Not Just Bikes
5 HN recommenders · recommended in 12 months, 2021–2024
7:19 · 2M views · Jun 29, 2020
Not Just Bikes explains how small pockets of shops and restaurants inside residential Dutch neighbourhoods create liveliness and help reduce traffic. It argues this kind of mixed-use design has been illegal in most of the US and Canada for a century because of zoning, and should be brought back.
HN commenters link it in zoning, housing and car-dependency threads as an accessible explanation of how single-use zoning and parking rules shape cities.
14 comments from Hacker News
Yes, and it's often referred to as 'gentle density'. The idea is to build relatively dense housing, but at a human scale - mostly 3-5 storeys. Combined with narrow streets that support walking and cycling, this creates enough density to support a 'real' city centre with shops, restaurants, offices and so on. I think these videos convey the idea well: * this video * [LINK] Of course, this is not to say that you _can't_ build other kinds of housing. But many cities are badly balanced.
No but there is way less dependence on cars, at least in medium cities and up. Many developments in america just build suburban deserts where there is just more single family homes around you, where you have to drive to the next supermarket, both because it's so far away, and because sometimes there literally isn't a way for pedestrians to walk on. There are a few good videos on the subject: * [LINK] * this video * [LINK]
The whole medieval cities designed for walking is not actually true. Not just bikes youtube channel( this video ) has a great video about this. Here he has taken Houston as an example.
There is something in between NYC and an American-style suburb. I encourage you to take a look at Not Just Bikes [1,2]: [1] [LINK] [2] this video
Oh boy you are in for a treat. Google parking minimums and single family zoning. And watch some videos from this channel: this video