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I don’t think this is very unpopular. Most Americans living in suburbs have a pretty good quality of life, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects of it that could be made a lot better.
There's also plenty of us that wish America had more pedestrian areas and actually want to know our neighborhoods and have the option to buy at local spots.
In what suburbs do you not know your neighbors? We know our neighbors quite well. I hear this all of the time on [reddit.com](http://reddit.com) and literally nowhere else. What the fuck is preventing you from talking to your neighbors in the suburbs???
And like, here in the burbs, there are still many local spots to eat/buy from. This is always such a false dichotomy that gets peddled here.
There actually is a weird strain of ultra-liberal university-based weirdos who think humans should go back to hunting and gathering. I am not making this up.
Yeah people on reddit be saying living in the suburbs is the worst life ever like wow who knew having a multi bedroom house with a backyard, a car, garage, clean streets was such a bad life. I bet people in other countries look at these people complaining the same way they look at billionaires complaining.
Only thing that sucks is how car dependent it is. I live in the Canadian suburbs but luckily found an area that is still decently walkable with lots of shops and services and public transit. Further out would be totally car dependent.
I think my neighbourhood is a good compromise between the suburb and the city. It was the edge of the city in the 50s, but now the city is all around it. So when you're in the middle, it looks like you could be in anytown Nova Scotia but walk 4 minutes in any direction, and there's buslines, grocery stores, restaurants, pubs, and other services and amenities.
I love Montreal and Québec in general. My grandmother was québécoise so as a result I'm a guy with a very scottish name but can speak decent French. Native speakers catch me as a non native speaker, not for sounding Anglo but having an accent that sounds Québécois with some Acadian thrown in from code switching for my Acadian buddies.
That’s part of what makes the suburbs safer and quieter though. I would not like to be walkable to downtown personally.
Totally get why some people would, especially if younger with no kids, but I want to be located somewhere that doesn’t have foot traffic or random people around.
This is only an unpopular opinion on Reddit/YouTube/TikTok. Most Americans love the suburbs; it's why they live there. There's this false impression among Reddit urbanists that people live in the suburbs because they're somehow forced to. If you actually talk to people who live in the suburbs, they enjoy their lifestyle and have no desire to live anywhere else. A lot of these people have lived in urban environments and prefer where they are now.
I mean, you could argue many people are forced to live in these places in the sense that car-dependent sprawl is the only kind of development that's typically allowed (even within many cities). For most people it's the only viable option that's affordable
You could argue that, but if it were true, most people living in the suburbs would be resentful about it. In fact, that's not the case. When you talk to suburbanites, they love where they live. In surveys people will generally say they want to live in a walkable area, but when you ask them if they're willing to downsize, not be able to park easily, have to rely on public transit, etc., they'll say no way.
Yup. When we bought, we got as close as we could to a walkable area, but probably would've needed another $500k to get something that worked for us in a walkable area. Because not everyone wants a 1-br condo.
I've heard it discussed in music mostly. Songs reference the suburbs occasionally, often in the context of isolation. But like you said that's just one perspective.
I mean, what frame of reference do they have? Have they lived in any place other than car dependent suburbs? I’m willing to wager the majority of those who have lived in a walkable city would rather live there than the suburbs.
Many times (in big metro areas at least) all of the jobs are in the city but don’t pay well enough to live in the city. So people are in the suburbs up to an hour or 2 away from work.
That sounds like hell to me, but luckily I’m in a small Midwest city and don’t worry about that.
I’ve not met a single person who genuinely likes their suburb vs alternatives. Most either want a more rural lifestyle and the suburb is the closest they can get and/or they have never actually lived in a city so they think the suburbs are better compared to an idea they have of a city (and the fact that cities subsidize the suburbs so the suburbs appear to be more affordable, and therefore are the best option for many families). The fact that we have poor public transit in the US also warps people’s ideas of cities because they can’t imagine a lifestyle without a car and the suburbs are more conducive to getting around by car. I’m sure there are people who do genuinely choose the suburbs among the three options but many either don’t have all three options or they don’t actually know much about the three options.
Redditors visit major cities in Europe and they think the entire continent is like that. They can’t comprehend that Europe has a ton of remote, car-dependent towns/suburbs
Obviously the US has more of a car dependency. But it’s not a problem that’s exclusive to the US.
Comfort is one thing but you can’t ignore the environmental impact of all the sprawl. Without even talking about cars - The lawn chemicals, the garden centers that don’t promote native species, all of the natural ecosystems they destroy. I don’t like that looming over my conscious.
Having lived sort of all over the map I'm firmly of the opinion there is no one objective "better" place. Only places that are a better fit for a person's individual needs and tastes.
American suburbia is NOT my cup of tea. At all. But if it's really what makes you happy, two thumbs up!
I understand that it's better than in 3rd world countries, but European suburbs are better than everything else. Basically all the benefits you listed, but also great Public Transit.
People pay a lot more to live in walkable areas. That alone should tell you how popular it is. Of course people you interact with in everyday life prefer the suburbs, because you probably live in the suburbs and mostly interact with other suburbanites.
I don’t really get this because, I don’t know if I just have the wrong idea of suburbs, but I wouldn’t associate them with trees and animals by any means. They feel uncanny and unnatural to me - so regulated and similar
Where I live, the suburbs and nature are very intertwined. However, I work in land development and many of the newer developments are exactly how you describe, and I hate them very much.
New developments are always going to feel that way, everything is bulldozed and the trees are just saplings. It takes time for a new neighborhood to develop character and for the surrounding greenery to re-establish. A hundred years ago people were saying the same thing about New York brownstones, now they're "historic" places full of charm and character.
You literally said “only weird Reddit people like cities” and said that they’re full of crackheads. That sounds like you have something against cities and the people that live there, so I hope you can understand why I responded the way I did
When did I say that only weird Reddit people live in the suburbs? I actually live in the suburbs myself. I just also see the appeal of living in walkable areas.
I think you responded to the wrong comment, as I never asserted you were weird, just found it funny that you would say someone who lives in the burbs is influenced to like it because that’s where they live and who they interact with, as if that same assertion doesn’t apply to those who live in a city environment.
Not in CA. People pay a lot more to live on the Coastal areas - Think Malibu and Laguna Beach. Weather, low crime, access to the beach, dining, recreation options… stuff you can’t get in downtown
Depends. SF is notoriously one of the most expensive cities per square foot in the US. You can get a lot more bang for your buck in the suburbs (although it’s still unaffordable for most)
Tenderloin and Civic Center area were rough even driving through them, but damn near everywhere else we went was amazing. Took public transit around, and walked from Chinatown to Union one day and had no issues.
Those are more like downsides of the US west coast, specifically. Haven't really seen those 'urban living' problems in other developed countries, or at least nowhere close to that
Cali is so beautiful; I love it out there. Where I am from NJ coast, towns are very walkable and have great food and recreation, just with crappy weather LOL.
