• malloc@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Decades of rebuilding downtowns to accommodate vehicle traffic and commuters is the problem.

    • people commuting from the Styx often do not reside within the same county they work in. County/City budget revenues decreased
    • even if those residents happen to live in the same county or municipal area, cities were rebuilt to accommodate vehicle traffic. Highways cutting through urban cores. Areas where people once lived are replaced with parking lots/garages.
    • city budgets further decimated by having to increase coverage of services (water, electric, sewage, …). Increased coverage requirement means new infrastructure. New infrastructure means more maintenance cost as the years progress. Also, first responders often stretched. Cities struggle to hire the correct amount of people to cover area
    • poorly zoned cities with single use zoning are largely to blame as well. Many cities have dedicated commercial or residential only zones. Thus creating this strong coupling on vehicle commuters to come to office, spend money on lunch, then fuck off back to their shitty suburban home. If cities rezoned and allowed for more diverse zoning (mixed use, higher density). The problem of businesses that relied on commuters becomes a non-issue since that is largely replaced by walkin traffic.
    • poorly designed cities replacing walkability with “vehicle accessibility”. This means the city has to maintain expensive road infrastructure. Also makes it very difficult to consider alternative forms of transportation to get to/from restaurants, entertainment, general living, grocery store.
    • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s “the sticks”, not “the Styx” unless they’re coming from a Tommy Shaw concert or commuting from the bowels of hell. :)

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Decades of rebuilding downtowns to accommodate vehicle traffic and commuters is the problem.

      More like “demolishing” than “rebuilding,” but otherwise you’re spot-on!