisis there, and in American cities, and in American suburbs. There's lots of things we might consider blaming that on, but it's not really a suburban vs urban thing imo.
Both sides don’t carry equal merit one is worse than the other. One design is historically speaking very very new considering the advent of cars.
We where living in walkable cities for our entire history until cars turned our lives upside down.
Bottom line humans are notbmeant to be isolated we are social and tribal. If you have to go out of your way and grind to have a social life outside of your own family if you have one then the suburbs have already failed miserably.
Loneliness exists in both urban and suburban environments but one is the catalyst for isolation. The other is closer to our old tribal minds we evolved with.
@@coolcat5911wtf are you smoking lol the modern city has as much in common with ancient Rome or Athens as the suburbs has to do with being a medieval farmer. The suburbs were born out of how degrading and inhuman the modern industrial city is. Suburbs are not THE answer, but saying "oh we've always lived in cities" is so wrong it's insane. Cities, even ancient ones, were outliers in the background of the vast majority of human population. All civilizations in recorded history with large cities we still remember all still collapsed and died by the way, even the ones that lasted hundreds of years longer than our current version.
I think a lot of what you mentioned about Tokyo has to do with the excessive work hours that people face as well as an overall culture that doesn’t encourage open social interaction.
@@hairyott3rr Chill, you are straw manning my argument hard bruv. When did I say we always lived in cities? All I said is walkable cities are closer to our ancient roots and the advent of cars fucked things up big time. walkable cities are closer to our more ancient city designs and our tribal roots of walking around in a village. Whats your point?
@@BasedOut100milexcept that isn’t the case since older Japanese generations worked even longer hours yet didn’t have the same problems as modern Japanese people
My parents live in a suburb and "mall walk." My theory is they like walking in a mall because it simulates a city, albeit poorly. Same with why they like Disney World and Europe. They also thought of moving to a planned residential community and raved about how the developer had built a school, library, fire department and a "Main Street" with a few restaurants. I though they were joking at first and said, "You mean it's an artificial city." But they shook their head and said no they would never live in a city.
hmmmm, actions speak louder than words (:
also, your parents' loss if they continue to live in the suburbs, they are the ones who bear the consequences, good or bad, of their actions.
Small towns are the best example of such "non big city" options. I would rather live in a small town than a big city so of speak.
@@DiNatello-nu2bt it's just how humanity is. We want convenience but don't want to deal with people lol
@@JerEditz I like "dealing" with people. That's how you make friends
I talked with my brother about this. Now that we're adults, we were wondering why we ended up playing so many video games and becoming generally isolated. We think It was just so difficult to get out and do things when we were sooo far out on the fringes of the suburbs. We could hardly bike anywhere either.
As always, Im glad and thankful to see content like this that shines a light on these issues (even though they're in plain sight!)
Suffering from success it sounds like
fr bro there is nothing and I mean nothing within a walkable distance where I live and to top it off I live on a main road with no sidewalks whatsoever and to TOP THAT OFF I have to be homeschooled and I don't even have my drivers license, my teen life was BOUND to be spend in isolation, I hope I can get out of this when I turn 18
Get a Steam Deck and go to wine parties.
Lol! What a cop out. You were just a lazy kid. I grew up in a suburb and me and the neighborhood kids were out playing hockey, basketball, catch, etc all the time. Bike riding, exploring, etc too
@@raptors11111 I used to live in a big town- I could walk to the train station and go to a big city, or walk to the park which had a playground, or walk to any store since they were all nearby. We didn’t have too many kids on my street (there was a ridiculous number of seniors for some reason) but we all went out together and played from the time we finished our homework to when the sun went down. When I was about 11 I moved to a suburban area so my parents could fulfill that suburban American Dream wish that so many people have. There were many more kids in our neighborhood, as most suburban neighborhoods tend to have families, but I only saw a kid or two play outside every few months. And they were usually years younger than me. My parents wanted a big house with a big yard so we could play outside, but a big yard is so much smaller than a town.
"it doesn't have to be this way" That's the kicker, it was planned. It certainly does not have to be this way and every day someone somewhere is making choices to negatively effect our lives. And I hate that.
Agreed. One might argue the suburbs were an experiment, but it feels kind of surprising that we're only realizing now just how poorly that experiment has gone. The urban planning channels+videos on youtube give me hope that people are spreading the word of a better way, but I don't actually know how much these thoughts are being realized in actual modern developments.
Who is making these choices to negatively affect our lives?
We live in a society
But with that said, sometimes they are dead people who tried their best. They deserves some credit when they done right.
The root of the problem is that cities are zoned to be expensive to live in, so it's cheaper to live outside the city and commute by car. And public transit? When not funded well, it's worse than driving due to delays, slowness, and noise. Well designed public transit can be good, but US commuter rails are worse than driving, and subways are worse than using Blue Bikes.
Well, the solution is obvious, no? We take control, and make the changes ourselves.
They don't want the people to be happy but isolated, depressed, sick, lonely, miserable with unbearable prices.
To endlessly control them like toys
“But it certainly doesn’t help when, walking here, sometimes feels like you’re committing a crime”
This hit me so hard!! I’ve never heard that feeling put into words more accurately. It really does! In some areas you feel almost guilty and outcast for going on foot
It’s not just you. Suburbanites regard pedestrians with suspicion and will post bogus “Private Property” signs. Also, no fishing when Karen’s around. She will call po-po on u 🚓
I deliver in many suburban neighborhoods and I feel illegal the second I enter. I feel on high alert for the need to defend why I’m there at any moment.
Yo even parking a bicycle. White people evil yo.
Welcome to white racism in its prime
I blame it on yall whites cause yall don't care bout people
I'm also an introvert who grew up in the suburbs. Don't think I realized what drew me into the larger city until I temporarily lost the ability to drive and started watching urbanist content. Transit saved me during this time, and now I'm looking for an even better place with good walking and transit options, where driving is fine for escaping into the mountains or an extended road trip but not a requirement for going to my local coffee shop. Sadly it's going to take decades and a cultural shift for many U.S. and Canadian cities to get to a point where all these modes of transport (rail, bus, driving, biking, walking) are valued equally for what they accomplish best.
FYI some urbanist youtubers are funded by corporate developers. Enjoy.
@@ab8817that's good rhetoric, but a counter arguer may dispute by asking for proof;
thanks for contributing your opinion!
@@ab8817 How about, car-centric developments are funded by corporate car manufacturers? And I definitely don't like driving in general, I prefer having alternatives to driving.
@@rusticcloud3325 yes we know that. and corporate developers are funding "urbanist" movements which will never bring about the european-style urbanism you yearn for in places like the sunbelt of the US. just gentrification and higher cost of living. and guess what - you still have to drive.
@@ab8817 and is that a "bad" thing??? as they are the ones OWNING the LAND and building the housing / lobbying for ETC so if they are using a youtuber "influencer" to influence decisions towards better higher densities is that BAD???
I got in an argument with someone about Chicago and they genuinely seemed to believe that all the crime, issues, etc happen in the Loop only and that we all live just where the big buildings are. I realized this and didn't even bother feeding into it because they probably wouldn't understand just how big Chicago really is.
Crime happens in literally every neighborhood. There was just a shooting in River North on Saturday. 8 people injured, luckily nobody died.
I got my bike stolen while I was riding it
I lived 6 years on the South side of Chicago, and I came home from work to yellow tape, twice in the same week. Not to mention when I moved further south, I had to walk pass (3ft) a dead body of a 16 year ,as CPD was getting yellow tape out their drunk. I went home and cried in my bathroom for 30 minutes .I was 41 at the time, and never seen such a thing. Chicago made my South Central Los Angeles upbringing feel like the suburbs .