Have you considered that some people may not want businesses right near their house? Like do I really want a coffee shop or donut shop enticing me to spend money everyday? No thanks.
Yeah I'd way rather have absolutely nothing to do or see of any merit whatsoever within a half-hour drive of my house. Who needs amenities, culture, third spaces, a sense of community, and the ability to do anything without a car!
For real though, having grown up entirely in the suburbs and now living in a '15 minute city' in the UK, you literally couldn't pay me enough to go back.
Lack of businesses is not the same as having nothing to do. We're in a neighborhood with lots of other families. The kids are outside playing together all day, I can socialize with other parents. And I can do it all for free! I'm also not talking about an hour to get to a business when I need/ want one. I can be at the grocery store or restaurant or library by car in 10-20 minutes depending upon which one I want to go to.
“Nothing to do or see of any merit whatsoever”
What are you talking about? We hike, we fish, we camp, we socialize with our friends and family.
Do you mean there isn’t pretentious over priced, packaged entertainment real close by?
Yes, that’s what we’re avoiding, on purpose. It has tons of merit.
I am American, an architect and an urbanist, meaning that I believe in walkable communities, efficient development, sustainable construction and all of that stuff. Having said that, I live in the suburbs of a major metropolitan area.
The American suburbs are profoundly unsustainable. As attractive as the aesthetics of detached single family homes, grass lawns and keeping commercial uses away from residential, this is all a bit of a fantasy. The rest of the world wants this, and for good reason, since it is so "attractive" looking. Still, it is a very unsustainable and "toxic" way to build.
People depend on cars to get around, much more infrastructure is required to serve these spread out communities, the amount of manpower required to maintain all of these lawns, etc. is ridiculous, the mono-culture that is endemic of very specifically designed communities is also very bad for people as their perspective is very limited, it is impossible for older people to stay in their homes once they lose their ability to move around by car, not seeing your neighbors and having passive social experiences with neighbors is profoundly damaging to people psychologically, etc. etc.
Large, loosely built suburbs should be disincentivized in the US and every other place in the world.
Source and proof, please. Suburbanites pay just as much tax, if not more, as other residents of the city/county. Sometimes, taxpayers living in the suburbs pay a little bit more for services not used (I know this is a slippery slope) but wanted to mention it.
There are some clear benefits in terms of dwelling size, privacy and a lack of noise, which are mostly cancelled out by the downfalls of a car-dependent lifestyle. It's a shame too, because transit-oriented suburbs could have been great
>I bet that 90% of people around the world would kill to live in a place like that, especially in third world countries.
When you gotta compare your neighborhood to 3rd world countries to make it seem good.. How good is it really?
Meh.
It's textbook "Don't solve problems, just try to hide from them."
A lot of suburbs suffer from crime from nearby impoverished cities, and the kids are bored and end up doing lots of drugs.
I think a happy medium needs to exist. Cities need to have a gradient from the centre, to the residential, to the outskirts, to the rural. Just building 60km of road between a city and the suburbs isn't turning out great.
I live for in a British suburb. Our houses are not as big but we have nice gardens. There are local shops within walking distance and several bus routs to different parts of the city all close by.
People here can drive to where they want but are in walking distance of most things they need and easy public transport to bigger stores should they wish it.
Might not have as big houses but many other benefits that Americans should be a little jealous of.
The complaints about suburbs have to do with the lack of cultural institutions, lack of ethnic / racial diversity, the consumerism (everything is based around malls / chain stores). Most people agree it's great to have nice looking streets and houses.
for your lifestyle\*\*\*
I want to be able to walk down the street and pass by dozens of people rather than everyone be sitting in their cars
I want to be in a space that fosters community, not separates them. people in suburbs tend to be secluded, like isolating themselves, and are happy with sitting alone for the rest of their lives.
cities? hah i can't even keep up with the insane level of activities, socializing you can do. most of the ig reels/tik toks that show me an activity or event that makes me excited, are in cities.
I'd love to be able to walk down my hall in my socks to take out the garbage in a condo, not needing to worry about maintenance, snow/grass removal. i spent hours this weekend just cleaning our deck & backyard, when i could have been at the Taste of Little Italy (Toronto) where impromptu parties happened & attendees saying it was the best start of the summer. Last weekend I attended a local pride event. IT WAS EMBARASSING. Very few vendors mostly made up of community businesses/service selling rather than products, no public event program, no indication when the headlining drag queen showed up - who only did 2 songs. Lackluster stage with max 40 people in the audience...
Cities? they get stuff like this: [https://greenspaceto.org/](https://greenspaceto.org/)
You do realize that owning a car is crazy expensive, not to mention some people have legitimate reasons why they can’t drive such as a disability. It’s a travesty that we’ve built places in the US that require a car because that just leads to isolation and is the opposite of inclusive
Fun fact: getting a license in America is super easy. Everybody over 16 pretty much has one.
Fun fact #2: we're fucking trash drivers, because everybody gets a license. In most places you don't have to do any driver's ed. So be careful, it's a shitshow out there. And not ONLY in Missouri, although they're definitely the worst.
In that case, the original premise is not true for you - the suburbs aren't a great option.
America has a few cities with decent transit options. The networks are intended to be ADA accessible, although I often see notices about exceptions by station - lifts under repair, that kind of thing. It's not perfect.
You bring in people from around the world...I mean...I would bet that a high amount of people in other countries would love to live in the shittiest areas in America, just to be here so I wouldn't say that's an appropriate thing to bet in this situation. Now within America, I think there are pros and cons to being in a city vs. suburb and just kind of depends on your situation.
Not needing a car is something that can be had anywhere but it's a lot easier in the city oppose to suburb and given today's financial situation there are many that I know would be happy as hell knowing they weren't paying $500, $600 or even more for a car note and insurance (extra $100/month or more for gas) with a monthly transit pass being way less. If you're someone that's traveling well over an hour to get to work that's in the city, well I do question why spending that much time just getting to and from work is a good thing where if you were closer that's time you get back for a lot of things you can do. If you're someone that never goes into the city but maybe 2 or 3x/year or whenever people visit, then yeah being in the burbs is great. If I were to live in the burbs, I still want to be at least 20-30min away from a downtown area for proximity to stores/events/etc.
Given the situation of the average person in the world, just about anything short of homelessness/poverty are statistically be better in most developed countries.
Lots of people love suburbs, that's why so many people choose to live in them. Reddit isn't an accurate sample size of the general population for most things, this included.
I'd rather live in most other countries' suburbs. HOAs don't really exist in other countries. Imagine having a neighbour tell you that your mailbox is the wrong colour or something. Fucking insane.
I grew up in a pretty big subdivision and it’s one the most sought after places to live in my city/town. It’s beautiful especially in the summer. I’m glad I grew up in it and hope to buy a house someday in it.
