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Comment by leggomylibro | Hacker News Reader

Because all the talent likes being able to walk places in a few minutes.

I propose jetpacks, to vastly extend peoples' comfortable walking radii.

I got a boosted board at this beginning of this summer, and I've really enjoyed using it to get around. It's mostly for my commute, but I've definitely taken it out in the evenings and stuff too— indeed, my main complaint is that I haven't yet gotten proper lights for it, so I can't ride after dark.

Is that really the number one priority for talented people? Walking?

Besides, we have a dozen modes of transportation already available: cars, buses, motorcycles, segways, bicycles, subways, trams, taxis, powered walkways, rollerblades, skateboards, hover boards, ATVs, skis, sleds, horses, etc. How exactly is walking the panacea of transportation? So much so that people would be willing to live in cars?

> Is that really the number one priority for talented people? Walking?

Just walking? Maybe not. But fast commutes to work, easy access to restaurants, easy access to culture, lots of things to do nearby, large dating pools? Most certainly.

> cars, buses, motorcycles, segways, bicycles, subways, trams, taxis, powered walkways, rollerblades, skateboards, hover boards, ATVs, skis, sleds, horses

All of which take lots of time! People pay lots of money to live in certain neighborhoods (think Williamsburg and the like) for a reason.

I'm reading Haidt's "Happiness Hypothesis" right now, and in one section he identifies life circumstances which people never adjust to (i.e. excluded from the Hedonistic treadmill effect).

A long commute is something he identifies as always a negative. Humans don't seem to adjust to a long commute -- it will always negatively impact the typical person's outlook/affect/happiness.

Congregating close to other talented people? Yes, it appears to be very very highly valued and the resulting cross-pollination of ideas a core reason that dense areas have very high creative output.

Are you willing to have millions of people move into your city and sleep in cars in the name of having some of the more talented ones nearby? At that point, why even bother with cars? Coffin hotels are a thing, let's just cover SF in those. We could charge $3-5k/month per coffin!

Not at all, I'm personally a fan of very dense mixed-use plans when it comes to urban development styles. But I was just answering your question about why walking is such a priority for talented people and why "walkability scores" are a thing. Clearly if we're talking about walking most places then everyone having a large car doesn't make much sense in the first place, nevermind living in it. That's just weird Telsa fetish stuff.

I grew up in suburbs and consider them soul sucking hellscapes for robots who've learned to feel despair ... so that probably colors my view of basing cities around them by having people drive all the time.

I'd say it's pretty high on everyone's list and we have almost no good places to live in the US, so only top talent and homeless people can live in them.

There's a world of difference between walking 15 minutes and driving 15 minutes, and overall having people walk usually makes for a better overall urban environment.

You wouldn't want to walk along a highway, but because everyone drives in major US cities, even downtown has highway-sized roads.

I'm not super for sleeping in cars, but I already pay a space tax for my living quarters to have walkability (even if I end up taking the train)

Fair's fair, I think that skis and horses might rank above walking for most people, but most places where that is possible don't have the amenities of major cities.

Also, horses shit all over the place.

Hate to sound like the nerd... but segways are freaking fantastic.

If you haven't ridden one, go on a "segway" tour of your city. Super fun, and you can see just how simple and mobile you are. Completely replaces most small bus hops.

Not denying what you wrote, but a folding bike is cheaper, probably more portable (i.e. you can take it on a plane with you) and it doesn't need recharging.

Or we could all just live in cars! It all fits.

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