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Comment by sampo | Hacker News Reader

I am from Europe, and my idea of a kid-friendly neighborhood has proper sidewalks. Here is an example: https://goo.gl/maps/Ng3BUjBcPq12

The American model seems to have such narrow and badly paved sidewalks that no one uses them, so then you need wider streets to cater for the combined use by pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

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TBH, GP's neighborhood isn't universal in the US.

I grew up in suburban Dallas, and there were sidewalks everywhere. The only neighborhoods I saw without sidewalks were older neighborhoods that always creeped me out when I was little... I always got the impression that they were dilapidated.

Here's an example from a neighborhood right near where I grew up: https://goo.gl/maps/qGSvbk4HdAM2

And even the six-lane arterials have sidewalks here: https://goo.gl/maps/DUR8mdVQysu and https://goo.gl/maps/hZ4dL3yj8F32

And for completeness, a sidewalk-less street in a nearby neighborhood: https://goo.gl/maps/TnQ8bogKttL2 -- that whole area just looks old, and the neighborhood gave me the creeps when I was a kid

> And even the six-lane arterials have sidewalks here: https://goo.gl/maps/DUR8mdVQysu and https://goo.gl/maps/hZ4dL3yj8F32

I would definitely change the order from

    road | sidewalk | lawn

    road | lawn | sidewalk

in those two cases. There is ample space, so why not make the sidewalk safer by putting a strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road.

There is a disconnect in ownership between roads and sidewalks that makes it all very political: "Sidewalks in front of homes can be a source of puzzlement over just who or what owns them. Generally, each state sets its own laws about ownership of property, including sidewalks in front of homes and buildings. Certain states say that sidewalks are owned by the cities, towns or other municipalities having jurisdiction. In California, for example, sidewalks in front of homes and businesses are owned by their municipalities, but their upkeep is to be handled by those homes and businesses."

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/sidewalks-considered-homeowners...

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