I was reading a chat on the Globe and Mail site about the suburbs, and was somewhat surprised to see all the focus on making them less car-dependent and giving them more amenities like stores and doctors. Don't get me wrong, I like car-free living and convenient local amenities. That's why I moved to Midtown. But do suburbanites actually value those things?
When I was a kid, I once heard my father said, in response to a proposal to run a bus line near our house, that it was a waste to do so because people who lived in our area obviously aren't going to take the bus - if they had wanted to take the bus, they wouldn't have moved somewhere that required a car. (That's an extremely disheartening thing to hear when you're in your early teens and just starting to like the idea of maybe going places without your parents having to drive you!) This makes me think that the people who choose to move to the suburbs (as opposed to their dependent children and aging parents) might not value other lifestyles.
So let's think: why would you move to the suburbs?
1. Because you like the lifestyle
2. Because it's not your lifestyle of choice, but it's the best you can do with the resources you have
The people who fall under category 1 obviously aren't going to want public transit or the amenities that come with density, or, like my father said, they would have chosen to live elsewhere. As for category 2, there are two possibilities: (a) instead of the suburbs, they value a rural environment, and (b) instead of the suburbs, they value an urban environment.
If they value a rural environment, what would drive them to the suburbs? Not money, but possibly convenience - the commute from the countryside to wherever they have to work (statistically more likely to be in an urban area) is just too far. So would someone in this situation appreciate more amenities and transit? It's likely that they wouldn't, since it would make their environment even less rural. (I know that sounds strange, but it was long a cornerstone of urban planning that housing should be separate from commercial areas, so there must be people out there that value that.)
And if they value an urban environment, what would drive them to the suburbs? Money, pure and simple, as urban property values are especially ridiculous. These people, I can see why they would enjoy more transit and amenities. But I can't really see why people in the other categories would.
So the big question: what percentage of suburbanites would rather be urbanites?
2 comments:
I don't know! But what I do know, is that I grew up in an area that didn't have bus transit set up yet. This was very frustrating for me, and for a lot of other people.
Now there are buses that go there, and I can hop on the bus to go visit in that area if I wish.
I think for your father to have said what he did say is actually rather ridiculous! People move to certain areas, often without children to start off with (in new devolpments that pop up where very nice trees and deer and green stuff used to be)...and they have a car, so they don't think about public transit at that time.
To say that people wouldn't have moved there if they wanted public transit, is quite silly! I know a number of people who live in certain areas, who would gladly take public transit if it were available to them - car or no car to begin with!
Maybe though...there is a point in there worth elaborating on...I move where I can use public transportation. Otherwise, I won't move there. I would still use public transportation anyway, no matter what.
Public transport for the win!
Post a Comment