Hacker News Reader

Comment by diego_sandoval | Hacker News Reader

Most cities are hostile towards people. Maybe we should make them non hostile first, and then we can think about the green part.

The biggest factor contributing to this hostility seems to be personal motorized vehicles. Reducing the number of motorized vehicles (and the space dedicated to them) whenever possible should have a much better impact than introducing greenery.

Put another way, I think people live better in a city made of concrete with few cars than in a green city with lots of cars.

View on HN

I think suburbs and urban sprawl could be described this way. But urban core at least here in Toronto is very people friendly and it's definitely possible to live well here without a car. I'm fact most people in the downtown core don't own a car.

I hear downtown Vancouver is also this way. Montreal's urban core and Quebec city also fit this bill.

I do admit everywhere else in Canada is terrible for being people friendly. Not sure about other places

> I think people live better in a city made of concrete with few cars than in a green city with lots of cars.

Definitely not. The former is easily an oppressive 1984-esque metropolis while the latter easily feels nice.

Another key parameter is density. Low density with plenty of greenery and people will feel and be happy even if they may need a car.

Isn't low density by definition not a city?

"Low density" is a relative term and there are ranges in everything. You can have a city mostly made of huge, packed tower blocks, or a city mostly made of small buildings with some space in between.

Cars will easily make a place feel like a 1984 metropolis. They need space intensive infrastructure to drive on, which is asphalt and concrete.

Part of the reason cities are hostile is due to their un-greenness. For every street that bisects a block, consider how many trees could go there. Then consider what that would afford the local ecosystem. Then consider the reduction in noise, the reduction of heat in the hottest months, the reduction in pollution, and the increase in beauty. Of course, less connective tissue also makes for less ease of driving, and so the battle inches forward to returning cities to its citizens.

Making space for more green is good for us precisely because it makes cities less hostile perhaps in a more roundabout way.

More intersections are much more pleasant as a pedestrian, instead downsize the roads and add parks.

Not sure what your point is. You can remove an intersection, plant trees, and put a footpath or bike lane through it. The point is precisely to downsize roads. It would make it safer for pedestrians too.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com