FuzzyUrbanist

Side Blog for Lesbian Urbanist Ramblings

[fuzzyurbanist]

It has been said already but car dependency is also rooted in classism. Every time I hear the argument that "public transit is bad because our busses and trains are full of homeless people and drug dealers" it makes me so mad. What's wrong with sharing a space with people in a lower socioeconomic status than you? Maybe if more people like you used the public transit, then it wouldn't be so proportionately full of homeless people and drug dealers and "undesirables." Not that it's inherently bad in the first place. It's just cheap and effective (sometimes) transportation. But no we have to sit in our separated 2 ton metal boxes that way pay sooo much money for, just to reinforce our socioeconomic status, and exclude every other human in our lives that aren't coworkers or family.

[fuzzyurbanist]

Everyday I mourn the loss of America's passenger rail system back in the 19th century. Maybe in an alternate universe where we didn't let racists build highways through black neighborhoods we could've had the biggest high-speed rail system in the world.

[fuzzyurbanist]

"Trees tear up sidewalks if they're planted close" is the most bullshit excuse I've heard for not planting trees and greenery by sidewalks. oh no look at these trees just absolutely ripping up the sidewalk whatever shall we do! Trees make sidewalks more visually interesting, they help protect pedestrians from cars, they provide shade, the list goes on.

[fuzzyurbanist]

I've legit tried to find bad parts of the Netherlands and finding articles about it they're all like "Here are bad parts of the Netherlands to avoid" and it still looks like this:

[fuzzyurbanist]

Having a bar in walking distance of your house is a human right that everyone should have.

[fantasmadelaciudad]

i'll be honest thinking about las vegas makes me nauseous.

[fantasmadelaciudad]

like this shouldnt be possible.

[sillyspekter]

Every part of Vegas feels like it's pulled out of fiction and is Incredibly off-putting. It's a major city in the middle of one of the world's most inhospitable deserts

Its famous for recreating other world landmarks on a small scale. It uses this as a trap to bait people into making life ruining decisions. It's motto is essentially "never speak of what happened here". Fucked up

[fuzzyurbanist]

I understand now, even going on a short walk, how important it is for sidewalks to be shaded. It's so damn hot and the sidewalk I was on had plenty of space beside it for trees. It's so hot during the summer and shade makes a huuuge difference.

[fuzzyurbanist]

I just love how good urbanism LOOKS good. Like it doesnt take a rocket scientist to say that a walkable street with bike lanes painted a nice color, or are lined with trees for shade, maybe separated from the road with a grassy buffer, looks way better than a wide strip of concrete with some yellow and white lines painted on it.

[fuzzyurbanist]

I've kinda slept on NorCal cities. San Francisco is a pretty neat city with some good urbanism goin on. Still don't care for LA tho

[fuzzyurbanist]

Having a bar in walking distance of your house is a human right that everyone should have.

[fuzzyurbanist]

Starting to think that the rise of the car has always been a way to keep the classes divided and especially keeping people of color oppressed further. Henry Ford was a raging anti-semite (he was mentioned by name in Mein Kampf) and union buster, when they built the highways they demolished predominantly black neighborhoods first (especially ones that had rising wealth and good assets/houses) and racially divided suburbs even further by plopping a highway in the middle of it.

And going back to the class struggle too. Cars are a massive waste of money and are a depriciating asset. If you buy a car as a wealthy person, the depriciation doesnt effect you as much OR you have a rare car that APPRECIATES in value.

Also car dependency and unwalkability reinforces toxic american individualism, and it keeps us from coming together and organizing. It also just kills us because we don't get any exercise and we sit around all day drinking cokes and eating processed foods.

I love cars, dont get me wrong, I love the vroom vrooms. But if you really think about it, it just all exists as a way to reinforce capitalism

[fs-oyaji]

E231系800番台。

[fuzzyurbanist]

It's weird that nobody really ever thinks too much about those news articles where they're like "here's a storage container that you can live in for cheap" or videos like "here's the smallest apartment and rent is only $800 a month" or something like that. Pretty depressing and dehumanizing if you ask me. You shouldn't even be allowed to live in those conditions.

[fuzzyurbanist]

One benefit to trains are the fact that rail is wayy more cheaper to maintain than a road. Who would've thunk that small metal rails that probably rust and maybe the rocks underneath have to be replaced or moved around are cheaper than the wide bed of asphalt that very easily erodes and cracks and has to be completely repaved.

[fuzzyurbanist]

American individualism is stupid! We are a social species! We can't have our transit keep us in little metal separated boxes away from each other! We need transit that puts us together with our fellow human! We need third places! We need more diverse cities and communities! We need to stop believing that everyone's out to get each other! Raaaaaaaah

[radiolexy]

i love travelling on a train or bus every day and listening to all the people yapping about whatever. or toning them out while listening to music. either way. that connection is important.

[fuzzyurbanist]

American individualism is stupid! We are a social species! We can't have our transit keep us in little metal separated boxes away from each other! We need transit that puts us together with our fellow human! We need third places! We need more diverse cities and communities! We need to stop believing that everyone's out to get each other! Raaaaaaaah

[fuzzyurbanist]

Cant believe in America we let 14 year olds drive and 16 year olds drive on their own. I don't think kids necessarily shouldnt be driving, but I hate that cars are such a necessity to do anything that its treated like a great thing just due to it giving you more independence. Murica