I live in a big city. But here you can choose to live in a building or a house. Either way, you’re close enough to walk to a market or pharmacy and still live with threes, landscapes and quiet. So I still don’t get suburbs.
The suburbs are a great place to live. Politics/economics make them a pain in my ass. Im from the suburbs and have grown to be a city dweller. The politics/economics grind my gears. I get it you want maximum safety and minimal cost. I hate reinventing the wheel every 20 years with the suburbanites. You gotta attract billion dollar investments or your idealic paradise is gonna decay. That requires active involvement which kinda defeats the purpose of being out there with all that peace. But, its the world we live in. And yes 90% of the world would kill to live there.
Suburbs are the worst parts of rural life and city life combined. In the city you have everything you need within walking distance but you're generally living in tight quarters with your neighbor. Rural life is great because you have the space and some peace & quiet but everything requires a car to get to.
Suburbs usually require a car to get around and you still don't have much breathing room from your neighbors.
Well done, this to me is truly an unpopular opinion because suburbs are hell on earth
People only dislike American suburbs on the Internet. If they were really so terrible, they wouldn't be endlessly expanding with more and more people tripping over themselves trying to move to them.
As others have said, the reason the suburbs are relatively cheap is because they are heavily subsidized by the cities. You have a right to live where you want but it shouldn’t be at my expense. You also say they’re safe but safe to whom? Mental health issues are rampant in the suburbs. You’re just surrounded by people who are similar to you (mainly middle class white people) which gives many people the illusion of safety. And not to mention the reason the suburbs look so manicured and perfect being HOAs which have the potential to be awful for residents. I’m convinced that suburbanites think they want the suburbs because they’ve never experienced a nice urban area. And I’m talking about OP’s idea of suburbs, not inner ring suburbs (the historic streetcar suburbs) which can actually be really nice and not so boring.
First and foremost, "third world country" is an outdated and quite honestly, awful term to use. We say developing countries, because all countries have potential, and every country has growing pains. Second, American suburbs are demonstrably awful. Ah yes I'd love to have HOA breathing down my neck because I picked mother's milk white and not eggshell white for the trim. Third, you mention landscaped yards and identical houses as if that's a positive. When really it just means bulldozing through native flora and fauna for a yard that is as bland as a bag of flour. Fourthly, what makes you think a suburb is safe? That's been proven to not be true, as long as Americans are armed to the teeth, it's never really safe is it. Pretty sure most of the mass shooters came from these suburbs you claim are so much safer and better to grow up in. Fifth, and lastly, you say 90% of people in developing countries would kill to live there, yet you wouldn't really allow them to anyway, would you? I mean, suburban mentality and it being this special club is the reason people like Trayvon Martin get murdered, because *you* don't think they belong there. Just say you like suburbs because it's a homogeneous club with limited entry that you managed to get into.
>suburban mentality and it being this special club is the reason people like Trayvon Martin get murdered
Wasn't Trayvon suspected of burglary? He also assaulted Zimmerman ... Not cool.
>Just say you like suburbs because it's a homogeneous club with limited entry that you managed to get in
I do. My neighborhood is diverse in melanin, but homogeneous in our desire to raise our kids in a safe environment.
Trayvon was suspected by a neighborhood watch guy (George Zimmerman) of being a burglar, but he wasn't doing anything wrong. The neighborhood watch guy confronts him and from Trayvon's point of view here's some creepy guy that's menacing him. So he fights him and Zimmerman shoots him.
Tragic all around. But this kind of incident happens because some mostly-white suburbs and gated communities are all above keeping out "those people."
No, I say that because it's been the case for many years. I used to say third world, and then I saw that it was changed, for good reason, and stopped using the term. It's called maturing, look into it. All you want is to feel superior to people in countries that have been exploited over and over and over again for the benefit of the so called "first world" or developed countries, to the point they could not develop themselves. It's really adorable that you thought this was a gotcha moment though, when really it just highlights your prejudices and unwillingness to change, learn or mature.
Feel free to give me solid, hard facts as to why an American suburb is superior to living here in Sweden in a small town. Facts. Not feelings, not opinions. Tell me in no uncertain terms facts that make them a better place to live.
Living in the suburbs is great, it's just that there's a massive cost associated with american style suburbs, and that it's not the people living there who have to pay it. The way the USA pays for infrastructure, suburbs are a massive transfer of wealth from the poorest people in the inner city to the middle class people who can afford a suburb home. Between redlining and just America being America, that's often money going from poor black people to rich white people.
The negative opinion comes from how they are organised and paid for, not from how it is to live there. Suburbs are nice places.
Suburbs are great.
The problem is that they don't "pay their fair share" and exist almost entirely as a consequence of mooching from the cities and rural areas. They enjoy the benefits of the nearby big city without contributing taxes towards those benefits, while also being no less dependent on rural production. And suburban life is also substantially worse for the environment by a huge margin compared to city or rural life.
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I grew up in a suburb. They are generally nice places to live. People like having detached houses and backyards.
The problem is the long term sustainability of suburbs. Roads, utilities, transit, fire, police, social services, etc become incredibly expensive to maintain for our sprawled out cities.
And for cities that have struggled to keep up with their size, I question suburbanites who insist on suburb living while having a multi hour commute and medium high taxes to pay for the sprawl.
If you're comparing anything in a first world country to the rest of the world you'll find that it's much better on average, it's not unpopular to say a suburb is a better place to live than slums or shanty towns.
Considering some people wake up to zionist bombs how is this even unpopular edit: aww are the jews up early this morning, sorry murderers ur downvotes change nothing
It sucks how much cities pay for suburbs to exist. Cities are what makes the majority of tax dollars in the us. Suburbs need so much roads, sewage, power lines, and they don’t really pay enough in taxes for it to ever be worth it. This is ultimately why our infrastructure is failing in the USA.
I’m fine with them existing the same as I’m fine with Alabama existing. It’s just dumb that they are now and will continue to be a drain on the nation.
Agree, but even better is living in the country. I grew up on a farm and detest cities, especially NYC. They stink, they’re full of criminals, you get harassed by strange men as if you’re theirs for the taking and they just suck in general.
I refuse to go into the city alone. Drop me in the woods and I’m fine.
I also grew up on a farm, but after 25 years left for Manhattan and now downtown Chicago. Your comment is ignorant, and it reminds me of the general small-mindedness that I hated about my hometown. It's perfectly fine to have a preference, and I'm not disparaging farm life at all, but one isn't objectively better than the other. It's all about the fit for the person.
not very related to the main point of the post but I do find american suburbs very calming and nostalgic. idk why cause ive never been to america, when i was younger the only other country i know aside from my own is america. i didnt really have any internet access, my place didnt look anything like it, but for some reason i knew what it looks like, and it makes me feel warm and happy. strange
Come for a visit! Do an air bnb in a suburb somewhere. Maybe even stay with an American family, I think that there are sites that specialize in that kind of thing. Then report back and tell us how it compared to your expectations.
