Why suburbia sucks (Atlanta, Roswell, Marietta: pros and cons, friendly, commuters)

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by arjay57

We cook a lot at my house and it's by no means necessary to go the grocery store every day. I get squash, okra, cabbage, snap beans, sweet potatoes, spinach and tomatoes from our garden and fresh eggs from the lady next door. The man across the road has a farm out in Oglethorpe and in the summer he brings home truckloads of produce two or three times a month. There are plenty of farmers markets around here as well. I bake a good bit of our bread from scratch. Some years I make arrangements with cattlemen and hunters for beef and venison sausage. We often can soup and we put up a bunch of pickles just last weekend. We have an extra freezer in the basement that I got from the scratch and dent at the Sears outlet so we can also lay in a good bit of food there.

None of this is dependent on TOD or mass transit.

Where do you live?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

And now that the rest of us have returned to reality... Society has pressured many people into thinking they need all these expensive toys, etc. To afford those amenities many families have dual incomes and don't have the time for fresh, home cooking everyday. But if we developed these mixed-use, amentity rich nodes around transit stations, it would aid in allowing transit riders to shop (every couple days, etc.) before getting in their vehicle, Uber, bus, bike, etc. and going home. Therefore removing the barrier of 'making another trip before going home.'

You make some good points, cq.

I think a lot of us would enjoy the simple life. Walk out the front door, stroll down to the corner boulangerie for a croissant and coffee and then be whisked away by a sleek train to your job in a downtown highrise. On the way home you stop off to pick up a baguette, a good bottle of wine and fresh ingredients for your evening dinner.

Maybe it would've been better if we'd never gotten into this rat race with cars in the first place.

[jsvh]

That is the lifestyle I prefer. Just pickup the few things you need for dinner / the day on your walk home a couple blocks from your house. Sure makes for an easy going lifestyle.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

That is the lifestyle I prefer. Just pickup the few things you need for dinner / the day on your walk home a couple blocks from your house. Sure makes for an easy going lifestyle.

The food thing is not an issue for me but sometimes I wonder how I wound up with so much stuff in my life. I've never been into consumerism, and I'm fairly disciplined about keeping things in good order and avoiding waste.

Yet before you know it things start creeping back in.

[sstsunami55]

Originally Posted by arjay57

You make some good points, cq.

I think a lot of us would enjoy the simple life. Walk out the front door, stroll down to the corner boulangerie for a croissant and coffee and then be whisked away by a sleek train to your job in a downtown highrise. On the way home you stop off to pick up a baguette, a good bottle of wine and fresh ingredients for your evening dinner.

Maybe it would've been better if we'd never gotten into this rat race with cars in the first place.

Look, the point is, to each their own. You shouldn't assume that most people prefer to live a certain way when you don't know them. There isn't much to discuss.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The food thing is not an issue for me but sometimes I wonder how I wound up with so much stuff in my life. I've never been into consumerism, and I'm fairly disciplined about keeping things in good order and avoiding waste.

Yet before you know it things start creeping back in.

Society, media, etc. tell you that you need those things to live a good life or to be a good parent. When this country's economy is dependent on it's citizens being consumers, the businesses will continue to target us and brainwash us into thinking we cannot survive without this stuff and then make cheap, short-lived products that need to be replaced.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Society, media, etc. tell you that you need those things to live a good life or to be a good parent. When this country's economy is dependent on it's citizens being consumers, the businesses will continue to target us and brainwash us into thinking we cannot survive without this stuff and then make cheap, short-lived products that need to be replaced.

For me it is things like old lumber, car and boat parts, tools, leftover house paint, lawn equipment, old radios and other electronic things I've been working on, painting and art junk, musical instruments and amps, wine, stuff for dogs and hiking, furniture and old bikes we have stored for our kids and grandkids, fencing wire, etc.

So it's not so much the cheap, short-lived products that are piling up on me.

[kasuga888]

Well planned suburbias or dense suburbias are okay places, especially ones with walkable town centers and entertainment areas. The problem is that non of atlanta's suburbs are any of those.

[evannole]

Originally Posted by kasuga888

Well planned suburbias or dense suburbias are okay places, especially ones with walkable town centers and entertainment areas. The problem is that non of atlanta's suburbs are any of those.

Hmm. I guess that my neighbors and I must be passing through some kind of Doctor Who-style teleport device when we leave our homes on foot and a few minutes later find ourselves on the vibrant, bustling, highly walkable Marietta Square.

Some of these same teleport devices must be present in Downtown Decatur and Roswell, too.

Or, maybe - just maybe - you need to get out and explore the metro area a bit more.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by evannole

Hmm. I guess that my neighbors and I must be passing through some kind of Doctor Who-style teleport device when we leave our homes on foot and a few minutes later find ourselves on the vibrant, bustling, highly walkable Marietta Square.

Some of these same teleport devices must be present in Downtown Decatur and Roswell, too.

Or, maybe - just maybe - you need to get out and explore the metro area a bit more.

Those areas are great examples of classic town centers that have existed before the advent of the automobile and was able to retain part of their walkable areas.