Re:Why parking minimums almost destroyed my town and how we ...
by ajuc on Wednesday December 05, 2018 @04:56AM
(#18606948)
It depends on the population density more than city size, I think.
I grew up in eastern Poland - it's a region with few big cities about 50 km apart on average, but there's well developed public transport between them, because countryside is relatively densely populated (even if it's just a chain of villages - it adds up).
Half the population of these villages commute to the big city 20-30 km away every day. People still own cars because it's convenient for shopping and family trips, but they don't need to use them every day for commute.
On the other hand you can have medium or big cities with mostly empty countryside between them (like in western Poland), and a car is required if you happen to live between these cities.
For reference - Poland has about 120 people per square km and is near the average for EU. USA has about 35 people per square km.
I grew up in eastern Poland - it's a region with few big cities about 50 km apart on average, but there's well developed public transport between them, because countryside is relatively densely populated (even if it's just a chain of villages - it adds up).
Half the population of these villages commute to the big city 20-30 km away every day. People still own cars because it's convenient for shopping and family trips, but they don't need to use them every day for commute.
On the other hand you can have medium or big cities with mostly empty countryside between them (like in western Poland), and a car is required if you happen to live between these cities.
For reference - Poland has about 120 people per square km and is near the average for EU. USA has about 35 people per square km.