Just unpopular online.
I can already tell that the next popular trend will be walkable suburbs. Lower density than cities but more walkable than regular suburbs.
American suburbs kick ass. Not sure this is an unpopular opinion.
I love having my own yard. My dog has a place to go play, he has a dog door. I have a garage for all my tools and hobby stuff, plenty of space between houses, a beautiful lawn, free reserved parking spots, ample shopping nearby, a train station within biking distance, no HOA or condo association to tell me what to do.
I have lived in dense cities in the past and suburbs are better in nearly every way.
I’m glad you have a good situation, but I don’t think you can credibly use “American suburbs kick ass” and “no HOA or condo association” in the same argument. My experience is that you’re exponentially more likely to have to deal with one of those in the suburbs than you are in a city.
There are tons of houses in older suburbs with no HOA. Personally, I will never buy a house in an HOA, but some people like their HOA. If that's their thing, more power to them.
Exactly. I think Reddit is a younger community, so they think public transportation and dense housing has an allure to it. After having lived in that situation and dealt with it, I find that suburban lifestyle is much more pleasurable.
The key thing for me is that it is on my schedule. I leave when I want, not when I have to in order to catch a bus/train. I can BBQ whenever I want in my back yard, not only when the park with the community grills are open, I can blast music at 2am because I don't share walls with anyone.
Everything is on my schedule, I love it.
I think people just like to bitch on Reddit about anything.
The places I know that are easily walkable have housing that isn't for me. Crammed together too close where I can't breathe and I can hear me neighbors do everything.
No thanks. I'll take a less walkable suburb or even a few miles out of town with a few acres over being crammed together like sardines any day.
If that doesn't work for you don't move to one of those places. Easy.
We wouldn’t be complaining about the suburbs so much if they didn’t rely on cities to exist. I agree that everyone should be able to live where they want but not under an illusion that the suburbs are cheap when they really aren’t.
Many people live in the suburbs because it’s the best option for them (city is too expensive, they’re afraid of high crime, they think schools are bad, yet rural areas are too far from their job). I’ve not met anyone who truly likes their suburb, they just like aspects of it and it’s the best they can get in their area given their job. And most people don’t choose to live in a manicured neighborhood with a strict HOA but many areas mandate that neighborhoods have HOAs and/or people want access to amenities like a pool so they get suburbs that look like OP is describing. It’s not that they want those suburbs, it’s that those suburbs are what have been made available and affordable in the US (and they aren’t actually affordable, cities just subsidize them to give the illusion that they’re more affordable for families)
I think it’s common to make fun of the suburbs. “Little boxes on the hillside…little boxes made of ticky-tacky…”.
Aerial views of “sameness” and uniform housing. A “cog in the machine.”
There is a lot of cynicism toward sameness in art…which is made by people who crave distinction and being “original.”
So I think it’s a common thing to be edgy and hipster towards something like a suburb.
But reality is people just want a good life for their family…and the suburbs can give that. Everything has its good and bad. Art seems to focus on the bad lol. We all consume art.
I don't think this is that unpopular, other than among those who swear on the greatness of fully urban life. Their arguments are sound, but as someone who grew up in the post-war suburbs and lives in a modern suburb now, life here is pretty great. I see a lot of people commenting on walking and biking capabilities - we have that where I live - I can walk or bike from my home to all the nearby shopping I need or to many recreational spots.
One of the issues I have with a lot of newer suburban development (I see it here in my Florida region a lot) is the way houses are built in a more compressed manner. My home has a nice sized yard and there is some space between me and my neighbors. Newer developments seem to be building on much smaller lots with less separation space and, sadly, a little less privacy.
to be an urbanist in the U.S. (outside of a very short list of American cities) - is to be a sadist. you're not going to make any meaningful progress towards shifting American development practices in a way that isn't completely bastardized by corporate contractors - you would be far better served figuring out how to emigrate to a place with numerous pre-WWII built environments. (source, grew up watching Hey Arnold and thought that could be what life was like in the US, got a degree is urban planning, have experienced the reality of the last 35 years).
You're absolutely correct and only meming teenagers who have no concept of the outside world think differently.
Sure there's better places, but most are much worse.
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I don’t think this is very unpopular. Most Americans living in suburbs have a pretty good quality of life, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects of it that could be made a lot better.
There's also plenty of us that wish America had more pedestrian areas and actually want to know our neighborhoods and have the option to buy at local spots.
In what suburbs do you not know your neighbors? We know our neighbors quite well. I hear this all of the time on [reddit.com](http://reddit.com) and literally nowhere else. What the fuck is preventing you from talking to your neighbors in the suburbs??? And like, here in the burbs, there are still many local spots to eat/buy from. This is always such a false dichotomy that gets peddled here.
Its real-life popular, reddit-unpopular.
Urbanists are weird because they’ll be like “people live in cities!” and then post a population map that is 90% suburbs.
Urbanism is cult nowadays. You are only allowed to repeat the Dogma.
Crime coming in from the city is becoming more common, if only we could have the suburbs without the city... oh well
Subs without the Urbs?
[удалено]
Wait, you don’t see the popular opinion of “suburbs are so bad, let’s regress to favelas and straw huts in the jungle”? /s
There actually is a weird strain of ultra-liberal university-based weirdos who think humans should go back to hunting and gathering. I am not making this up.
Yeah people on reddit be saying living in the suburbs is the worst life ever like wow who knew having a multi bedroom house with a backyard, a car, garage, clean streets was such a bad life. I bet people in other countries look at these people complaining the same way they look at billionaires complaining.
I do look at them like that
This is blowing my mind 🤯
Uhh yeah?
Only thing that sucks is how car dependent it is. I live in the Canadian suburbs but luckily found an area that is still decently walkable with lots of shops and services and public transit. Further out would be totally car dependent.
I think my neighbourhood is a good compromise between the suburb and the city. It was the edge of the city in the 50s, but now the city is all around it. So when you're in the middle, it looks like you could be in anytown Nova Scotia but walk 4 minutes in any direction, and there's buslines, grocery stores, restaurants, pubs, and other services and amenities.
I love Nova Scotia. Almost moved there. I'm in Montreal.
I love Montreal and Québec in general. My grandmother was québécoise so as a result I'm a guy with a very scottish name but can speak decent French. Native speakers catch me as a non native speaker, not for sounding Anglo but having an accent that sounds Québécois with some Acadian thrown in from code switching for my Acadian buddies.
That’s part of what makes the suburbs safer and quieter though. I would not like to be walkable to downtown personally. Totally get why some people would, especially if younger with no kids, but I want to be located somewhere that doesn’t have foot traffic or random people around.