Chicago was and felt extremely safe when I was there. The loop was great, never saw anything too bad. New Orleans was much more dangerous. Chicago isn't even in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the US.
Crime in almost non existent in suburbs, most people who live in suburbs do so for freedom of NOT living in a city (both from people being directly up your ass AND the expense to live in one directly), and the last portion being it offers the convenience just as much as the city because you can go into the country side just as quickly.
It's a win, win, win if you have a family.
Because many people aren't having families this dynamic is changing to apartments in the burbs more and more (and also because the whole, "You'll own nothing and be happy" mentality as a direct quote).
All options have their pros and cons.... but the complete argument against the suburbs is dumb. As someone who knows this alot being an architecture graduate.
I know this really well..... given.... idk.... we had whole class sessions and read books and studied other countries JUST on this topic.....
But..... wtf do I know lol
My problem with American Suberbs is that there is no city street life and at the same time it is not a peaceful nature walk. The community somehow takes the worst of both worlds that I agree only isolates
Right? And there might be a bike/walking trail or two, but they're likely located adjacent to a loud road or highway. Experiencing an actual park requires driving
April 16 2007
December 7 2017
These are important days in history
There is though.
Not necessarily true; there are some suburbs that are a little more focused around nature. But at the same time, most of them in recent years have sadly become simulated cities with bulldozing old shopping centers with new ones that have all kinds of glitzy things like all kinds of shops and restaurants, and, for those who would be able to afford it, apartments or condos built right into all of that.
Thankfully, this is not the case for the particular part of the suburb I live in now (bought a townhome in said burb just back in the summer), as where I am is absolutely surrrounded with nature all around with trees and wildlife galore. And along with that, I'm just mere steps from one of the states many bigger bike trails as from said bike trail, there is a little sidewalk that spurs from it into our neighborhood which is why I was so elated to have found the place I am now.
And best of all, even though I'm now outside the city of where I found myself living for the past few years, I'm now just mere minutes from it as a drive back into the downtown of said city is only about 10 minutes or so.
It keeps out the low producing people. You need to be more responsible to live in the burbs
I also think because of the suburbs things like cottage core and studio ghibli have rised in popularity. Because a world where you can travel outside and hear nothing but leaves moving in the wind and birds chirping sounds like a dream. Not only that but the community aspect of villages is so unrealistic while living in a suburb.
This. I would love to live somewhere like that but it's not very accessible where I live or even in other places
People be discussing future dystopias.
My brother in christ, you're IN the dystopia
We build problems, so we can sell solutions.
Damn
Exactly, 99% of this has a root cause of greedy auto companies in the 20th century that lobbied to turn the country into a giant parking lot.
Yay!
The solutions cause the problems
@@kiwenmanisuno Yup, so solutions can be sold for those problems too. And those solutions will have problems, and the ones after that. Imagine creating a solution to a problem that would decrease profits!
@@elokin300 The solutions sold is always just making everything bigger, jucier and hotter! Imagine actually trying to even solve it to begin with lmao
Unfortunately, i just absolutely hate people when there are too many. Drama, bickering, fights, crime, littering ...
You mean like the American cities with the open borders overrun by millions of illegals? Yeah this video isn't applicable to the us
your saying living in the suburbs with a bunch of bore old white people doesnt have drama or bickering???? you dont have dog shit in your lawn because suburbanites cant be bothered to pick up???
Thus you don’t want to live in a high rise neighbourhood. The communities where people both live close enough together AND know each other tend to be the most safe.
In a sprawled community there is a higher chance that there would not be anyone to witness the crime, but in an overpopulated area a witness is less likely to report or prevent the witnessed crime (either because they think someone else will do it or because they don’t care enough).
@@kagenekoUA your right, i hate cities
yesss!!! @@kagenekoUA everyone is focusing on extremes... like it's either this extremely quiet and lonely suburb vs loud and crowded cities. I think the point he makes in the video about suburbs being so car dependent are what personally gets me the most. I feel like I don't ever need to see or talk to people and I actually didnt mind that first year but now I just miss hearing human sounds? I swear you cant hear a thing in the suburb I live in and sometimes when I go for a walk it's like it's a ghost town or something. I can walk around many times and not see someone at all. It gets lonely. I'm sure it's different in a suburb with townhomes tho, as you mentioned, people live close enough.
I’ve always been the happiest when I lived in Japan as a student and tourist. No one seems to believe me when I say the environment is what makes me feel at ease. Sure, I’m partly a weeb, but man. It’s nice that if I needed something from the store, I could walk five minutes to a family mart. Or if I wanted to go downtown, I could walk an hour or take a ten minute bus ride. Anything and everything I wanted was accessible. Not to mention the cultural differences that I enjoy on top of it. Edit - also, bonus points for me being a tall white guy in Japan. That strangers would engage conversations with me. I’m normally shy and don’t say much. But people approaching me, made things a lot easier socially.
Unfortunately such things are impossible in multicultural countries where crime rates are high.
I've been there, and I believe you. But American cities suck compared to Japanese ones, because for some reason we think city governments should decide where we get to build homes and where we get to build businesses. That's stupid (with a few exceptions; adult entertainment and chemical manufacturing needs to be elsewhere).
Glad your experience was great. I’m Kenyan living in Japan. I quite find the cities claustrophobic and the culture stifling compared to home. I actually get actively avoided 😂 especially in the train and other closed spaces. But it is very convenient as you said. Safety is top notch and the public transport is incredibly reliable.
But I’ve heard stories about depression problems in Japan. People who won’t leave their apartments and suicide.
@@jrhackman7414 That's a result of the work culture. Labor protection laws in Japan are more like suggestions than laws.
I am not an introvert by any means but I truly appreciate isolation. I've lived in just about every type of environment imaginable and I found it amazing how lonely it was living in or even near a city. You can be surrounded by thousands of people on a sidewalk or a bus stop or go into an office sit at a cubical and just not have any real connection with anyone for weeks on end. I ended up settling down in a small town in the woods with a population of about 1,500. There are weeks where I probably see more wildlife then people and times when I drive down a road 6 hours after it snowed and there are no other tire tracks made yet. We have 1 gas station that is also a pizzeria and wild game tagging station, you can't go in there without running into at least one person you know well enough to ask them how their family is doing. Interactions with people may be few and far between but at least they are genuine.
Exactly.
Nature is your companion, not just endless lawns and asphalt.
I live in New Orleans and run into people I know personally without trying constantly. I've also lived in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. Enjoyed both. If you live in a city that isn't boring and terrible you'd probably feel a little different about it imo. All cities aren't created equal. Kind of hard to feel "lonely" here when there is constantly stuff going on in the city - parades, music and arts festivals, great restaurants, nightlife etc.
I've lived in 4 different cities and temp lived in about 6 others (had a job that required long term stay) and the culture can change really drastically between them. Austin was miles different then Detroit... No matter where you are you can look around, adapt and there will always be something to do and people to meet. However (based off this week and past events) if I had to choose between Halloween in LA or a small barn party at an apple orchard in the woods, the barn party in the woods is definitely more my crowd. @@trevor_mounts_music
I share the same sentiment; after decades in cities I now enjoying 20 acres of nature.
Another problem with suburbs is, if you want community, you're expected to conform to the dominant culture of that suburb. Which usually means your run of the mill 2.5 kids and a dog lifestyle. You're not going to find your community if you're a social misfit, or just live a different lifestyle. While living in a city does come with their risks, you have better chances of finding people more like you than in a homogenous suburb, no matter how safe and clean it is. I'm born and raised New Yorker and lived in a smaller city before moving to the suburbs for 3 years w/my husband because he grew up there. We hightailed it back to the city, downsized our cars (just one now), don't have to deal with weekend lawn care, and the general upkeep that takes up your time because you live in the suburbs. Not to mention our food delivery rotation increased beyond Italian, pizza, and Chinese food. Ultimately, it's about the lifestyle that works for you.
