People should stop defending suburbia by pointing to streetcar suburbs

[sstsunami55]

I've noticed that too many people who criticize the cities make sweeping generalizations about them, like overcrowdedness, packed like sardines, soviet style concrete blocks... Not all cities or parts of cities are equal. Same applies to suburbs. Not all are equal. People need to stop attacking cities by pointing to undesirable cities.

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Which really aren't properly characterized as suburbs at all now and in most instances are for intents and purposes, central city neighborhoods now. They we're frequently built on grids, with interconnected streets, most houses in narrow lots, mixed use and all-in-all quite urban.

They bare almost no resemblance to the modern post war automobile oriented suburbs, built on dendritic pattern of roads on large lots, in pod-like separation and not urban at all.

Frequently on these discussions someone invariable points to a streetcar suburb as evidence suburbs aren't terrible places. Streetcar suburbs are not the same animal as modern suburbs and not properly characterized as such.

I usually defend modern suburbs by telling people to simply mind their own business and let other live how they want to live.

I don't need to point to streetcar suburbs.