https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_depend...
Give the US a few centuries to catch up to European density and let's talk then.
Give the US a few centuries to catch up to European density and let's talk then.
I’m not saying that nobody should ever drive, and if you have a long ways to go between obscure locations it totally makes sense to drive.
But if the US optimized for the 99% of trips that people make, within 30 miles of where they live, then it just comes down to regular urban planning where density can be “whatever you design”.
But yeah this is specific to cities and suburbs, I’m not trying to imply anything about people who live further out or who are making far-away trips.
If your household only needed one car for the monthly trips to grandmas or out for camping in the wilderness, and you didn’t need to drive at all around your city, that would still be a huge win for Americans today. Especially those with kids who depend on the parents for transportation by car.
NYC isn't 30 miles east of me. There are rural farms only a few miles west. This is representative of the edge of the most dense metro region in the US.
That's the density argument. Belgium and the Netherlands are 10X more dense than the US in aggregate. That 10X makes things wildly different and it tells you how relatively frequent cities and suburbs are there vs here.
The US does optimize for our open space. We have car infrastructure.
Again, give it a few centuries.