@@crypticsailor I agree!
Not really
Suburbs are not the problem. It is the lack of any mixed development throughout the suburbs. Plus walking around is seen as a taboo.
one thing i hate about these videos is how Euro centric they are when so many places in Asia also achieve the same vibrant and active streets without being a "historical old downtown". Lot of people think europe was built long ago and remain dense so thats why its possible there but fail to look at all the Japanese and Asian cities who also have ton of walkability, bikability and good transit.
Europe is more than the historic inner cities that tourisis visit. the population has grown since ww2 and a lot of destroyed ateas had to be renewed. A lot got rebuilt in a car centric style just like the US. But we are also noticing that this does not work. A nice example is Rotterdam. Its center got completely whiped out in 1940. It was rebuild in a car centric way. But the last few decades it has been transformed to a walkable, bikefriendly city with a lot of public transport. That may be a more useful example for American cities than Amsterdam.
Hm, try to use a bicycle in Bangkok or Manila🤣
@@gloofisearchor just cross a road in Jakarta😌
yeah in hong kong, you have those skyscrapers that are mixed use. you may have a metro station, then shopping above, and above that is all residential. so you never really have to brave the elements so to speak if you live in those communities to get what you need.
@@jdcsiahaan Yeah because Jakarta tries to "learn" from the US in Soeharto's era.
People who LOVE the suburbs should support more housing in urban areas, keeping the suburbs more open (less crowded)
The problem is most of our cities now ARE suburbs, where we have these people who think they enjoy living in the suburbs (even though they’re in the city). So when you try to make their neighborhood more dense, they don’t like it. NIMBYs
I wholeheartedly support more city housing. But nobody asks us. They ask your city council, who are bought and paid for by developers and wealthy urbanites. And they say no.
Fuck no. Urban areas become magnets for companies, that in turn either starve suburbs or densify them. Fuck density. Fuck urban cores.
I love the suburbs but there should be more options for everyone.
I lived in a city a good half of my life and prefer it quiet and lonesome.
I was born and currently live in nyc. I hate it. Suburbs is better for. There usually is a community in the suburbs unlike in a big city, meaning people are actually able to have conversations, better transportation (nyc public transportation is horrible) and the noise is way too much in the city. Really can’t wait to move one day. Looking but with prices the way they are I’ll hang around a bit longer plus trying to figure out what area is nice.
Oh man, this really hit the nail on my life. Grown up in the suburbs, and now I'm super introverted and inactive. Walking down the sidewalk is terrifying.
Living in the suburbs doesn’t influence whether or not you become an extroverted or introverted person. It wholly depends on that individual’s choices and perspective toward interactions with people. Personally, I live in a suburb with active families that take morning walks and congregate every now and then, like family barbecues.
And you have reason to be terrified when walking down the sidewalk, because America can’t go one second without a kidnapping or murder of some sort. But, I can guarantee you that if you live in the suburbs, especially in an affluent neighborhood, then the chances of being attacked while on the sidewalk decreases to 0%.
Even better, suburbs NEVER have the issue of homelessness-it is a place filled with only homes anyways lol. So you can expect people to have enough wealth not to steal or break into your home. The only burglars of suburban homes are those that don’t come from the suburbs.
I’ve watched the entire video, and many of the points the guy makes are so incredibly biased and skewed toward data supporting only one side. If you’re going to make an argument, address BOTH sides of the argument. This makes you more credible.
I agree, suburbs are best! We have our videogames and SM if we need "socializing" 😐 like city extroverts@@SpikoDreams
As someone who just literally moved away from the surburbs to the city, FACTSsss! It is very isolating
That's the point though right? People move to suburbs to get away from the noise. It's all about going somewhere you wanna go in the end.. It's like going on an elevator and saying it's an elevating experience lol
Depends on what city you are talking about. Most American cities are atomizing and make you feel more isolated even though you are around more people compared to a suburb. Cities are also never quiet and usually have a worse smell to them. Not to mention living in a city is usually more expensive than living in a suburb.
Yeah, he says cities "were" dirty and smelly but many still are today.
@@NekoBoyOfficiallive in NYC. I can confirm it’s still dirty and smelly.
@@SomeGuys31415 Ah yes, NYC. The place that smells of piss and despair
Cities are dirty and noisy largely because of all the cars constantly idling and driving through them. A city with adequate public transit and walkability gets rid of the huge amount of cars and makes it way less polluting and noisy, and also safer
@@FestisolNo lol
Disregard the large homeless populations pssng n shttng on the streets. Food waste and littering attracting rodents.
I live in the city. Over priced. Crime. Traffic. Smog.
Going to country is a joy. But after awhile no matter what always miss the fast paced city life it seems
I grew up in NYC and now live in suburbs and I got to say the only thing I miss about cities is the walkability. Nothing else you mentioned in the video heck some of the things you mentioned I actually disagree. The stress of living in NYC really takes a toll on you. Maybe my experience is because while I live in one of the best designed city in the US, its not the best designed city in the World. Most people I know that lives in NYC, its their dream to make enough money to buy a house in Long Island and move out.
Same thing here, lived in a small Philadelphia like city, while the bicycling was nice, even going out for a tiny bit at night was awful and dangerous, like living in a 3rd world country, fentanyl zombies and shizos, people yelling at the air on almost a daily basis.
Now I live in a development in one of the middle class metro areas, and it's waaaaaay safer, I can still bicycle because development connects to development connects to a park, etc... Nearly everyone is employed and works, you don't see the people sitting on their porches or hanging out in groups with nothing to do.
Yes, it's boring looking, but boring is better than the crime filled city. You can drive to the city in 15 minutes for events, there aren't the cockroaches and bugs that the city had, it's really nice.
@@astrahcat1212yes! 👍👍👍
I lived in NYC for 10 years then moved out to New Jersey.
Never again I will live in a large shithole such as NYC.
I only wish I moved further away, to the free states.
You would feel different if you lived in upper Manhattan, or downtown Brooklyn, or a good part of Harlem. It depends on what part of your city you live. Compton is technically a suburb, but who would want to move to Compton lol feel me.
@@yessir8805 If you were privileged to be born into a family that you can afford to live there then good of you. You can make it anywhere dude. I think this is video is talking about in general.
I remember when I moved from Bogota Colombia to Ft. Lauderdale Fl I was in such a shock, I came from a dense and populated city where everyone walks, bars and restaurants everywhere you’ll literally socialize every single day all day friends and family are very close. Now I live in a place where everyone drives and nobody seems to have time to socialize. Unfortunately I got used to being isolated now and is such a tragedy
Así mismo me siento yo, en Honduras tenía mucho más vida social pero aquí en Usa mi vida social está un desastre
Asi terminaran resto de su vida, como mayoria ciudadanos esclavo de este pais con todo tipo de enfermedades mentales y drogadiccion.😢 El precio tienen que pagar por vivir Corporacion UNITED STATE OF AMERICA. Yo vivi mucho tiempo Ft lauderdale pero fueron otros muy benos tiempos. 😮
I got robbed and stabbed in Bogota… and it was in a populated tourist place. The country and culture is beautiful but unfortunately I wouldn’t go back. I now have PTSD from being there.
@@briann3211 ayy si yo tambien. estoy dominicana, y aqui a NYC es un poco solitaria a veces. Pero a República Dominicana mucha personas bailar, jugar, habala, salir, y otra cosas. NYC es lo mismo a este sentido, pero las personas están alejadas unas de otras socialmente. Mucha violencia en la calle puede hacer que alguien no confíe en otras personas.
Me gusta NYC, pero República Dominicana es un vida que no sientes solita todo los tiempos jaja.
