---
title: "Urban sprawl and car dependence – some thoughts on solutions"
date: 2021-10-31
description: "What is urban sprawl? The idea of a walkable city Solution #1: Switch from gas to EV cars in the suburbs <a..."
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/urban-sprawl-solutions/
---
# Urban sprawl and car dependence – some thoughts on solutions
Beyond congestion and car dependence, though, urban sprawl increases pollution and global warming, reduces the use of public transportation (busses run empty and have fewer stops due to lack of demand), reinforces racial divides through single-family-zoned housing (which eliminates less expensive multi-unit dwellings), encourages massive parking lots everywhere (creating the urban hell cementscape), increases [pedestrian and bicyclist accidents/deaths](https://www.theurbanist.org/2021/02/04/24-deaths-in-2020-show-seattle-still-falling-woefully-short-of-vision-zero-pledge) (as well as de-incentivizes biking — no one wants to bike when their life is at risk), removes the greenery by destroying ecosystems (single-family homes are space inefficient and require parking garages), and more.

All of these problems are severe and worthy of discussion, but I want to focus on the transportation aspect. Urban sprawl promotes a car-dependent world. All those people like me who chose to buy a home in a residential area of a bedroom community are furthering the dependence on cars. Cars clog up streets and make it unsafe to walk or bike. They can convert what might be a walking paradise of downtown shops and livelihood to a dangerous urban hell with cars whizzing by everywhere.

## The idea of a walkable city

One solution for avoiding a car-dependent world is to create walkable cities. A walkable city allows you to get to most things within 20 minutes (or allows you to easily hop on public transportation to go farther). More importantly, walkable cities make walking appealing to people. According to [Project Drawdown](https://drawdown.org/solutions/walkable-cities):

> Walkable trips are not simply those with a manageable distance from point A to point B, perhaps a 10- to 15-minute journey on foot. They have walk appeal, thanks to a density of fellow walkers, a mix of land and real estate uses, and key design elements that create compelling environments for people on foot. Infrastructure for walkability can include:
> 
> 

> - density of homes, workplaces, and other spaces

> - wide, well-lit, tree-lined sidewalks and walkways

> - safe and direct pedestrian crossings

> - connectivity with mass transit.

> 

New York City is one of the best examples of walkable cities. You don’t need a car to get by in New York City; in fact, having a car is actually a liability in New York City (parking it is a huge, costly, time-consuming headache). Walking down Broadway in New York City is an appealing, visually stimulating activity, full of window shopping, people-watching, and landscape exploring. Places like New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami have [high walkability scores](https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/), freeing those residents from a car-dependent lifestyle.

While the walkable city seems like a cool innovation, it’s problematic. The problem is that most desirable downtown options are unaffordable — for example, a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Seattle, with about 1,000 square feet, will cost ~$4K or more in rent. Homeownership would most likely involve a small condo only. The high costs make it so only dual-income professionals can afford to live there, and lower-salary workers are driven out.

Less expensive housing in downtown areas usually involves undesirable living conditions — renting a home that’s more than 120 years old and falling apart, for example, or living in a failing school zone, or living in a dangerous drug-infested neighborhood, or living right next to a freeway.

In contrast, housing options in the suburbs include two or three times as much space, much newer homes, yards, ample parking, and more greenery — in addition to costing much less. You can achieve the American dream with a house of your own, white picket fence, dog running in the grassy backyard, etc. The only tradeoff: you must drive a car everywhere. That’s the price you pay — being chained to your car. Urban sprawl dictates a car-only infrastructure. For most people, the car-dependent lifestyle is a price they’re willing to pay, especially with the trends toward working from home.