Why don’t Americans embrace urban living?

[Anonymous]

I live in the suburbs. It has nothing to do w/jobs or commute. It is because the type of housing we want (SFH with a yard for dog) in the type of neighborhood we want (relatively free from crime) at the price point we need (under $1m) with good public schools isn't available in D.C.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Why the obsession with huge houses 3 miles away from everything. Why not access to parks, trails, restaurants, schools, grocery stores, socializing in coffee shops, biking etc?

The American obsession with SFH is unsustainable environmental, financially (impossible to maintain long exburban roads) and mentally

We do embrace it, and that's why its so expensive to live in urban cores.

Yep, exactly. And a lot of the people who move out of the cities WOULD live there if they could afford to do so.

A lot more people can afford to than actually do, they just refuse to live in a condo

I have a dog so I do not want to live in a condo.

[Anonymous]

At this point, we could afford very nice urban living, but we prefer to have neighbors with a wider diversity of political viewpoints.

[Anonymous]

Beats me. I grew up in the suburbs and figured that's where I'd live as an adult. Wound up moving to a major city in my late 20's and now almost 20 years later would hate living in the 'burbs. I thrive on city life.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm confused by the people who want yards. I think I'd rather live right next to or very close by some awesome parks. When I was growing up, we only played in our yard until we were 6 or 7, then it was just playdates with other kids.... which you'd have to drive to in the 'burbs. My city kids walk around the block to play with their friends. Sure you need money, but DC is amazing for having close-in neighborhoods with green space and parks and being pretty safe.

Suburbs have both great parks, great yards, friend to walk to.

Capture the flag, catching lightning bugs while parents visit on the deck.

Have you ever lived in a city? Do you think that doesn't happen here too?

So we get a yard AND friends running to park. How is that not better?

Who wants to mow a lawn? Treat grass?

No thank you.

Suburban dweller here. You really think we all mow our own lawns? In my neighborhood its generally just the retired military guys who mow their own lawns. Otherwise we contribute to the local economy by hiring lawn services.

God forbid kids do chores.

Dp. You raise your kiss your way and I will mine. I'm assuming your kids make meals laundry and other chores in your condo?

[Anonymous]

Because we’ve been conditioned not too.

America is a modern experimental country and we are having to deal with a myriad of poorly thought out decisions by, generally speaking, racist white men in early and mid 20th century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because we’ve been conditioned not too.

America is a modern experimental country and we are having to deal with a myriad of poorly thought out decisions by, generally speaking, racist white men in early and mid 20th century.

Which of those decisions are keeping more people from moving into DC?

[Anonymous]

I've lived in NYC and DC, and like visiting cities around the world.

But in general, DC makes it relatively easy to see the advantages of living in a suburb. During the time we lived in DC:

* The police cordoned off our neighborhood because of a civil disturbance
* A guy with a sawed-off shotgun was killing people in the area
* A local drug crew on our block was the subject of a pre-dawn raid by the MPD and ATF
* A bunch of post-college kids living next door threw loud parties and refused to quiet down when we trying to get our kid to sleep
* Another resident on our block was arrested for making threats against the President
* Others hung out on the street at all hours smoking weed
* A man exposed himself to my partner and child in the local public library
* Our car was broken into on multiple occasions
* We found syringes on the playground near the closest DCPS elementary school
* We had to listen to people living WOTP tell us how they'd never live EOTP
* We watched as all the kids on our block who'd played together as younger children drifted apart once they attended different private schools
* We regularly had to walk past and around passed-out and inebriated men on the streets
* We had rats in the alley behind our house
* We had neighbors who tried to treat us a free childcare until we stopped answering the door when they rang the bell

Here's the sum total of the problems we've had in the suburbs:

* Some of our neighbors aren't friendly
* Others are gossipy and try to keep close tabs on everyone else's kids
* Once we almost got stuck on a local road during a heavy snowstorm

[Anonymous]

Because it’s cramped, uncomfortable, fraught with crime and homelessness, failing schools, and noise/air pollution. I don’t want urban living.

My DH is an immigrant. When he came to the US, he embraced the suburbs. Said if he wanted to be living in a small apt, he’d never have left home. OP, you underestimate the number of immigrants who come to the US for space and safety of the suburbs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At this point, we could afford very nice urban living, but we prefer to have neighbors with a wider diversity of political viewpoints.

Yes, there are very good people on both sides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At this point, we could afford very nice urban living, but we prefer to have neighbors with a wider diversity of political viewpoints.

Yes, there are very good people on both sides.

np. the fact that you say this sarcastically proves her point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm confused by the people who want yards. I think I'd rather live right next to or very close by some awesome parks. When I was growing up, we only played in our yard until we were 6 or 7, then it was just playdates with other kids.... which you'd have to drive to in the 'burbs. My city kids walk around the block to play with their friends. Sure you need money, but DC is amazing for having close-in neighborhoods with green space and parks and being pretty safe.

Suburbs have both great parks, great yards, friend to walk to.

Capture the flag, catching lightning bugs while parents visit on the deck.

Have you ever lived in a city? Do you think that doesn't happen here too?

So we get a yard AND friends running to park. How is that not better?

Who wants to mow a lawn? Treat grass?

No thank you.

Suburban dweller here. You really think we all mow our own lawns? In my neighborhood its generally just the retired military guys who mow their own lawns. Otherwise we contribute to the local economy by hiring lawn services.

And the SAHMs. They’re the ones mowing their own lawns in my neighborhood along with the old retired couples.

[Anonymous]

For me, I get that people want different lifestyles, but the way America's suburbs are design is so incredibly horrible for the environment that it's hard for me to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, I get that people want different lifestyles, but the way America's suburbs are design is so incredibly horrible for the environment that it's hard for me to understand.

What can I say? You are a superior person.

[Anonymous]

Here’s the thing about living in an apartment/condo: you can never be sure how careful the people who live around you are about fire safety. Will they smoke in bed? Will they leave a pan on the stove and forget to turn the heat off?

You just never know. My biggest fear when I have lived in an apartment is that a fire will start in someone else’s apartment and I will die because of that.