I have 3 kids. In the city I can afford a 2 bedroom in the suburbs I can get whatever I need. It's not that I prefer it... It's not really an option
this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2026
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If the suburbs weren't subsizided and homeowners had to pay premiums for living so far from central services it may change their opinion.
They didnt ask me or anyone I know
How about a any house in a cycling-based community?
Ok that's misleading a bit. The poll asked if you'd rather live in a larger house that's further from other people but stuff like restaurants are miles away, or smaller and closer together but stuff like restaurants are within walking distance. I'm paraphrasing but only slightly here.
You're extrapolating the car based and walking based part, but these people could also want more public transportation and bike routes. Maybe these people already live in cramped apartment buildings and just dream of having a big house. There's other factors than just "me dum American me want car"
Yeah sorry, neighbors are usually assholes who stick their noses in other peoples business. I'll live as far from other people as I can.
If I could choose my friends as neighbors it'd be different.
Seriously, I just don't want to be bothered by people or live in an apartment where I get to hear my neighbors or constantly encounter them.
Why?
Why don't I want to be bothered by or hear all my neighbors? Is this an honest question? Do you like hearing everyone around you? Do you hate peace and quiet?
Because I prefer the peace and quiet. I also do not want to engage in small talk or feel obligated to acknowledge people out of courteousy and maintaining peace with them when I just want to go about my day.
I don't want to hear people fucking, or fighting, or their kids running around the apartment or any other bullshit that comes with apartment life. Apartments suck ass and I never want to live in one again.
@JigglySackles @Beeen132 The leaf blowers of suburbia are a hell of a lot louder and more annoying than the vast majority of noises people in an apartment can make.
Yeah it's unclear how much fantasy was allowed with these questions. Like if commute and money and pollution were no object I'd prefer to live on 1000 acres in the mountains with a cabin-mansion and hobby farm.
But realistically for cost and commute I just want a big yard for gardening, and peace and quiet.
Most Americans are selfish fucks.
Signed,
An American.
Probably due to most of them already living in car based societies that are far apart. Living like that makes me people hate their neighbors, and they want no one to encroach on their kingdoms
Every apartment I have ever lived in has been akin to hell on earth. Loud, unruly neighbors. Unwalkable area. So far away from amenities it takes 15 minutes of driving to get anything. No shade. Bad smells.
Its no wonder. There's a few awesome neighborhoods i would love to move to, with great walkable street, groceries, books, restaurants all only a few minutes of walking away. I would love to move to those places but they are so expensive I could never dream of it.
I don't necessarily want a big house but I do want space for a workshop where I can build/fix furniture and such and a garden where I can sit outside and chill by myself. I don't see how I could have those things living in an apartment.
Moot point though. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford a house. Let alone a nice one.
Why does it have to be 1 or the other in a city? You can absolutely have both in mixed development, add in shops for basic needs as well. Is it going to be as big a a suburban place? No, but you can have a small garden and a garage.
It's really weird and unnerving seeing American cities and suburbs. They are so badly planned/zoned for actual living, when compared to European countries
Most US folks may not believe it, but South American cities are also much nicer to live in than US cities.
I don't know, I'm not a housing developer. If I could those things and be able to walk to places that'd be dope, but if I have to choose I'm going with the option that gives me the things I want over walkability.
54% of Americans read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
I bet there's a lot of overlap between these two groups.
Some of us have big houses in walkable communities. You can have both, though you have to sacrifice on the yard / lawn (which is a good thing anyways, seeing what Americans do with theirs ; which is to say they do nothing, and on purpose too !)
For me the yard is what I really want. Being able to grow fruits and veggies and attract birds and pollinators is my jam. I think my family could live quite happily with basically a bedroom attached to a big kitchen. But I don’t think I could forfeit the yard.
This is my problem. I essentially want a suburban-sized lot, cause I would make use of every inch of it. I really dont want to live surrounded by 1000 other identical lots full of people who just want to have a big patch of non-native turf grass that they are going to complain about in the rare event that I see them actually outside of their house.
I think there are a hell of a lot of people who would actually be happier in just a roomier condo or townhouse if they: 1) had ever lived in one that wasn't just the cheapest possible student housing, and 2) they weren't conditioned to believe that a single family detached home is the only place that a non-poor person should live.
I prefer a 80m2 apartment in a walking/public transport based community tyvm.
I would guess that many people have never lived in a good, dense, location. My parents would vote for farther apart, but when they think of the city they think of The Warriors
It'd be interesting to poll only people who have lived in a variety of places.
I grew up in a car-focused suburb and never want to go back.
Yeah the very idea of a non-car based community is so far removed from most Americans’ brains that they think they’d have to walk 10 miles through snow or ride “dangerous, unpredictable public transit” just to get groceries. I happen to live somewhere with a nice little “downtown ish” area. There’s just one line of blocks that’s got most everything you’d need: grocery store, post office, library, some restaurants/bars. My only complain is that there’s only like 2 or 3 little apartment complexes within a 10 min walk. Everything else is houses
If i were too fat to walk, i would too
That's not the only reasons you might not be able to walk, and we do need to keep non-walkers in mind when designing cities.
I believe there are better solutions that each individual operating a multi-ton machine that requires non-renewable resources. (Even my EV requires tire changes, and AFAIK, we haven't figured out a cyclic economy for them.)
The EU managed to have about 97% tire recovery, so why should the US not be capable of it as well?
Thank you for the link, TIL. I really thought it was still a bigger problem than that.
My point mostly stands; I'd personally like to get to where I feel independent without a personal vehicle, and I think it would be better for all of us if there were fewer of them in active you.
I have the best of both worlds: small house in a car-based community. Sigh.
Well, it is a country famous for being stupid and selfish and celebrating both...
Why not both?
Big yard
Small town
Everything you need in the town centre
Bus going around every 30 minutes
Good enough for me.
When I started writing this post I thought
I would only write two or three
Lines
And now this format has proven
Inefficient
Doesn't work if the small town is one gigantic stroad of abandoned or soon to fail local shops, that cuts the town in half. And the only flanking businesses are corporate mega chains that asphyxiate the local economy. Which are like 90% of small towns™ in the USA.
I don't understand it. Good public transit, a townhouse of an appropriate size, and most of what I need in walking distance would be amazing. Yeah I may still want a car, but I'd have to seriously ask myself if it's worth the cost
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