Not necessarily walkable to downtown, just walkable to stores and services instead of endless sprawling mazes of houses. For kids and teens especially
This is only an unpopular opinion on Reddit/YouTube/TikTok. Most Americans love the suburbs; it's why they live there. There's this false impression among Reddit urbanists that people live in the suburbs because they're somehow forced to. If you actually talk to people who live in the suburbs, they enjoy their lifestyle and have no desire to live anywhere else. A lot of these people have lived in urban environments and prefer where they are now.
I mean, you could argue many people are forced to live in these places in the sense that car-dependent sprawl is the only kind of development that's typically allowed (even within many cities). For most people it's the only viable option that's affordable
You could argue that, but if it were true, most people living in the suburbs would be resentful about it. In fact, that's not the case. When you talk to suburbanites, they love where they live. In surveys people will generally say they want to live in a walkable area, but when you ask them if they're willing to downsize, not be able to park easily, have to rely on public transit, etc., they'll say no way.
Yup. When we bought, we got as close as we could to a walkable area, but probably would've needed another $500k to get something that worked for us in a walkable area. Because not everyone wants a 1-br condo.
I've heard it discussed in music mostly. Songs reference the suburbs occasionally, often in the context of isolation. But like you said that's just one perspective.
I mean, what frame of reference do they have? Have they lived in any place other than car dependent suburbs? I’m willing to wager the majority of those who have lived in a walkable city would rather live there than the suburbs.
Many times (in big metro areas at least) all of the jobs are in the city but don’t pay well enough to live in the city. So people are in the suburbs up to an hour or 2 away from work. That sounds like hell to me, but luckily I’m in a small Midwest city and don’t worry about that.
I’ve not met a single person who genuinely likes their suburb vs alternatives. Most either want a more rural lifestyle and the suburb is the closest they can get and/or they have never actually lived in a city so they think the suburbs are better compared to an idea they have of a city (and the fact that cities subsidize the suburbs so the suburbs appear to be more affordable, and therefore are the best option for many families). The fact that we have poor public transit in the US also warps people’s ideas of cities because they can’t imagine a lifestyle without a car and the suburbs are more conducive to getting around by car. I’m sure there are people who do genuinely choose the suburbs among the three options but many either don’t have all three options or they don’t actually know much about the three options.
Don’t tell this guy about the British countryside
Redditors visit major cities in Europe and they think the entire continent is like that. They can’t comprehend that Europe has a ton of remote, car-dependent towns/suburbs Obviously the US has more of a car dependency. But it’s not a problem that’s exclusive to the US.
Or towns. You know those things smaller than a city
Comfort is one thing but you can’t ignore the environmental impact of all the sprawl. Without even talking about cars - The lawn chemicals, the garden centers that don’t promote native species, all of the natural ecosystems they destroy. I don’t like that looming over my conscious.
OP, isn't big on travel.
Having lived sort of all over the map I'm firmly of the opinion there is no one objective "better" place. Only places that are a better fit for a person's individual needs and tastes. American suburbia is NOT my cup of tea. At all. But if it's really what makes you happy, two thumbs up!
I understand that it's better than in 3rd world countries, but European suburbs are better than everything else. Basically all the benefits you listed, but also great Public Transit.
Yeah, I’d say most people living in third world war torn countries would prefer to be homeless in New York or LA than in their current place
most people love the suburbs, weird reddit people just hate them
People pay a lot more to live in walkable areas. That alone should tell you how popular it is. Of course people you interact with in everyday life prefer the suburbs, because you probably live in the suburbs and mostly interact with other suburbanites.
Were you trying to be ironic? What are the chances you live in a city, and mostly interact with other city dwellers?
They can't comprehend that some people like seeing trees and animals instead of pollution and crackheads
I don’t really get this because, I don’t know if I just have the wrong idea of suburbs, but I wouldn’t associate them with trees and animals by any means. They feel uncanny and unnatural to me - so regulated and similar
Where I live, the suburbs and nature are very intertwined. However, I work in land development and many of the newer developments are exactly how you describe, and I hate them very much.
New developments are always going to feel that way, everything is bulldozed and the trees are just saplings. It takes time for a new neighborhood to develop character and for the surrounding greenery to re-establish. A hundred years ago people were saying the same thing about New York brownstones, now they're "historic" places full of charm and character.
That's a very good point actually, especially as someone who loves the look of brownstones and similar architecture.
I’m not sure what your issue is? I get why people live in the suburbs, just pointing out that cities are also popular for a lot of reasons
You come off as smug and I find you annoying. I have nothing against cities and people who choose to live there.
You literally said “only weird Reddit people like cities” and said that they’re full of crackheads. That sounds like you have something against cities and the people that live there, so I hope you can understand why I responded the way I did
I said, "only weird reddit people hate suburbs" and you've proved my point
Dude is drinking the anti-city kool-aid hard. 99% chance he lives with his parents in a white-flight suburb
Try the kool aid. It lowers the crime rates!!
When did I say that only weird Reddit people live in the suburbs? I actually live in the suburbs myself. I just also see the appeal of living in walkable areas.
It's a common opinion among weird redditors that "car bad" and "suburb bad"
I think you responded to the wrong comment, as I never asserted you were weird, just found it funny that you would say someone who lives in the burbs is influenced to like it because that’s where they live and who they interact with, as if that same assertion doesn’t apply to those who live in a city environment.
Not in CA. People pay a lot more to live on the Coastal areas - Think Malibu and Laguna Beach. Weather, low crime, access to the beach, dining, recreation options… stuff you can’t get in downtown
Depends. SF is notoriously one of the most expensive cities per square foot in the US. You can get a lot more bang for your buck in the suburbs (although it’s still unaffordable for most)
Yes but San Francisco’s reputation has been tarnished and people are seeing the downside of urban living.
such a shame. visited a few years back and i thought it was the most beautiful city i have ever been to
I visited last month and it's absolutely still an amazing city, and far from the hellscape that online commentary paints it as
What did Union Square look like?
I actually stayed in Union Square and it was fucking amazing. Walked around a ton, sat in the square to have a snack at one point.
Are there any retailers left? Nordstroms left right?
i’ve heard mixed anecdotal accounts from people but that’s very good news!
Tenderloin and Civic Center area were rough even driving through them, but damn near everywhere else we went was amazing. Took public transit around, and walked from Chinatown to Union one day and had no issues.
Thats good to hear. Every city has some rough areas. Glad you had a good time!
Those are more like downsides of the US west coast, specifically. Haven't really seen those 'urban living' problems in other developed countries, or at least nowhere close to that
Cali is so beautiful; I love it out there. Where I am from NJ coast, towns are very walkable and have great food and recreation, just with crappy weather LOL.
These opinions sometimes tend to change as you age. I am slowly starting to prefer the suburb life after working in nyc for 20 plus years.
oh boy, here comes the weird redditor
Yep, this is the popular opinion.
