How Modern America Is Optimized for Loneliness, Misery and Poor Health by David Friedlander May 24, 2024
"...What do housing, transit and lifestyle statistics have to do with loneliness and unhappiness, you might ask. Well...separating people physically also leads to emotional and psychological separation. Moreover, the implements that make sprawl-induced physical separation work on a societal level — cars to contract long distances and digital media to ameliorate the effects of social isolation — deepen loneliness and unhappiness on the personal level. These implements also make people sedentary, directly relating to the fact that 73% of the total American population is overweight and 42% is obese, per the CDC.
One of the biggest issues is population density. At the risk of oversimplifying, it’s a lot harder to socially isolate when there are people around you..."
Looks like another successful #OpenStreets for #boston#dorchester with a whole bunch of both gov and charity causes pitching their ideas alongside music, games, food and plenty of nicks and nacks.
The real success is seeing RBCs (roving bands of children) just enjoying the #carFree street. More of this!
Huh, the new Bears proposal for a stadium is... wildly different than I expected :otter_peek: I really like what the renders did with the old Soldier Field columns (and frankly, the UFO they landed inside of it was always a massively ugly waste of money). I feel mostly ambivalent on the proposal I think, provided taxpayers aren't on the hook for it.
If this proposal actually happens, civic leaders from the south side really should lobby hard for the CTA to revisit the Gold Line proposal to take part of the existing Metra electric right-of-way and turn it into a rapid transit corridor. If the city really wants to revitalize the lakefront and drive tourism, they should focus on increasing access between the lakefront parks (the stupid bean/Millennium Park, Grant Park, etc), the Museum Campus (the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Planetarium, Soldier Field), McCormick Place, and Jackson Park (the Museum of Science and Industry and the new Barack Obama Presidential Library). Plus the Gold Line could be used to bring a valuable link for south lake shore communities between the Loop all the way down to South Chicago. :vg_puro_shrug: Seems like a win/win to me.
Side note: Also, boost the Green Line back to Jackson Park like it used to be :neofox_what: It'd make for a great transfer point for people between the Gold Line and the Green Line.
@Malleus The CTA is also facing a fiscal cliff which is... not great. Not sure why we can't do congestion pricing in the city center to help cover the CTA shortfall, but hey, this is America and fuck everyone who doesn't have a car I guess.
So far their proposal doesn't actually involve taxpayer funding beyond the existing 2% hotel tax that they project will grow over time. They want to use bond funding from the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which, to me, reads as a big "we're not actually sure lol, let's go beg J.B., who is notably not enthusiastic about the project, for more funding."
My best guess is that they do what they did for the Soldier Field and Comiskey Park (no I'm not calling it Guaranteed Rate) renovations where they predicate their funding based on future projected tax revenue, then the taxpayers are going to be on the hook when those projections prove to be a joke.
And yeah, the Bears are a fucking joke.
BUT, if we're stuck with this proposal, my standpoint is the south side milks it for better transit. :blobfoxevil:
Can cities be made more livable ?
Exhibit A: Utrecht
It is being viewed as the correction of a historic mistake.More than 40 years after parts of the canal that encircled Utrecht’s old town were concreted over to accommodate a 12-lane motorway, the Dutch city celebrates restoration of its 900-year-old moat. #urban#transit#cities#cityplanning
Does anyone know (personally, professionally, or otherwise) of municipal regulations requiring green space on commercial property? US is most useful, but I'll take anything, and from green roof to potted plants by the door.
Please boost, and please suggest hashtags that might help!
As the article is behind a paywall, here are some useful points (excerpts):
"Good Living, one vision that will be applied to all of Brussels, looks to improve the quality of life for all the city's residents. The focus lies on three key principles covering all areas of living spaces: public space, urbanism and the habitability of the city."
America’s best example of turning around a dying downtown: Cleveland leads the nation by far in finding new uses for empty office buildings. Their public square is the heart of downtown.
Why is it that every time I see a new city planning proposal from "the left" there is zero realism? For example, in the last week I've seen two different proposals that replace all cars with rail, and then blithely add that people can reach the nearest station by bike. Tell that to vision-impaired me, or my limited-mobility partner. Also, how do people carry large loads?
I'd love to get away from reliance on private cars. We won't do it by ignoring reality.
Cyberpunk has long dominated the scifi dystopian beat. Now there is a new kid on the block by the name of Solar Punk and it is not so dystopian. In fact, it may be the last hope for our civilization.
New Job, New Intro Post! My name is Kyle and I recently accepted a Job as a Timekeeper at the Municipality of #Anchorage. I formerly worked at USPS for 8 years an was a #union steward there for 2 years. I'm interested in #vegan food, #urbanism , #CityPlanning#micromobility#cycling and Local #Organizing. I also have the pleasure of being a moderator for Alaskan.social and help with the financial admin of the instance. Its a pleasure to be on this fediverse with you all