@@Athie_xx ooh la verdad que si yo he notado que los dominicanos generalmente son bien alegres en general. Nunca he ido pero debe ser chevere ir allá, yo honestamente estoy pensando en regresarme a Honduras en un futuro no se cuando pero talvez de aquí a 5 o 15 años regrese allá dependiendo de como vayan las cosas saludos
I think it's also each to their own. My friend/ex neighbour moved from my town (not a city, but bustling town nestled in nature) to a suburban gated community environment and she has never been happier. With all kinds of organized events, facilities, and top notch security, she looks like she's living her best life. Meanwhile I know I wont fit in there because I just can't get over the Squidville feeling. It's really each to their own.
Squidville was a very interesting episode of SpongeBob that I never really thought about too much
@@racool911 hate to admits squidville is my roman empire..
That's a life for lame old people.
@@EldestBoy each to their own, but then again though I wouldn't consider going suburb now. It does seem like a good retirement idea 😂
It’s crazy to me how community and rural living is separated here in America.
In Europe rural areas have a bunch of community activities/centers, weekend fairs, holiday festivals etc.
even in the city we don’t have that much issues with community building like Americans seem to do.
One thing that I do advocate for is for people of the community to participate by attending their city hall meetings. There are a lot of meetings. Choose a few to attend. See how it works, see who goes, see who is left out of the planning decisions, who is part of the decision making, what is being planned, who is doing the actual planning? Remember, the community has a voice, just have to be part of the process.
When people start attending, they start closing them. Get a big group and check it out sometime. They will let you a couple of times, then change the venue last minute etc. At least in California that’s what they do for important meetings.
Fascinating. Im pretty surprised when I see many empty parks on a beautiful summer day. I wonder where all the kids are at. I always feel amusement parks like wonderland are overrated. They are extremely packed and busy, Located in the suburbs, all the parents take their kids there, but there are so many other fun things to do locally. Loved the video essay!
Parents don't get the Summer off of work like children do with school. The weekends are for getting the house chores done, shopping, and getting a chance to rest.
@@laurie7689reality now in North America, but it can change, after all there's more than one continent on Earth with people that hsve parental leave among many quality of life improvements many countries have.
@@micosstarAmerica is a business, not a country.
Haha! America sucks once again!
Also, knowing Americans I doubt they can change. Look at their politics! They get nothing done…
@@laurie7689 I swear to god I hope I never get caught up in that lifestyle, absolute misery, imagine missing out on your whole life because u have to work
@@iiCounted-op5jx Playtime is for children in the USA. Once you become an adult, you are expected to work for the rest of your life for the most part. Retirees tend to live only a few years after they leave work, then they drop dead. I personally knew (worked with) one guy who died in his 40's because he was stressed from work. Also, my college professor once invited a young friend of his (also in his 40's) to give a lecture. That guy also died just 2 months later from work-related stress. Businesses in the USA aren't required to give anyone vacation. Vacation is considered a perk.
I HATE suburbs. I grew up in a big city until my family moved to the buttcrack of nowhere. When i tell you i was MISERABLE. I absolutely couldnt stand it. Nothing to do, having to drive a million hours to get somewhere fun, etc. I fought deep depression and alienation. I'm thankful that the internet was at least a thing bc I could connect with so many people far from my area. That's the thing that saved me from ending myself.
It affected me so much that I REFUSE to stay in any sort of small town/suburb. Even after I have my children. I live in Europe now and to say my mental health significantly improved is an understatement.
People arent meant to live in suburbs with some strip mall an unwalkable distance away. We crave community. Our ancestors walked all over the place - foraging for food, migrating to more hospitable environments, discovering nature, interacting with the world at large - That's our natural state of being and what allowed us to become some of the most advanced animals on the planet.
Truly one of the most evil inventions of the past century is the suburb. I'm waiting on a class action lawsuit.
That may not be a suburb. I live in a suburb and can walk to school the train resturaunts my friends house cousins house hell I can even walk to a few colleges. I think a lot of people get sub-URBS confused with rural towns
@@bfly6984thats a city dude, i live in a normal suburb, the nearest highschool is an hour walk, nearest college is a 2.5 hour walk along a highway
@@bfly6984I think I would know more about where I lived for over a decade than you would, sir.
Please don't belittle people's experiences because they may not match your own.
And you do not live in a suburb. Suburbs do not have trains - they're car centric communities on the outskirts.
@@Sheltur_0311yup, a lot like mine. The worst part is that by driving it's so quick to get to places but for some reason walking takes HOURS. I never understood that.
Where I live in Europe, you can often find that the public transit option is FASTER than driving.
Lmao sue who?!? Yourself and your family for moving to a suburb?
I grew up in a suburb, rode my bike everywhere including stores, parks and friends’ houses. We played ball in the street and never felt isolated, lonely or depressed. Folks in the suburbs socialize, connect and bond with their neighbors. Go figure.
Downtown was frequently a fun Saturday trip; we took a city bus the 15 miles downtown supplied with lunch money from dad plus $5 each to spend. We enjoyed the bustle and noisy traffic but I would never have wanted to live or grow up there. Too crowded, too much noise and it was always good to get home.
As a young adult I moved to Seattle, which at the time was the most beautiful big city I’d ever seen. It was walkable, safe and clean; drug use, gridlocked rush hour and homelessness hadn’t arrived yet. It was almost idyllic for 11 years. One night I couldn’t sleep so I took a short walk to get some air. I stepped outside and had an epiphany of sorts. My home was at the top of a hill overlooking the city and for the first time(I know, 11 years), I realized that the ‘roar’ of city noise never stops, it’s inescapable. The light pollution eliminated enjoying the night sky as much as I had in my childhood. Things that had never bothered me before started to grate on my nerves. I moved away 18 months later.
City living is not for everyone, nor is living in the burbs or rural life. It’s important that people have that choice; same goes for owning a car. Living in the confines of a so-called 15 minute city sounds like h€\\ to me. Where people live is not a ‘one size fits all’ issue.
As someone in 20s and having grown up in outer suburbs of Seattle i also enjoyed growing up around here. Im naturally pretty shy and quiet especially since my fam moved around a lot before we settled in WA but i loved playing with friends and just biking around the community or hanging out at each others houses. I'd also say that i love people in general so i dont think growing up in a suburb had some of the negative effects mentioned in the vid. But i guess this could depend on the community you live in, and i think something like community events and stuff could help neighbors build a strong bond with each other
Feel this. I'm stuck here with a very debilitating disability and absolutely no way to provide for myself or move out. Suburbs suck out a person's soul.
hang in there bud! hope you find some peace
If you’re able to save enough money, you should leave the US and move to Europe. You’ll have a much better lifestyle there!
Remember what morons say: Forcing everyone to drive (1 option) is freedom
Giving people multiple options to travel is evil
I love driving, and I love walking. I am in no way forced into one or the other.
@@TurtleSauceGamingyou are forced into driving in these suburban hellscapes.
@@TransitAndTeslas Seems like paradise to me. Maybe you should just stay out of our suburbs?
@@dansands8140 How is an EMPTY 9000 space surface parking lot paradise? And more people would stay out of the suburbs if cities themselves didn’t become so fucking unaffordable which is a different issue.
@CityLifeinArizona life is what you make of it bro.
Small towns and suburbs are two different things. Personally I hate the suburbs. There are no sidewalks, everyone drives everywhere, and people don't come out of their house. A small town on the other hand is very different. They usually have narrow little streets where people will casually stroll to a quaint little downtown area. Coastal towns are usually like this and get a lot of tourists in the summertime.
Towns truly are the best of both worlds.
Not only do they lead to artificial societal isolation but they also lead to inflated house prices due to the land shortages suburban sprawl development causes. They also destroy once valuable habitat for animals. Sure they leave wetlands undeveloped but those get clogged with runoff and litter.
