Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it

Re:Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it by ZoeZoeBee on Friday February 17, 2017 @02:01AM (#13666490)

Leipzig is a small city, especially metro area wise compared to the US's large cities.

As far as density, people per square kilometer.

10,831 NYC

5,344 Boston

4,447 Chicago

3,198 LA

1,985 Detroit

1,900 Leipzig

1,414 Houston

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it by dashundchen on Friday February 17, 2017 @02:25AM (#13666597)

I'm on mobile so unfortunately I have no easy way to provide comparisons. But living in a rust belt city and being familiar with the difference in development patterns, I suspect those numbers are an artifact of the extent of city limits. I'd be happy to look later.

Ie Leipzigs boundary for that number includes the city and undeveloped/agricultural/rural areas in the surrounding metro, where Detroit's number is the developed city limits, excluding the suburbs, exurbs and agricultural places in the metro.

I don't mean to get too bogged down in this point too much. I wanted to point out there are plenty of lessons we can learn from pre-auto cities to make our future more livable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it by ZoeZoeBee on Friday February 17, 2017 @02:41AM (#13666639)

Yes, I provided you the numbers for city's proper in all cases.

No, Leipzig's boundary for that number does not include their larger Urban Area. Looking at the metropolitan area population of those cities Leipzig is 843,619 while Detroit, the rust belt city you mention, is over 4 million according to OECD.

http://www.oecd.org/gov/regional-policy/all.pdf

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Re:Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it by dashundchen on Friday February 17, 2017 @02:59AM (#13666698)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Leipzig,+Germany/@51.32782...

If you compare the official city limits with the satellite view you will see the developed area containing most of the population is much smaller than the city limits, and you might understand what I am getting at. I think the appropriate measure here would be the weighted density, closer to representing the average density a person there would be surrounded by.

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Re:Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it by adrianN on Friday February 17, 2017 @03:28AM (#13666792)

Then why is it easy to live without a car in Leipzig, but (as I learned somewhere else in this thread), impossible in Houston? Density is about the same.

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Re:Let’s not demonize driving, just stop subsidizing it by CalRobert on Friday February 17, 2017 @04:39AM (#13667070)

Because even in mid-low density European towns and cities the diversity of land use is greater. Shops, pubs, and parks are permitted to be near housing, as opposed to the US which makes it illegal to have a shop near your house in much of the country.

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