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Comment by yossi_peti | Hacker News Reader

If people want to live in rural areas, that's fine by me. They don't particularly contribute to the problems with car-centric infrastructure in the US. The main complaints are how most cities in the US are designed in ways that are hostile to anybody who doesn't have a car, such as:

- making it difficult to get around safely by bike

- zoning restrictions that force development to be clumped in certain areas

- underdeveloped public transport with infrequent stops and limited range

- parking space requirements that limit development

- food deserts where people have to drive long distances to get groceries

There are many places in the world that have solved these problems. I don't get why it's so inconceivable to solve them in the US.

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Japan is awesome like this, they have amazing highways and rail. Tokyo in my option is a bit too car friendly but it’s still very walkable and rideable.

Japan is an extremely small island. I don’t think a lot of their experience would apply to us. China may be a better example.

Extremely small island that stretches from New York to Atlanta..

Honshu is the 7th largest island in the world. It's area is a little more than 1/3 of texas.

The fact that it barely measures up to our second largest state would reinforce my point.

LA to San Fran could be doing a lot better is what you’re saying ?

If that system existed in America, what would it take to keep it as clean and as safe? (Edit: I visited Japan and loved the train system)

As someone who recently bought a house (and used to live in an apartment), those were some of the reasons why I opted out of apartment life. I would prefer to live in a denser urban area if other amenities and quality of life benefits came with it, but they don’t in my city. Even if you live close to the city core, there are either extremely limited or entirely nonexistent options for groceries, fitness and recreation, coffee shops, affordable eateries, non-alcohol entertainment and art, etc in most neighborhoods. You would still have to drive most of the time anyway. Most of the denser areas closer to downtown can also be quite dangerous for pedestrians after dark. The few places that have denser housing with those amenities within (safe) walking access are exorbitantly more expensive. Meanwhile apartment and townhome developments are now springing up everywhere in my area of town, but without any amenities to go with them, leading to even more vehicle congestion on the local streets as people try to escape the neighborhood and reach the highways.

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