I live in a suburban neighborhood and it has been one of the loneliest experiences of my life. We've lived here almost 5 years, and we still don't have any close friends in this neighborhood.
I got my license last year and a car this year and the way my mental health radically improved once I was able to go places without relying on Uber is nuts. But Im a decent distance from the closest city have to drive at least half an hour to get anywhere fun. It just made me hate suburbanization even more
I see the opposite of this issue. It's impossible to build a community where people are packed in so tightly that you rarely see the same face twice. Nothing is more lonely and isolating than feeling alone in a crowd.
Agreed. I was looking for this comment. It depends on the kind of person you are. in the United States cities are riddled with crime, noise,trash pollution, and rude people who think the world revolves around them.
I literally don't know any of my neighbors well and I've lived in the same suburb for 15 years. I'd think riding in the elevator in an apartment complex would force more conversations.
@@mattwolf7698that's just weird wait to ride a elevator to talk to someone what are you Harold in Harold and Kumar lol
@@mattwolf7698that's just weird wait to ride a elevator to talk to someone what are you Harold in Harold and Kumar lol
So there is the place for the middle ground: 2-5 stories residential buildings where there are enough people to form a sense of community and simultaneously not so many that you can’t memorise even a half of the people you share the building's front door with
As someone who grew up living in suburbs for the majority of my life, this video speaks to me greatly. It truly is isolating, no matter what people say. The solution isn't "duh just get a car then" or "you just need more friends" it's the fact that I need to drive to get ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE. Where I live now (lower-class suburb with no sidewalks) I can't just walk places without first driving to a park where I can freely walk, then drive back when I'm done....and traffic is a daily problem that I need to put up with (Florida moment). It's miserable and lonely.
NYC and DC are two of the best walkable cities to live in.
No need for a car and yes, there is inexpensive housing in these cities.
Don't let anyone tell you that it's "too expensive" to live in these cities.
There are tons of rent-controlled apartments and inexpensive townhomes in NYC and DC.
@@Coryraisa Not sure, those cities are plagued with all kinds of social issues, and lots of stress.
@@Moderador-bo9px
So are the suburbs...only they are kept better hidden.
Most of my friends and I have lived happily in the city for decades with no trouble.
Several of my friends have raised families well in the city.
A couple of my friends have expressed relief that their kids can walk safely to school, to the park and to shopping areas.
My neighborhood, which I've lived quietly in for over seventeen years, is well-lit and people feel safe walking their dogs or even themselves at night.
No need for the expense of a car, no need of the stress of finding parking.
And no situation of people being stranded without a car.
Very easy to hop on a bus or train or tram where I live.
The whole topic was about walkable vs non-walkable cities, so yes I can see how living in NYC and DC would be favorable over suburbs. Social issues are an entirely different thing that every city has by varying degrees, but at least you get to grow up seeing faces and interacting with people more, vs suburbs--becoming shut-in introverts the more you live there.@@Moderador-bo9px
Would you rather live in a crime stricken community?!! Lol
The city is 1000x worse. My city has junkies everywhere. It literally feels like a walking dead episode. Everyone is trying to save enough money to move anywhere else.
Texas suburbs are miserable hellholes. People here are real lonely. There's no sense of community here & nowhere for teens or young adults to hang out.
Everyone has to do a fuck ton of driving for the simplest errands & the roads are always clogged up.
@@SlashinatorZTexas suburbs (if not a large part of texas) is just a big parking lot imo
@@prancer1803 well said. Idk how to even get in the dating pool around here. The population is mostly boomers
@@SlashinatorZ take a cow pasture. Pave over it. Now add big box stores and lots of parking. Now add big signs visible from a car everywhere. Now make sure that driving is the by far most common way of getting around… typically using stroads. Now add bars that you drive to… and lots of Starbucks in shopping centers. Now add conservative politics (for better or worse!)
Congratulations you’ve recreated Texas lol
@@prancer1803 and I've been asking different dating coaches & talking heads about dating in a place like this but they all give ivory tower advice. Like dude, this is Texas we don't have gender studies clubs or anime fan bars.
I lived in the city but I have a dog and it was very hard having so few green space for him and little space to run around. Now I live in a suburb and I’m so much happier. I think if I was not a dog owner it would be a different story. But as a parent or dog owner I think the suburbs are perfect
I love living in a house with a yard. Plus away from downtown or other busy places. Would never want a condo/apartment touching or close to other people. Driving is only thing I like doing, would never use public transport or walk lol. We like just driving around for fun. One weekends drive for few hours different places sights to see.
I live near the hood in Alabama. Screw walking or biking. Summer is like 9 months here. I'm tired of the loud exhausts, the sirens going to the shelter nearby, and just craziness of residents. Give me a suburb! They sound like deep metropolitan problems tbh. Somewhere like Huntsville, Alabama is a small to mid sized city.
Our suburbs here in my local town has its own shopping mall, shops, theater, and plenty of extra curricular activities for kids to do. And the park sits in between. So we have wide sidewalks that’s convenient for residents to walk to and from the shops. I wish more suburbs would do this.
This sums up pretty well why I'm thinking of moving out of Canada. Sure the quality of life is ever so slightly higher than in East Asia but I'm way less active and happy living in a suburb.
Moving out of canada? Have you considered some of the cities in Canada or you just ready to be free of the north american grind? Asking because I think both the US and Canada have some hidden gems but they're just hard to find
@@adamknott7830 Which cities in Canada would you recommend?
@@allen-sun Im american so I have little authority on Canada but I have heard good things about Montreal. I also think despite their failings Vancouver and Toronto have good areas in them despite their more noticeable flaws
@@adamknott7830 Ottawa is another "good" option
also places lime Winnipeg have urban parts and your money will allow you to MOVE INTO THEM compared to places like Toronto / Vancouver
as far as US cities go can't help you
@@jasonriddell I only visited Seattle for a week, but it was definitely a lot more walkable than the suburb I live in. My younger cousins live there and they can go pretty much anywhere on a bus or train (especially since public transport is free for people under 18 and students).
I gotta say, I have my friends and we do things together, but honestly I really like being isolated because I just really don’t like people that much. I like living out in the middle of nowhere. It makes me really intentional about where and when and if I decide I want to even be social on any given day.
I especially really have to say I find random strangers in public incredibly annoying and I can’t stand having forced conversations with random people on public transit and in physical stores.
It’s just too much, and I’d like to just be left alone. Also, there’s nothing more empowering to me than getting in my own, clean, personal vehicle that I own going where I want, when I want to, without having to crowd in with a bunch of strangers and deal with all the delays and bs it goes along with public transit.
Ok
I agree, as someone who has lived in sprawling cities with decent public transport and bike paths all my life. I'm very friendly, but I prefer to be alone any chance I get. If you want to live in a city as portrayed in the video, great, go for it. I however am planning to build a home on some remote land somewhere someday.
@@youraveragehistorian578enjoy being a rat
The question is why do you hate people though? There is something else that caused that, if we all had this attitude it would be hard to advance the human race. Not natural imo
You’re so special
Growing up in NYC, I always saw the suburbs as a place of no culture. It boggled my mind why anyone would want to live in such a place.
Your videos are really well made and interesting to watch through, you really deserve far more views
Misuse of a comma.
@@AwesomeHairoshut up
The only issue that I always mention about living in the USA is isolation. I feel like I started having constant depression ever since I moved here. Sometimes it fades away, but then it comes back, when I skip one, two, five events and become antisocial again
Give me walkable suburbs and I’ll be a happy boy. There’s a mall pretty close to where I live, the problem is, it’s on the other side of a river, and you can only get there taking the highway (which has signs plastered all over it saying no pedestrians) it’s like they go out of their way to make it not walkable
My family and I are moving out of the Suburbs this weekend because of how terrible its been making us feel. Theres no contact with neighboors, no places to hang out unless you just want to eat, ad the school aren’t even very good. Suburbs do honestly suck.
