Comments on: Here Comes Reality http://hugeasscity.com/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/ > so much wonderful packaged in such a mess Fri, 18 May 2012 04:54:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: wes http://hugeasscity.com/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/comment-page-1/#comment-1986 wes Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:47:53 +0000 http://noisetank.com/hugeasscity/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/#comment-1986 It is only easier to do things in a car because, as Dan B talks about in the link provided above (http://hugeasscity.com/2008/01/13/also-blame-where-the-buildings-are/), activities have been placed so widely apart in large buildings with everything you can imagine based upon the assumption that it is easy to get there by car. I'd like to add to that the notion of the ease of car travel is stuck in our culture as well. Even those within proximity of a service will find themselves traveling by car because they perceive either the time savings or monetary savings (of shopping around) as significant. As I reiterated to myself this weekend through a trip up to Petco for a dog kennel that cost relatively the same at the pet shop in my 'hood, it just isn't worth making the trip in the car. I could have walked to the pet store in my 'hood and brought my purchase back in less time than going to Petco. I could have purchased the kennel at my pet store for a little more money but with an overall savings by not having to spend on the transportation cost. Shame on me. Learning my lesson and instead of giving my money to the overgrown petstore, I went back to my 'hood and got the kennel. Ideally, activities and purchases that require a car should be the infrequent ones (camping, large park trips such as discovery, monthly or less often friends, furniture purchases, giant bag of dog food purchases that only a silly person would struggle to walk the 10 blocks home with...which I did and learned that lesson too), not weekly or daily activities/purchases (grocery, bars, every week friends). It is only easier to do things in a car because, as Dan B talks about in the link provided above (http://hugeasscity.com/2008/01/13/also-blame-where-the-buildings-are/), activities have been placed so widely apart in large buildings with everything you can imagine based upon the assumption that it is easy to get there by car. I’d like to add to that the notion of the ease of car travel is stuck in our culture as well. Even those within proximity of a service will find themselves traveling by car because they perceive either the time savings or monetary savings (of shopping around) as significant. As I reiterated to myself this weekend through a trip up to Petco for a dog kennel that cost relatively the same at the pet shop in my ‘hood, it just isn’t worth making the trip in the car. I could have walked to the pet store in my ‘hood and brought my purchase back in less time than going to Petco. I could have purchased the kennel at my pet store for a little more money but with an overall savings by not having to spend on the transportation cost. Shame on me. Learning my lesson and instead of giving my money to the overgrown petstore, I went back to my ‘hood and got the kennel.

Ideally, activities and purchases that require a car should be the infrequent ones (camping, large park trips such as discovery, monthly or less often friends, furniture purchases, giant bag of dog food purchases that only a silly person would struggle to walk the 10 blocks home with…which I did and learned that lesson too), not weekly or daily activities/purchases (grocery, bars, every week friends).

]]> By: joshuadf http://hugeasscity.com/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/comment-page-1/#comment-1985 joshuadf Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:31:39 +0000 http://noisetank.com/hugeasscity/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/#comment-1985 No doubt it's bad to be in Detroit, but Toyota is still making money and I suspect they will continue to do so because they are manufacturing appropriate vehicles. Lots of things are easier to do in a car and people around the world who can afford a Prius will snatch them up, not to mention the growth of car-sharing. Just because everyone won't be forced to use a car for commuting doesn't mean everyone won't use a car for other things. The great news is that the future looks bright for those of us who love living in dense cities and using public transportation. No doubt it’s bad to be in Detroit, but Toyota is still making money and I suspect they will continue to do so because they are manufacturing appropriate vehicles. Lots of things are easier to do in a car and people around the world who can afford a Prius will snatch them up, not to mention the growth of car-sharing. Just because everyone won’t be forced to use a car for commuting doesn’t mean everyone won’t use a car for other things.

The great news is that the future looks bright for those of us who love living in dense cities and using public transportation.

]]> By: Dan Staley http://hugeasscity.com/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/comment-page-1/#comment-1984 Dan Staley Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:00:46 +0000 http://noisetank.com/hugeasscity/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/#comment-1984 There was an excellent conference about the near future in this sort of implied scenario, here. <a href="http://americancity.org/afteroil" rel="nofollow">Randall Crane</a> et al speak about post-cheap energy urban <a href="http://tinyurl.com/57cdfv" rel="nofollow">design</a> and <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5cwgoq" rel="nofollow">coping</a> and other such things. There was an excellent conference about the near future in this sort of implied scenario, here. Randall Crane et al speak about post-cheap energy urban design and coping and other such things.

]]> By: JesseJB http://hugeasscity.com/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/comment-page-1/#comment-1983 JesseJB Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:30:44 +0000 http://noisetank.com/hugeasscity/2008/11/08/here-comes-reality/#comment-1983 Its all happening so much faster than I thought it would. I saw Kunstler speak last spring about how all this was going to come about and thought "wow...maybe in like 10 years" but umm...maybe now. Its all happening so much faster than I thought it would. I saw Kunstler speak last spring about how all this was going to come about and thought “wow…maybe in like 10 years” but umm…maybe now.

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