The Dumbest Excuse for Bad Cities

Not Just Bikes
19 Jun 202312:59
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video script discusses common excuses Americans make for why their cities are car-dependent and unwalkable, especially that the US is 'too big' for quality public transit. It refutes this by showing data that most trips are actually short distances, land use is the real issue rather than size, and there are many regional city pairs perfect for rail connections. It argues that lack of efficient land use policies have allowed endless sprawl, making things too spread out to walk, cycle or support public transit, unlike better-planned cities in Europe and Asia.

Takeaways
  • 😒 Americans make excuses for why their cities are terribly designed compared to European cities
  • 😮 Over 45% of trips in the US are less than 5km, very bikeable/walkable distances
  • 🚴‍♂️ North American cities used to be very walkable before being bulldozed for cars
  • 🚆 The US and Canada were built on trains originally, not cars
  • 🚄 Many city pairs in the US are perfect for high-speed rail
  • 🌆 Bad land use policies lead to spread out, inefficient cities that can't support good transit
  • 🚜 The Netherlands protects farmland leading to efficient land use and agriculture exports
  • 🏘️ The US wastes 750,000 acres per year building sprawling suburbs
  • 😕 Actually fixing North American cities is extremely difficult at this point
  • 😀 Supporting this channel on Nebula or Patreon helps make more videos!
Q & A

  • What is the main excuse North Americans use for why their cities are not walkable?

    -That their country is 'too big' to have proper infrastructure for walkability and public transportation.

  • What evidence does the narrator provide that trip distances are actually quite short in the US?

    -He states that over 45% of all trips in the US are 3 miles or less, which is easily walkable or bikeable.

  • How does the narrator counter the 'too big' argument regarding trains in North America?

    -He explains that the US and Canada were built on an extensive railroad system that used to connect most cities and towns, so the size of the countries is not a real impediment.

  • Why does the narrator say that bad land use practices are the root cause of transportation issues in North America?

    -Because cities waste land on low-density construction like surface parking lots instead of using land efficiently, which spreads things out too much for effective public transit.

  • What does the narrator say is the main reason he and his family moved to the Netherlands from North America?

    -Because he feels North American cities are too damaged by car-centric design to be fixed in the foreseeable future, whereas Dutch cities are well-designed for walkability.

  • How much agricultural land does the narrator say the US destroys per year for suburban development?

    -Over 750,000 acres per year.

  • What counterpoint does the narrator raise regarding the Netherlands having good land use practices simply because it is a small country?

    -He explains that the Netherlands has policies and regulations specifically meant to encourage efficient land use, such as protecting high quality farmland, rather than size being the key factor.

  • What does the narrator say is his favorite 'lame excuse' that North Americans use?

    -When someone looks up the size of the Netherlands on Wikipedia or Google to try to prove it's not comparable to the US.

  • How many times has the narrator personally driven across North America?

    -8 times.

  • What streaming platform does the narrator recommend to avoid ads and sponsor messages?

    -Nebula

Outlines
00:00
😒 Excuses for why North American cities are terrible

Paragraph 1 discusses common excuses Americans and Canadians make about why their cities are so poorly designed compared to European cities. These excuses usually involve citing differences in size, weather, culture etc. But the real issues are ignorance, lack of good urban planning, car dependency and destruction of previously walkable downtowns.

05:05
🚂 North America was built on trains and streetcars

Paragraph 2 explains how most cities in the US and Canada were actually built around train stations and streetcar lines in walkable downtowns. But these were later bulldozed to make room for highways and parking lots. So the idea that North America wasn't built for public transit is false.

10:10
👩‍🌾 North America wastes land with bad policies

Paragraph 3 argues that land use policies which encourage suburban sprawl and destruction of farmland are a deliberate choice, not an inevitability. The Netherlands protects its farmland through smart regulations. Spread out cities make good public transit impossible. So restating these problems as excuses why they can't be fixed is not helpful.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡urban planning
Urban planning refers to the design and organization of cities and neighborhoods. The video says most Americans are ignorant about urban planning, which is why their cities are so poorly designed and car dependent. Good urban planning focuses on walkability, public transit, and efficient land use.
💡walkability
Walkability means how easy and pleasant it is to walk around a city or neighborhood. The video advocates for walkable neighborhoods with amenities and transit connections nearby, allowing people to access their daily needs without cars. Americans take few walking trips due to unsafe streets and spread out development.
💡public transportation
Public transportation like trains, buses and trams allow people to travel around cities without needing a car. The video criticizes poor public transit in the US and Canada compared to Europe and Asia. Efficient land use and walkable cities are needed to make public transit work well.
💡car dependency
Car dependency refers to cities and lifestyles built around the assumption that a car is necessary to get around. The video says the problem is not cars themselves but rather forcing people to drive for lack of other options. Car infrastructure destroyed walkable neighborhoods in North America.
💡land use
Land use means how land is utilized in cities, whether for housing, businesses, parking lots etc. The video highlights wasteful land use patterns in the US and Canada that spread things out too much for walking or transit. In contrast, the Netherlands uses land efficiently to preserve farmland.
💡agricultural land
Agricultural land refers to farms and countryside for growing food. The video praises Dutch policies that prevent suburban sprawl from destroying agricultural land, while North America wastefully converts farms to car-based development.
💡suburban sprawl
Suburban sprawl describes car-dependent communities of single-family homes spreading outwards from cities. The video condemns suburban sprawl in North America for wasting land and making walkability impossible. Sprawl continues today by paving over farms and nature.
💡high-speed rail
High-speed rail refers to fast intercity train systems in Europe and Asia that connect major cities. The video rebuts excuses that the US and Canada are too big for high-speed rail, giving examples of existing high-speed networks in large countries.
💡streetcars
Streetcars are trams or light rail lines that used to exist in most North American towns and cities but were later ripped out. The video explains that walkable communities connected by rail and streetcars were the norm before car-centric planning.
💡stroads
Stroads are a type of street design common in North America that tries to simultaneously move high volumes of car traffic while providing access to destinations. This creates an unpleasant and unsafe environment for walking or biking.
Highlights

Americans are uniquely ignorant about urban planning because American cities are very poorly designed.

People do not travel across their country on a regular basis, they travel within their city, so the only thing that really matters is the design of that city.

The problem is not cars, it's car dependency. We need to give people the freedom to not have to drive.

American cities were not 'built for the car', they were bulldozed for the car.

A hundred years ago, you could get a train from almost any city to just about any other city on the continent.

US and Canadian cities waste land. They use huge amounts of land for single-family housing, surface parking lots, low-density developments, and excessively wide stroads.

The United States destroys over 750,000 acres of natural and agricultural land every year to build sprawling suburbs.

The Netherlands doesn't have good land use because it's small, it has good land use because there were policies and regulations put in place to use land efficiently.

When Americans say something like “US cities are too big and spread out to do [whatever]” then yes, that is true. But that is literally the problem that urbanists are trying to solve.

Actually fixing American and Canadian cities after they were destroyed by car infrastructure, and built to be car-dependent, is a very daunting task.

Ultimately, the Dutch make great places while North Americans make excuses.

Nebula is a fantastic streaming platform and many of the creators you already watch are already on there.

Sign up for Nebula using my link and get 40% off an annual plan, as well as support this channel.

Visit Nebula or Patreon to support the channel without paying me to make excuses.

I'd like to thank my supporters on Nebula and Patreon who don't pay me to make excuses.

Transcripts

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