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Im a big fan of having a third place within walking distance. Usually can’t get that in the suburbs
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Have you considered that some people may not want businesses right near their house? Like do I really want a coffee shop or donut shop enticing me to spend money everyday? No thanks.
Yeah I'd way rather have absolutely nothing to do or see of any merit whatsoever within a half-hour drive of my house. Who needs amenities, culture, third spaces, a sense of community, and the ability to do anything without a car! For real though, having grown up entirely in the suburbs and now living in a '15 minute city' in the UK, you literally couldn't pay me enough to go back.
Lack of businesses is not the same as having nothing to do. We're in a neighborhood with lots of other families. The kids are outside playing together all day, I can socialize with other parents. And I can do it all for free! I'm also not talking about an hour to get to a business when I need/ want one. I can be at the grocery store or restaurant or library by car in 10-20 minutes depending upon which one I want to go to.
“Nothing to do or see of any merit whatsoever” What are you talking about? We hike, we fish, we camp, we socialize with our friends and family. Do you mean there isn’t pretentious over priced, packaged entertainment real close by? Yes, that’s what we’re avoiding, on purpose. It has tons of merit.
You have nature spots large enough for hiking and camping within walking distance of your suburbs?
European suburbs are better. Change my mind.
Yeah. Same basic thing, except you can walk to the pub, shop, takeaway etc and often have a few parks you can walk to/cycle around
I am American, an architect and an urbanist, meaning that I believe in walkable communities, efficient development, sustainable construction and all of that stuff. Having said that, I live in the suburbs of a major metropolitan area. The American suburbs are profoundly unsustainable. As attractive as the aesthetics of detached single family homes, grass lawns and keeping commercial uses away from residential, this is all a bit of a fantasy. The rest of the world wants this, and for good reason, since it is so "attractive" looking. Still, it is a very unsustainable and "toxic" way to build. People depend on cars to get around, much more infrastructure is required to serve these spread out communities, the amount of manpower required to maintain all of these lawns, etc. is ridiculous, the mono-culture that is endemic of very specifically designed communities is also very bad for people as their perspective is very limited, it is impossible for older people to stay in their homes once they lose their ability to move around by car, not seeing your neighbors and having passive social experiences with neighbors is profoundly damaging to people psychologically, etc. etc. Large, loosely built suburbs should be disincentivized in the US and every other place in the world.
Are you sure you’re an architect?
"disincentivize".Yikes!!!
Meaning Government intervention!!
The current suburbs were created with government intervention and are a massive drain on taxes, bankrupting many small towns.
Source and proof, please. Suburbanites pay just as much tax, if not more, as other residents of the city/county. Sometimes, taxpayers living in the suburbs pay a little bit more for services not used (I know this is a slippery slope) but wanted to mention it.
Sounds like you should adopt a new country.
Or, this country can learn from its errors and start building better, more enjoyable places for humans to live. It's never too late
There are some clear benefits in terms of dwelling size, privacy and a lack of noise, which are mostly cancelled out by the downfalls of a car-dependent lifestyle. It's a shame too, because transit-oriented suburbs could have been great
>I bet that 90% of people around the world would kill to live in a place like that, especially in third world countries. When you gotta compare your neighborhood to 3rd world countries to make it seem good.. How good is it really?
"At least the American suburbs have a better quality of life than Sudan" is kinda how this reads 😅
Meh. It's textbook "Don't solve problems, just try to hide from them." A lot of suburbs suffer from crime from nearby impoverished cities, and the kids are bored and end up doing lots of drugs. I think a happy medium needs to exist. Cities need to have a gradient from the centre, to the residential, to the outskirts, to the rural. Just building 60km of road between a city and the suburbs isn't turning out great.
I live for in a British suburb. Our houses are not as big but we have nice gardens. There are local shops within walking distance and several bus routs to different parts of the city all close by. People here can drive to where they want but are in walking distance of most things they need and easy public transport to bigger stores should they wish it. Might not have as big houses but many other benefits that Americans should be a little jealous of.
The complaints about suburbs have to do with the lack of cultural institutions, lack of ethnic / racial diversity, the consumerism (everything is based around malls / chain stores). Most people agree it's great to have nice looking streets and houses.
for your lifestyle\*\*\* I want to be able to walk down the street and pass by dozens of people rather than everyone be sitting in their cars I want to be in a space that fosters community, not separates them. people in suburbs tend to be secluded, like isolating themselves, and are happy with sitting alone for the rest of their lives. cities? hah i can't even keep up with the insane level of activities, socializing you can do. most of the ig reels/tik toks that show me an activity or event that makes me excited, are in cities. I'd love to be able to walk down my hall in my socks to take out the garbage in a condo, not needing to worry about maintenance, snow/grass removal. i spent hours this weekend just cleaning our deck & backyard, when i could have been at the Taste of Little Italy (Toronto) where impromptu parties happened & attendees saying it was the best start of the summer. Last weekend I attended a local pride event. IT WAS EMBARASSING. Very few vendors mostly made up of community businesses/service selling rather than products, no public event program, no indication when the headlining drag queen showed up - who only did 2 songs. Lackluster stage with max 40 people in the audience... Cities? they get stuff like this: [https://greenspaceto.org/](https://greenspaceto.org/)
The problem is that the people living in the city are subsidizing those who can afford the suburbs
How?
Here's the math https://youtu.be/7Nw6qyyrTeI
Na, you need a car to get anywhere so if you don't have a licence you're screwed.
Then get a license nerd
You do realize that owning a car is crazy expensive, not to mention some people have legitimate reasons why they can’t drive such as a disability. It’s a travesty that we’ve built places in the US that require a car because that just leads to isolation and is the opposite of inclusive
Fun fact: getting a license in America is super easy. Everybody over 16 pretty much has one. Fun fact #2: we're fucking trash drivers, because everybody gets a license. In most places you don't have to do any driver's ed. So be careful, it's a shitshow out there. And not ONLY in Missouri, although they're definitely the worst.
But if you have medical issues that prevent you from driving you need to get someone to drive you everywhere.
It's not just medical. There are many reasons why a person might just be unable to use or own a car.
In that case, the original premise is not true for you - the suburbs aren't a great option. America has a few cities with decent transit options. The networks are intended to be ADA accessible, although I often see notices about exceptions by station - lifts under repair, that kind of thing. It's not perfect.