I really appreciate that these videos and this channel exists. I felt like I was going crazy when trying to connect with friends and family about this topic, because they never understand why I have this craving to just be in the city, and choose to use public transportation/walk everywhere. I don’t want to move to the city because I have “big dreams” or something, I just feel happier, more productive and active in that culture
Suburbia is fantastic. It allows you to choose to have privacy and solitude while at the same time you can drive to the city when you want to socialize or work. It's always so peaceful and quiet in the suburbs, but if you're feeling like some hustle and bustle, you can head into the city. It's nice to have the choice.
Nah
I lived in the suburbs before moving to the city. While visiting my family in the suburbs, I’ve realized how depressing and isolating it really is. It’s such a coincidence that this video popped up when I was really thinking about how much I couldn’t live in the suburbs.
My wife moved to america from Korea. We lived in the suburbs and even a more “happening” area in an apartment. She was miserable. I also was miserable and never really realized it. I was always feeling bored and isolated but just kinda got conditioned to it since I’m American.
We moved to Korea this year and it’s night and day different. Walking everywhere, don’t own a car, use subway when needed, parks everywhere, everything I need is walkable. It’s amazing and I have daily encounters with people that work at the stores below where we live. Always saying hi and talking etc.
I would love for america to totally change its infrastructure. But probably not in my lifetime sadly
@@maolebron1615 I feel you. Def a different vibe in a a city vs suburb in america. I have lived in DC. But there’s just something different about Korea. Feels safer, cleaner, better public transport, way more cafes, etc. I realize that’s preference tho cuz some people enjoy DC, New York etc. but from my personal comparison it’s still not even close
@@maolebron1615 marry yourself a foreign girl lolol. That’s what did it for me 😂 expensive af tho 😩 but yeah Korea is awesome if you ever get a chance to visit :)
Korea is also a lot tougher on crime and the kids have tougher Schools yea i may be out of date Us Air force Osan Ab 1987 to 1988
@@maolebron1615US cities are trash. The only semi-decent one is NYC and it’s going downhill fast.
I grew up as a military brat and had lived in just about every situation possible. I lived in Düsseldorf Germany which makes American big cities look like crap, it was quite awesome. Then I lived in a suburb (Granada Hills California) on a busy street (Devonshire) and it was sheer misery and the worst place I ever lived. After that I was in Ilvesheim Germany which is a small town between Mannheim and Heidelberg and it was great. When my dad retired we moved back to the small town in the cornfields where we had lived 6 years earlier which was much better than the city or any suburb, we could ride our bikes anywhere we wanted to go, everything was walkable it was quiet and clean and there was no crime, we played in the woods and when I was a teenager I got a job on a farm and drove a tractor on the road and took care of different animals. I used to feel sorry for city kids because they could not do the cool stuff I did growing up. I still live here now and I can walk to just about anything I need, I have a 2 mile commute to my job and live in a historic old neighborhood and have neighbors that I grew up with, the only downside is that the town is a major tourist attraction and we are overrun with people every weekend
I live in suburban Minnesota, could be considered rural to some, 50 minutes from the Twin Cities.
When Ive been in the cities, I found my anonymity so relaxing. I knew no one was looking at JUST me, and as someone with social anxiety- I actually felt more calm. I blended in, or at least felt that way.
But I still cannot imagine the stress an urban environment could cause day to day. I live in a quiet apartment a mile and a half from any main road and hear none of that traffic. Im still in the “burbs” but the old style - at least where every house wasnt the exact same look and color.
I used to live on the outskirts of a suburb like that and it was eerily comforting; especially walking during a snowfall. Liminal space, thats for sure.
I’m definitely moving out of the US. Whether it’s some place in Italy, Scandinavia, or Japan, I AM leaving. This country is horrible and I honestly wouldn’t wish this place on anyone.
I WANT to walk. I WANT to have fun in a city. As a kid, I WANTED to play outside, but I couldn’t. I have to wait five minutes to go to the store because there is a literal river of cars coming straight for me.
Yea no. Love the suburbs even more as a 38 yr old. I take walks all the time here (with no car involved ) and am surrounded by nature and it’s peaceful. I have anxiety and being in the city yesterday, surrounded by chaos, definitely put me in fight or flight. That wouldn’t be healthy long term. I enjoy driving to places I need to go and putting my music on. I teach fitness classes so I have a community on a regular basis. It all depends on the person. In my 20s the city life was a dream but now I could not see myself thriving with constant stimulation. And I don’t know about your take on noise pollution; have you ever been to Chicago? No thank you. 😌
💯
Thank you for this comment. I’ve lived both in America AND Europe, and I can tell you I prefer the American lifestyle. You have OPTIONS, to live AWAY from all the loud downtown city noise, to, living in a quiet suburb with loads of walking area. Idk what this guy in the video was talking about, but in all suburbs the neighborhood is very quiet and there’s loads of safe walking areas nearby.
As opposed to Europe, everything’s SO close you don’t feel safe going for a walk because there’s cars and stores at every corner.
Not trying to be a hater or anything but this video just sounds like he misses Japan and was raised there then moved to America later on in life.
@@moldyslug I think the issue is car dependency , especially for the younger demographics
@@moldyslug What are you talking about in Europe we have suburbs that are far away from city downtown and also you have to understand European nations are very different
Shut up lol
I'm an adult without a car license and it sucks. There is nothing for me to do but walk to the gas station, or walk to the park where its a very very small plot of land, not enough nature there for me to actually explore, and all of the stuff there is for kids or people who are coming with many friends. I get drunk or really high because thats the only way I'll be entertained going outside, no places to hang out at or explore. Its depressing. I don't leave the house much because theres nowhere TO go, Its all just empty pavement roads and houses, they removed all the nature in my area to build more houses and suburbs.
I strongly disagree. I really enjoy owning a house where I can grow my own vegetables and chill with my dog in my backyard. I don't want to be crammed into a small space living close to a street where lots of cars pass all day listing to traffic. Even having lived in cities in apartments VS now living in a home in the suburbs I'm much more connected with the people I live around now. Also its a waste of money and a poor way to build wealth. I only pay 850 a month for my mortgage and alredy have considerable equity in my house because it was a fixer upper.
in the suburbs everything seems fine until you get sick or have a fall, you can't rely on neighbors for any help.
Idonno, I say hi to my neighbors and we have chit chat over coffee in our yards sometimes. I prefer having some space so I don't have to hear people and they can't hear/see me. Although my neighborhood suburb is heavily wooded, has small houses, was a campground that got converted into a neighborhood in the 70s, and has gravel roads so it's not the typical suburb.
That does sound dreamy. I love dense, urban cities but I could see myself falling in love with the area you described. It’s good that you recognize what you have isn’t what most mean by “suburban.” In fact, when urbanists talk about the suburbs growing into the impersonal places they are now and advocate for a return to what suburbs were originally idealized as, it’s the setting you live in that most have in mind for how suburbs should be designed.
So true. For 16 years I worked at a small office in a small village only a short 15 minute drive from where I lived. After that I worked for three years at a WAREHOUSE three times further and had to commute on larger roads and highways. Those three years of longer commuting and working in what felt like a sterile tomb, my anger, aggression, depression, and even road rage rose. It wasn't good. Thankfully I'm working local again taking small roads to a grounds keeping job where I'm outside more in the fresh air and daylight.
I am both a mental health provider & live in a single family home in a neighborhood where NOBODY walks , knows anyone, and there isn't nowhere to walk to or interact. Ironically, I only live 7 miles from downtown of a major USA city, but no valid public transportation, and I still fell isolated and sucleded. Being a home owner is very beneficial. However, I would move to a city loft or townhouse if % rates weren't so high..... I absolutely am looking for a way out of neighborhood hell.
