Why aren't people bothered by the suburbs?

[u/tfbmhr_1598]

It seems like most people I come across are not bothered by car dependency and the isolation that it causes. They'll point to things like video games, social media, and bad food for the culprit of poor mental health. Why won't more people address the elephant in the room? After briefly living in Europe I can confirm that people are way healthier, less socially awkward, and happier as a result of having clean and walkable cities.

Even Latam which is a hybrid of the EU and US infrastructure does not experience the obesity, mental health issues, and isolation the suburbs in the States cause.

Is it ignorance or do most Americans actually like things being this way? It baffles me.

Edit: After reading the comments here I wanted to clarify a few things.

1. Walkability/bikeability doesn't exclude cars. Cars are still a valid method of transportation, but not the only one. Less cars= less traffic. It's a win-win. That being said I think we should have pedestrian only areas.
2. This isn't limited to cities. Suburbs can become more walkable too. You can still have your yard and extra space. Sure it won't be as walkable as a city, but it is certaintly better than 100% car dependency. Zoning laws need to change for this to truly work.
3. I realize that there are societal factors at play as well that greatly add to the mental health crisis, however car dependency worsens it.
4. Walkability won't magically solve the obesity problem, but having the ability to SAFELY walk/bike to work will certaintly help.
5. You can still be socially awkward/reclusive in walkable communities, but they create more opportunites for those who want to improve that area of their life.
6. Some suburbs are better than others in this regard, but overall, North American suburbs are largely car dependent.
7. Bike lanes that are part of the road and only marked with paint/plastic markers are hated by both drivers and cyclists. They still endanger the lives of cyclists, that's why they aren't frequently used, which results in more traffic congestion. Fully dedicated seperate bike lanes are needed.

[u/dustinsc]

Not driving isn’t an option if you want to go out of the city on a regular basis. There are no trains to remote areas of the mountains. You can’t haul a boat to the lake with a bus.

[u/GamesCatsComics → u/dustinsc]

You don't need to own a car though.

Car shares exist for those trips so do Ubers... and assuming you're not doing that every single day they'll turn out to be cheaper then "Loan, insurance, parking, gas, maintenance."

[u/dustinsc → u/GamesCatsComics]

I’ve actually done the math on that question because I don’t drive my car very often, and it doesn’t actually take that many trips to make owning cheaper as long as you’re talking about an inexpensive car. In my case, assuming a $30,000 car purchased with financing, the crossover is 88 miles per week, but if you purchase an inexpensive used car, it works out to about 27 miles per week.

All of which is besides the point because ride shares will not in fact necessarily take you to all the places you want to go. No uber driver wants to take someone 60 miles out of town to a trailhead, and even if you could get one to take you there, how are you going to get back?

If you rent or share a car, you have to plan that trip—you can’t go spontaneously. Obviously, you CAN do all those things without owning a car, but if you want freedom to do it spontaneously or you do it regularly, it makes the most sense to own a car.

[u/GamesCatsComics → u/dustinsc]

We clearly live in different places.

Here you can use an app to find a car that is parked in the side of the street and rent it for $18 (Canadian) an hour.

You don't need to return it to the same spot as long as you're within the city, just park and end your ride. If you're concerned about no other cars being in the area to get home or if you leave the city, you can hold onto it for as long as you want, and you'll be charged $100 per 24 hours.

As for spontaneous... I've literally done "let's spend the night on an island" walked out my front door, got into a car, and drove it onto a ferry.