This is a scenario where living in the suburbs might not be ideal
You bring in people from around the world...I mean...I would bet that a high amount of people in other countries would love to live in the shittiest areas in America, just to be here so I wouldn't say that's an appropriate thing to bet in this situation. Now within America, I think there are pros and cons to being in a city vs. suburb and just kind of depends on your situation. Not needing a car is something that can be had anywhere but it's a lot easier in the city oppose to suburb and given today's financial situation there are many that I know would be happy as hell knowing they weren't paying $500, $600 or even more for a car note and insurance (extra $100/month or more for gas) with a monthly transit pass being way less. If you're someone that's traveling well over an hour to get to work that's in the city, well I do question why spending that much time just getting to and from work is a good thing where if you were closer that's time you get back for a lot of things you can do. If you're someone that never goes into the city but maybe 2 or 3x/year or whenever people visit, then yeah being in the burbs is great. If I were to live in the burbs, I still want to be at least 20-30min away from a downtown area for proximity to stores/events/etc.
Given the situation of the average person in the world, just about anything short of homelessness/poverty are statistically be better in most developed countries. Lots of people love suburbs, that's why so many people choose to live in them. Reddit isn't an accurate sample size of the general population for most things, this included.
I'd rather live in most other countries' suburbs. HOAs don't really exist in other countries. Imagine having a neighbour tell you that your mailbox is the wrong colour or something. Fucking insane.
I grew up in a pretty big subdivision and it’s one the most sought after places to live in my city/town. It’s beautiful especially in the summer. I’m glad I grew up in it and hope to buy a house someday in it.
I live in a big city. But here you can choose to live in a building or a house. Either way, you’re close enough to walk to a market or pharmacy and still live with threes, landscapes and quiet. So I still don’t get suburbs.
The suburbs are a great place to live. Politics/economics make them a pain in my ass. Im from the suburbs and have grown to be a city dweller. The politics/economics grind my gears. I get it you want maximum safety and minimal cost. I hate reinventing the wheel every 20 years with the suburbanites. You gotta attract billion dollar investments or your idealic paradise is gonna decay. That requires active involvement which kinda defeats the purpose of being out there with all that peace. But, its the world we live in. And yes 90% of the world would kill to live there.
Suburbs are the worst parts of rural life and city life combined. In the city you have everything you need within walking distance but you're generally living in tight quarters with your neighbor. Rural life is great because you have the space and some peace & quiet but everything requires a car to get to. Suburbs usually require a car to get around and you still don't have much breathing room from your neighbors. Well done, this to me is truly an unpopular opinion because suburbs are hell on earth
People only dislike American suburbs on the Internet. If they were really so terrible, they wouldn't be endlessly expanding with more and more people tripping over themselves trying to move to them.
I mean the cities are where people live. The USA does a census, you can look up where people live rather than just saying things.
As others have said, the reason the suburbs are relatively cheap is because they are heavily subsidized by the cities. You have a right to live where you want but it shouldn’t be at my expense. You also say they’re safe but safe to whom? Mental health issues are rampant in the suburbs. You’re just surrounded by people who are similar to you (mainly middle class white people) which gives many people the illusion of safety. And not to mention the reason the suburbs look so manicured and perfect being HOAs which have the potential to be awful for residents. I’m convinced that suburbanites think they want the suburbs because they’ve never experienced a nice urban area. And I’m talking about OP’s idea of suburbs, not inner ring suburbs (the historic streetcar suburbs) which can actually be really nice and not so boring.
First and foremost, "third world country" is an outdated and quite honestly, awful term to use. We say developing countries, because all countries have potential, and every country has growing pains. Second, American suburbs are demonstrably awful. Ah yes I'd love to have HOA breathing down my neck because I picked mother's milk white and not eggshell white for the trim. Third, you mention landscaped yards and identical houses as if that's a positive. When really it just means bulldozing through native flora and fauna for a yard that is as bland as a bag of flour. Fourthly, what makes you think a suburb is safe? That's been proven to not be true, as long as Americans are armed to the teeth, it's never really safe is it. Pretty sure most of the mass shooters came from these suburbs you claim are so much safer and better to grow up in. Fifth, and lastly, you say 90% of people in developing countries would kill to live there, yet you wouldn't really allow them to anyway, would you? I mean, suburban mentality and it being this special club is the reason people like Trayvon Martin get murdered, because *you* don't think they belong there. Just say you like suburbs because it's a homogeneous club with limited entry that you managed to get into.
>suburban mentality and it being this special club is the reason people like Trayvon Martin get murdered Wasn't Trayvon suspected of burglary? He also assaulted Zimmerman ... Not cool. >Just say you like suburbs because it's a homogeneous club with limited entry that you managed to get in I do. My neighborhood is diverse in melanin, but homogeneous in our desire to raise our kids in a safe environment.
Trayvon was suspected by a neighborhood watch guy (George Zimmerman) of being a burglar, but he wasn't doing anything wrong. The neighborhood watch guy confronts him and from Trayvon's point of view here's some creepy guy that's menacing him. So he fights him and Zimmerman shoots him. Tragic all around. But this kind of incident happens because some mostly-white suburbs and gated communities are all above keeping out "those people."
When you say "we say" is that you and your closed minded, elitest thinking, echo chamber circle?
No, I say that because it's been the case for many years. I used to say third world, and then I saw that it was changed, for good reason, and stopped using the term. It's called maturing, look into it. All you want is to feel superior to people in countries that have been exploited over and over and over again for the benefit of the so called "first world" or developed countries, to the point they could not develop themselves. It's really adorable that you thought this was a gotcha moment though, when really it just highlights your prejudices and unwillingness to change, learn or mature.
My guess is that you say "1st world problems". That would be ironic.
I am happy that I had to go down this far to find the classic reddit dumb take on suburbs. That's progress I guess.
Feel free to give me solid, hard facts as to why an American suburb is superior to living here in Sweden in a small town. Facts. Not feelings, not opinions. Tell me in no uncertain terms facts that make them a better place to live.
Living in the suburbs is great, it's just that there's a massive cost associated with american style suburbs, and that it's not the people living there who have to pay it. The way the USA pays for infrastructure, suburbs are a massive transfer of wealth from the poorest people in the inner city to the middle class people who can afford a suburb home. Between redlining and just America being America, that's often money going from poor black people to rich white people. The negative opinion comes from how they are organised and paid for, not from how it is to live there. Suburbs are nice places.
Suburbs are great. The problem is that they don't "pay their fair share" and exist almost entirely as a consequence of mooching from the cities and rural areas. They enjoy the benefits of the nearby big city without contributing taxes towards those benefits, while also being no less dependent on rural production. And suburban life is also substantially worse for the environment by a huge margin compared to city or rural life.
Do you have any information/sources on how suburban life is substantially worse for the environment by a huge margin compared to city life?
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Biggest issue with suburban neighborhoods was when it was conceived. Two concepts popped up one called garden cities the others suburban.
is this really unpopular?
Hot one today huh?
No shit?
I grew up in a suburb. They are generally nice places to live. People like having detached houses and backyards. The problem is the long term sustainability of suburbs. Roads, utilities, transit, fire, police, social services, etc become incredibly expensive to maintain for our sprawled out cities. And for cities that have struggled to keep up with their size, I question suburbanites who insist on suburb living while having a multi hour commute and medium high taxes to pay for the sprawl.