There'll be a crash soon don't worry, but for now buy the assets that are low not the ones that are high. You never buy at the top of anything.
Try living in on the country side I dare you
it’s even more boring when you live in the countryside, but it has it’s advantages cause i hate people and there’s less noise, traffic, pollution, and crime so
Great video! This basically sums up my exact thoughts! I'm also an introvert but I recognize the importance in social connections. I hate the car-dependent, isolating nature of suburbia and everything that it represents for all the reasons mentioned in the video. I'm definitely planning on moving to a good urban area once I'm done college!
It’s also the appearance. Even compared to the cluttered unattractive image of urban environments, suburbs, especially subdivisions are the most depressing and uninspired neighborhoods of all. It feels monotonous and dystopian (I don’t want to say utopian) in a way. Racking up debt to create the illusion of success while living in a cookie cutter house that was rush-built with cheap materials off a recycled plan. Only to have your neighbors touching doors and likely an HOA governing everything you do.
I can’t imagine any creative types managing well there. I’ll take a house off the main road in the country any day.
the vast majority of country houses have the same architecture as suburbs from 1870-1990 when you think of suburbs you think of modern 90s era mcmansion suburbs, ive seen older 1890s-1980s suburbs with nice architecture new and old
I would never tolerate an HOA. I don't know why people don't get rid of that
You sound like a whiny hater.
What I find interesting is the homelessness in the cities. Especially LA. It was good and all to be walking along to your favorite place until you had a sort of "a few screws loose" person harassing the patrons in a restaurant (this is just an isolated event I experienced but nothing was really done about that). Don't get me wrong. I am for better urban design and better ways for people to get around as for one point, I'd rather people who would rather not drive or don't like driving to have an alternative that is actually decent to get around. as for the homeless issue, that is a problem that needs to be solved for full on urbanism to completely work since that can be the deciding factor for a majority of people.
Those problems are all interconnected. Walkable neighbourhoods are now still a privilege for a few people in a city where all the space is taken by single-family developments, which promotes homelessness.
@pedrob3953 funny enough the most walkable parts of cities are either high end developements or very poor ghettos. As stated, it's suburbia that tends to be car centric.
IMHO living in Vancouver and there "urban miracle" is IMHO a bit of a "scam" and is causing what is happening in LA AND Vancouver plus Toronto ETC basically super high density OR LOW density with NO "middle" and still a LOT of "protection" for single family homes and little interest in actually building DENSITY EVERYWHERE even NOT near transit
is causing housing to un attainable by "normal" families unless you "drive till you qualify" and for VCR or LA that is a LONG drive
They need to bring back flop houses. And fight the nimbyism.
I mean we're going to have to practice better urbanism regardless. It's not like cities can expand forever and we are in the middle of a housing crisis and home ownership is quickly becoming a fantasy for a large portion of the population and it's not like rent is getting any cheaper. We need to build more homes and the best way to do that is to build density or we run the risk of making the homeless crisis a lot worse.
I actually enjoyed living in a suburb. It was quiet and had a park across the street. I don't mind living in one again once I buy a house.
Thanks for making this video. I agree with everything. I live in a smaller city, but we are getting more people. Driving is much more miserable now than it used to be. This is a very isolating, alienating way to live.
Thing about small towns is, everyone who doesn't fit the mold of what is considered "normal" in a small town leaves after high school unless they don't have the means to. They go to the cities. I would have been perma-single without doing that. I never dated one girl who was from the country like me.
There are places sort of in-between urban density and typical 60s and later suburban sprawl. Inner suburbs can have it. Our inner suburb was platted in the 20s, but nothing got built there until the 50s. So it has a street grid and sort of small lots. There are a lot of stores (some big box, but many not). It's dense enough to be walkable, but you have to cross stroads a lot, and there is a surprisingly good bus system. There's also some good bike infrastructure. I see a lot of older kids/teens riding bikes together without parental supervision (in 2024).
In urban cities I have found that people are more likely to ignore you and appear too busy to hold a conversation.
In more spacious environments, especially rural ones, people are more open to talking and having meaningful conversations. This is probably because encountering humans here is far less frequent, where as in cities its saturated.
Yeah I feel like that too. I lived in a small town and it was easier making friends in the small town than in the City
1000% you are right. I live downtown tampa and everyone is in their own world
Maybe people are just busy since they live in a city
@@Julian-ns3it Take a person on a farm, they are busy, yet they can stop what they are doing for a 5 min chat as they don't see thousands of strangers passing them by every 5 mins.
@@eddard9442 yeah that’s true
I highly recommend listening to James Howard Kunstler - he has a TED talk on UA-cam and some presentations about how awful most American architecture and suburbs are for our psyche and health. I’ve never owned a car and it’s not always easy but thankfully I’m in a neighborhood where I can walk and I use Uber when I need to. You absolutely said it - we have places that aren’t worth caring about or living in that make us depressed!
I literally witnessed a similar effect in a third world country, my home.
Basically, I grew up in a tiny village. Every kid pretty much went to the same schools, and gave each other time to play and bond in the streets. Originally, I thought to myself, "why aren't they studying or something?" I grew up introverted, and lacked touch with reality... Until I went to the capital to visit my cousin. It more or less mimicked the suburbia effect. That shit was lonely as flip - I had access to every channel known to man, a plethora of food, infinite internet, but the streets were TOO QUIET. wtf? It suddenly hit me: people are so close to one another, and yet we have sacrificed the chance to appreciate the sense of community.
It sucks
I live in a suburb in Houston and I thank you for shedding a light on this issue!
Great video! Thanks for posting. Moving into the city has made me happier and healthier.
idk man i lived in the center of tokyo for 10 years...i moved to the suburbs this march because i wanted a larger living space, a smaller community, and much MUCH quieter environment closer to nature. I dont regret it so far. I might move further out to the burbs when it comes time for me to buy a house.
I haven't spent much time in suburban Tokyo, but I think you'd probably agree that Tokyo suburbs are a whole different thing than American/Canadian. I lived in good ol' suburban kurumashakai Okinawa and the idea of walking to Lawson was not thought of as strange.
If you actively want to live in a suburban area then it would be expected that you’d be happy there.
Similar to what he said about Amsterdam’s citizens; with a multitude of transportation options, it takes those that prefer/need to walk, bike, or ride public transit off the roads and the ones left on the roads are those that want/need to drive. They still encounter issues like traffic, waiting at lights, stopping for pedestrians, etc. but the fact that they are doing it by choice increases the chances that they are unbothered with experiencing those things.
Having viable options makes everyone happier as we get to choose what we prefer but the way that suburbs - specifically North American suburbs - have been designed post-WWII either forces those options to be unpleasant experiences or nonexistent altogether.
A Tokyo suburb is *very* different from a suburb of a typical American city. In terms of density, transportation options, and access to amenities, a typical suburb in the Tokyo metro area is closer to downtown/urban core of a smaller US city than to its suburbs.
Downtown is still a place for poop, mentally ill people, and smells like shit infested with weirdos.
I grew up in a city and was very poor, commute to city for work everyday now. when I was in my 20s and lived in city in affluent neighborhood and it was fun no regrets. Once started a family in my 30s I love living in the burbs ATVing in my neighborhood and woods, ziplining 200ft from my kids tree house, fishing by local lake, peace and quiet at night while seeing more stars. And for driving traffic sucks in my daily driver, but I get to drive my sports car on the weekend and park them in my garage. When I go visit NYC now with my kids I’m just grossed out by the smell, sidewalks, stickiness, rude, impolite and selfish people which feels like everyone there and 9:19 thinking to myself “ these people need to get out more, outside this massive city compound and human experiment”
So city is cool, but it’s subjective and different phase in life so there’s no right answer. When ur older and start a family who knows you’re opinion may change. As for me, I’ll visit all day but I’m this stage of my life, I love living in the burbs and can’t imagine living in the city raising a family but maybe that’ll change in the next chapter. If you ever come out to the burbs I’ll take you out to a nice dinner and show u a good time.
