ValuyMost Americans would rather live in a big house in a car-based community than a small house in a walking-based community.
TheReturnOfPEBI think that it is because many Americans have no experience with the other as a lifestyle.
I’ve had it both ways, and there’s nothing that compares to having your own house and land with privacy away from noisy neighbors.
When I lived in a city there were more things to do, and I could bike to work, but the crowding feels like a social prison. Also I saw some people get shot, and thieves stole things from my porch repeatedly.
KoboldCoterieI grew up in exactly that kind of environment; really, the land (and the wildlife that comes with it) is the bit I miss the most. I’d take a very modest house on a decent plot of land in the middle of the woods to living in a city.
LibertyLizardI want to live in a modest house within walking distance of downtown and unspoiled wilderness. How do make this happen?
Look for an older town, built out before cars.
I have a lot of that where I live
- walkable downtown, centered on a train station - settled since 1600s, bedroom community of a major city
- first zone for single family homes so I do have a small yard/driveway/basement yet still walkable to center of town
- I got one of the “new” houses, built in 1946 out of very solid materials, with a usable basement, yard, and driveway. For example, my own EV charging
- just a few blocks away is a sizable reservation of undeveloped land and a six mile loop of ridge trail - we occasionally get coyotes that presumably live there