Never too late to change. Just look at Amsterdam now vs a couple decades ago
I know Jersey City has made a big push to bikify the city, and limited parking in new high-density development, with the idea being if you build it, they will come. It’s part of an overall plan that they date out to 2060. Shit takes time. Doesn’t mean you don’t try though, that’s for sure. I’m hopeful.
I’d argue that Amsterdam isn’t a great example, as the infrastructure of that city was largely built before the advent of automobiles, then converted to support a more Americanized design that was vehicle-centric, before finally realizing, “Hey, we’re Dutch, not American, we need more space for our bicycles!”
If we’re discussing American infrastructure designed in the 20th century, it seems to be pretty difficult to convert because the physical structures of both the transportation infrastructure and the destinations people want to visit are not built densely enough to make going without a car a top tier option for most people.
I mean this broadly, not to say that there aren’t opportunities to start moving this in the other direction, but emphasizing that changing the focus to downplay the importance of vehicles will be neither quick, cheap, or easy.
I mean… I figure nearly half of us cities were designed before 1900, to some extent anyhow.
Like st Louis was incorporated in 1822. Plenty of cities were clearly designed before the automobile and then gave up the plot for Robert Moses bullshit.
You’re right, let’s not change with the times but just lay down and die, nothing is worth the effort.
What are we gonna do, nuke all the suburbs and cram everyone into little pods?
For example the minimum parking rules could be changed to allow buildings to not have parking
Commercial buildings then could occupy their entire block, if they don’t need all that space, more stuff fits in the city
Zoning could change, allowing more commercial stuff in the suburbs, more homes in the city
bro, capitalism is going to cram you into a pod no matter what we do with urban planning, because rich people control more and more of all the wealth and thus land. if anything breaking car dependence would make pods less likely because you could build real apartments in more places