I grew up in a large city and I live in a more suburban area almost rural now and I feel a lot safer out here than I ever did in Philly, Atlanta, or NYC. Kids play outside here which it’s definitely too dangerous to do now in larger cities so I guess it just depends on your needs. I wanted to be able to go to the store without fear of getting assaulted or robbed or hearing gun shots on a regular basis. I couldn’t even go to the movies without someone shooting in the theater so I think it just comes down to what you personally need to be happy. 🤷🏾♀️
Great video! Need to move to somewhere walkable
Here's my take on suburbs. Just fix the zoning laws by allowing mixed-use zoning and change the minimum square foot requirements per lot. Rezone land that isn't being used properly and plan better urbanism. Change the length requirement for road width, and then if some how it gets to this stage (Would be extremely lucky for this to occur) Build better suburbs or the same and people can choose where they would like to live, ea. Urban Lifestyle or Suburban lifestyle. If these changes would happen the price of living in an urbanized area would decrease and land values increase, urbanism will be more accessible, and everyone will be happy.
Probably the most sensible opinion ive read in vids like this. A lot of takes ive read seem to be one size fits all type takes.
I'm really glad that in my suburb of LA (East Los) I could walk to target and food vendors 🙌🏻
...over a huge parking lot! I lived close to a Target but the food places where across the street. No fun walking over the parking lot and over 5 lanes of traffic and than over some bushes to the food places as they did not have anticipated that someone would walk from the street to these places;-)
@@gloofisearch I don't have to cross 5 lanes of traffic
Yeah, I live in El Serano once and it was pretty cool.
Yes! Add dense housing for the weirdos who are into that, leave extra land for me and my unnecessarily big pool
gross
This is a great video! I see why I love NYC so much! The energy from the people alone is worth it!
I try to walk 3 miles along the coast to see my friend who lives in an adjacent seaside town whenever I can for exercise and to enjoy the surroundings. But I always look and feel out of place when I’m doing it, almost like I’m committing a crime as you described, because the path is so tiny and narrow beside a busy road and apart from the occasional cyclist, everyone else takes the car/bus.
My dad says that when he was growing up in the 70s and 80s it was normal for kids to cycle 30 mins to school and back everyday and then play outside in the street in the evening with friends. It’s insane how much the world has changed.
I’ve lived in rural America, cities and suburbs. Suburbs are by far the best.
I find myself super jealous sometimes of pre war neighborhoods where they have a pharmacy, grocery store, and a few places to work within a few blocks of where people's houses are. And on top of that they have many "third places" to really connect with people in the community. The best example is some parts of Saint Paul (that I can remember). I lived up there for one year while I went to college and I definitely don't miss the school, but I feel sad when I realize I can't hop on a train and get somewhere within ten minutes. Or take a 15 minute walk and get the supplies that I need which otherwise would have been found at a big retailer.
I feel like I would eventually choose to live closer or maybe inside a city in the future. I'm in the process right now of trying to figure out what my next job is going to look like and I'm quickly finding out that I can't just work somewhere near my house. Which is probably why I didn't do that to begin with lol
Over the last year I suffered from loneliness so much. And after the pandemic was "done" I really couldn't understand what to do with myself. I finished school, had my savings from all the past jobs I did. And yet I only had my family for support. There is just no culture at all when you live in the suburbs. There's not many proper places to meet people in the community, and even in my small neighborhood, no one takes a walk unless they're with their dog. Like people don't want to talk to you. It's so sad and demoralizing.
I don't think I would want to live in New York City, but I watch videos, and hear stories. And it genuinely seems so fun, just the idea of there being an easily acessible corner store to get groceries from. Or being able to take a walk to go to a food place, and it isn't a 30 minute drive to eat at somewhere--seems nice. Maybe I should just start traveling or something 😹
I really like the design of lots of cities, the problem is that cities are extremely expensive, have WAY more regulations than most suburbs, are extremely hostile to anyone with ANY conservative/religious beliefs whatsoever, have lots of crime, give you a lot less living space even with higher budgets, and just overall can feel oppressive in their own right when there's little to no nature in sight in most cases. For all the problems I have with suburbia, I could absolutely never see myself living in a city.
Depends on your neighborhood and neighbors, I grew up in a suburb but almost every house had a kid in it and we would play everyday and I made friends that I still have today
This is an interesting concept/effect I have never thought about before. Maybe that’s why I’m like this
i am a teen in the suburbs and a north american city and yea, i get what people say about teens having nothing to do. its deppressing really...
As a teen in the suburbs and a north american city who does not get that problem at all do you live in lufkin or something
@@electricay i am in a typical car centric suburb far from the city center. just like what's being spoken about in the video.
SHOCKED that you have so few subs. Love your style - not a new take, but a really good expression of it. I moved from the suburbs to a big, walkable, metropolitan and diverse city in the US and haven't looked back!
Although I disagree that 番茄炒鸡蛋 is not the key to happiness......
What is the city you mention?
Chicago!@@NicholsMediaPress I have lived in NYC as well but found it too expensive. Chicago is similar in a lot of ways - walkable, diverse, lots to do, don't have to have a car to get around in most of the city. But much cheaper!
oh nice thats great@@icelaenl
But if you don't live in the suburbs, how can you own a house?
I despise apartments with burning passion of a thousand supernovae. But you can't buy a house in a big city, so it's either suburbs, small cities, or rural countryside.
missing middle and terraced homes OR "block" where you have your own front and rear entrance and a small plot of land to the rear
@@jasonriddell : If I remember correctly, "Missing Middle" homes are just smaller apartment buildings, which don't really solve the "I hate apartments" problem.
Terraces/townhouses are better than apartments, but not nearly as good as detached houses. You still pay rent (in the form of an association fee), the shared walls mean less privacy, and there will be more rules about what you can and cannot do with your property.
All things considered I'd prefer a townhouse over any kind of apartment, but detached houses with no HOA are the gold standard.
This video has summed up many of the problems with car focused design. Really well made!
My 14 year old is set on leaving the country at 18 just to exist in a walkable city. She’s over our culture and our infrastructure to the point of waiting to escape and I kind of can’t blame her.
This is sadly true. I live in Arizona where it's 90 degrees on an average day and everything is so spaced out. I have to walk miles to go to places of even mild activity. I even walk on the road at points. My area in particular is so car dominant that the interstate is only a few miles away. Despite having a great homelife, I feel trapped and upset with little opportunity to explore the world around me. My only friends are across an active road and my neighborhood feels boring as no one goes and talks to other people. I'm glad people are talking about this because I seem to be the only one in my family that cares.
I want more transit options including biking infrastructure but I find it annoying how a lot of people keep comparing the US to European cities which usually doesn't get nearly as hot. I don't want to ride a bike for 10-15 minutes to work just to be covered in sweat when I get there.
@@mattwolf7698 every single bus or light rail or train in the us has AC (im fairly confident on that) biking 10-15mins is at least 5 miles so the idea of better US public transit is you take a light rail or some train to get much closer and your biking time is under 5mins. At worst you take a bus (mostly bike friendly too). I live in Sacramento where it can get 115f in September and I cant imagine actually biking downtown instead of taking light rail lol. having bike paths so its easier to get to the station will help a lot and so will better headways on the lightrail itself. I think comparing US to EU cities is still a vaild comparison because the heat isnt that bad if you have public transit that exists since everything in modern times has AC