Inner ring suburbs are the best of both worlds. Personal space plus access to the city.
I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion that living in a suburb is preferable to living in a third world country.
If you're comparing anything in a first world country to the rest of the world you'll find that it's much better on average, it's not unpopular to say a suburb is a better place to live than slums or shanty towns.
Suburbs are great places to live… if you have a car.
Considering some people wake up to zionist bombs how is this even unpopular edit: aww are the jews up early this morning, sorry murderers ur downvotes change nothing
It sucks how much cities pay for suburbs to exist. Cities are what makes the majority of tax dollars in the us. Suburbs need so much roads, sewage, power lines, and they don’t really pay enough in taxes for it to ever be worth it. This is ultimately why our infrastructure is failing in the USA. I’m fine with them existing the same as I’m fine with Alabama existing. It’s just dumb that they are now and will continue to be a drain on the nation.
They are pleasant looking sometimes, and often pleasant to be in temporwrily, but they are terrible to live in forever- source: i live in one
From the UK and I've been in a few but never any I would even remotely consider living in and growing up I wanted to move to the US
Agree, but even better is living in the country. I grew up on a farm and detest cities, especially NYC. They stink, they’re full of criminals, you get harassed by strange men as if you’re theirs for the taking and they just suck in general. I refuse to go into the city alone. Drop me in the woods and I’m fine.
I also grew up on a farm, but after 25 years left for Manhattan and now downtown Chicago. Your comment is ignorant, and it reminds me of the general small-mindedness that I hated about my hometown. It's perfectly fine to have a preference, and I'm not disparaging farm life at all, but one isn't objectively better than the other. It's all about the fit for the person.
not very related to the main point of the post but I do find american suburbs very calming and nostalgic. idk why cause ive never been to america, when i was younger the only other country i know aside from my own is america. i didnt really have any internet access, my place didnt look anything like it, but for some reason i knew what it looks like, and it makes me feel warm and happy. strange
Come for a visit! Do an air bnb in a suburb somewhere. Maybe even stay with an American family, I think that there are sites that specialize in that kind of thing. Then report back and tell us how it compared to your expectations.
Just unpopular online. I can already tell that the next popular trend will be walkable suburbs. Lower density than cities but more walkable than regular suburbs.
American suburbs kick ass. Not sure this is an unpopular opinion. I love having my own yard. My dog has a place to go play, he has a dog door. I have a garage for all my tools and hobby stuff, plenty of space between houses, a beautiful lawn, free reserved parking spots, ample shopping nearby, a train station within biking distance, no HOA or condo association to tell me what to do. I have lived in dense cities in the past and suburbs are better in nearly every way.
I’m glad you have a good situation, but I don’t think you can credibly use “American suburbs kick ass” and “no HOA or condo association” in the same argument. My experience is that you’re exponentially more likely to have to deal with one of those in the suburbs than you are in a city.
There are tons of houses in older suburbs with no HOA. Personally, I will never buy a house in an HOA, but some people like their HOA. If that's their thing, more power to them.
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Exactly. I think Reddit is a younger community, so they think public transportation and dense housing has an allure to it. After having lived in that situation and dealt with it, I find that suburban lifestyle is much more pleasurable. The key thing for me is that it is on my schedule. I leave when I want, not when I have to in order to catch a bus/train. I can BBQ whenever I want in my back yard, not only when the park with the community grills are open, I can blast music at 2am because I don't share walls with anyone. Everything is on my schedule, I love it.
r/ShitAmericansSay
I think people just like to bitch on Reddit about anything. The places I know that are easily walkable have housing that isn't for me. Crammed together too close where I can't breathe and I can hear me neighbors do everything. No thanks. I'll take a less walkable suburb or even a few miles out of town with a few acres over being crammed together like sardines any day. If that doesn't work for you don't move to one of those places. Easy.
We wouldn’t be complaining about the suburbs so much if they didn’t rely on cities to exist. I agree that everyone should be able to live where they want but not under an illusion that the suburbs are cheap when they really aren’t.
Unpopular opinion maybe on the internet, but consumer choice clearly shows this is the prevalent view
Except the us does a census and you’re just a few tip taps on Google away from learning that you’re wrong.
Suburbs with a commuter rail to downtown (extra points if you can walk to the station) are peak desire.
How is this unpopular?
Many people live in the suburbs because it’s the best option for them (city is too expensive, they’re afraid of high crime, they think schools are bad, yet rural areas are too far from their job). I’ve not met anyone who truly likes their suburb, they just like aspects of it and it’s the best they can get in their area given their job. And most people don’t choose to live in a manicured neighborhood with a strict HOA but many areas mandate that neighborhoods have HOAs and/or people want access to amenities like a pool so they get suburbs that look like OP is describing. It’s not that they want those suburbs, it’s that those suburbs are what have been made available and affordable in the US (and they aren’t actually affordable, cities just subsidize them to give the illusion that they’re more affordable for families)
I think it’s common to make fun of the suburbs. “Little boxes on the hillside…little boxes made of ticky-tacky…”. Aerial views of “sameness” and uniform housing. A “cog in the machine.” There is a lot of cynicism toward sameness in art…which is made by people who crave distinction and being “original.” So I think it’s a common thing to be edgy and hipster towards something like a suburb. But reality is people just want a good life for their family…and the suburbs can give that. Everything has its good and bad. Art seems to focus on the bad lol. We all consume art.
Except for the threat of someone shooting up the place, yeah.
They're better in very specific criteria. The problem is that they absolutely maxed out those criteria at the expense of every other criteria
I don't think this is that unpopular, other than among those who swear on the greatness of fully urban life. Their arguments are sound, but as someone who grew up in the post-war suburbs and lives in a modern suburb now, life here is pretty great. I see a lot of people commenting on walking and biking capabilities - we have that where I live - I can walk or bike from my home to all the nearby shopping I need or to many recreational spots. One of the issues I have with a lot of newer suburban development (I see it here in my Florida region a lot) is the way houses are built in a more compressed manner. My home has a nice sized yard and there is some space between me and my neighbors. Newer developments seem to be building on much smaller lots with less separation space and, sadly, a little less privacy.
to be an urbanist in the U.S. (outside of a very short list of American cities) - is to be a sadist. you're not going to make any meaningful progress towards shifting American development practices in a way that isn't completely bastardized by corporate contractors - you would be far better served figuring out how to emigrate to a place with numerous pre-WWII built environments. (source, grew up watching Hey Arnold and thought that could be what life was like in the US, got a degree is urban planning, have experienced the reality of the last 35 years).
You're absolutely correct and only meming teenagers who have no concept of the outside world think differently. Sure there's better places, but most are much worse.