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I have seen the CEO driving headquarters location multiple times in my career. ....
Ditto,I had a previous employer where the office and manufacturing were located to a small exurb from a large suburb with substantial industrial base - just because the president and two VPs of the company all had houses in the same gated community and each had had a DWI while driving home from the office - so they apparently figured that a three mile drive was a lot less risky than a fifteen mile drive.
Unfortunately there were few people in the new small exurb and surrounding towns who wanted to work manufacturing for the pay rate; and people weren't going to commute fifteen, twenty, thirty miles for $15 an hour - so in a couple years they'd hired everyone in town who was interested in working for them. Some folks cycled through two or three times. Pretty soon there were some REAL SKETCHY individuals showing up on the assembly line (I'll just leave it at that). Even amongst the professionals, it got a lot harder to recruit anyone but entry level or below-average experienced people.
But thank goodness the executives didn't have to drive so far.
The thing that really made this story egregious was that at one all-hands meeting the company president, obviously already having sampled the contents of that cabinet in his office that he'd had the maintenance manager make for him (on the clock, of course) - said bibulously "There is absolutely NO TRUTH to the rumor that we are going to move to [town name]." And within six months the move to [town name] was announced.
The Chinese Communist Party has said nothing at all about "15-minute cities."
A French university professor first coined the term.
IDK who's gullible here, but it's not me — I've done the reading on the subject. Cite your sources, please.
Actually the old Soviet Union did planned cities. Where you worked was usually tied to employment and changing jobs(say for better opportunities was discouraged). Moving was also a pain in the neck because they had a system of rental exchange rather than just plain rent and they control where you could live(i.e. you were assigned apartment and even getting a apartment was a bureaucratic mess not to mention the years of living in a crowded dormitory before you could get an apartment due to low production of housing.). Basically the Soviet union tried to implement a right to housing, and employment and other things but the level to which they control things would be distasteful to many westerners esp. in the U.S.A..
Making a 15 minute city(which I think is dumb for many reasons) does have some tie ins with Communism. Basically they planned where people would live(in a city) down to the building and room, but they also put the services they would need nearby(Daycare, various types of grocery stores, ect.) and the Soviet Union had major restrictions regarding travel within the soviet union for it's citizens. On the surface of it what is there not to dislike a commute to work(that was planed), near by shopping(planned again) and so on but the controls over where you may travel and live are off putting to say the least.
The 15 min. city brings back memories of this kind of heavy handed approach where some government has figured out what is best for you(in not just some but many aspects of your life) and tries to implement it. Interestingly with the fall of the Soviet union car ownership exploded due to the fact that there were no longer waiting lists for cars and this despite having one the best best public transportations systems ever built.
The freakout over 15-minute cities is almost entirely by Americans with anti-government paranoia, and those they have managed to encoil. Most of Europe already has it all over, with grocery shopping and doctors/dentists/chemists in easy walking distance of most areas that aren't rural. It's not going to be a huge supermarket in most cases, but it has your basics like bread and milk. And it's not a hospital of specialists, just local general practitioners. These all exist, they are more than 15 minutes away but they aren't supposed to be, that's not the point. The problem is that newer developments have been built on the edge of towns and neglecting adding shopping/services, so more and more people are miles from local amenities, so this should be corrected.
American cities are generally walkable, but the suburbs that cover vast swathes of the country aren't all - they are frequently a long way from stores and there aren't footpaths to get to them anyway. Car is king outside of the cities, public transport is nearly non-existent. But as soon as you mention having convenient supplies and services, the paranoid ones will freak out as if it is just one step away from walled off neighborhoods and checkpoints to scan your mandatory ID tattoos.
The freakout over 15-minute cities is almost entirely by Americans with anti-government paranoia, and those they have managed to encoil. Most of Europe already has it all over, with grocery shopping and doctors/dentists/chemists in easy walking distance of most areas that aren't rural. It's not going to be a huge supermarket in most cases, but it has your basics like bread and milk. And it's not a hospital of specialists, just local general practitioners. These all exist, they are more than 15 minutes away but they aren't supposed to be, that's not the point. The problem is that newer developments have been built on the edge of towns and neglecting adding shopping/services, so more and more people are miles from local amenities, so this should be corrected.
American cities are generally walkable, but the suburbs that cover vast swathes of the country aren't all - they are frequently a long way from stores and there aren't footpaths to get to them anyway. Car is king outside of the cities, public transport is nearly non-existent. But as soon as you mention having convenient supplies and services, the paranoid ones will freak out as if it is just one step away from walled off neighborhoods and checkpoints to scan your mandatory ID tattoos.
They are not because when they were built people no longer valued having stores and retail nearby. A car can travel much faster than walking and much further so having a store nearby was less a priority post WWII. I live in a city and I live less than 15 mins from a Grocery store, but I rarely use it for reasons of price, quality and quantity. I can drive to stores that have better quality produce or lower prices or larger sized items.
Americans tend to grocery shop less than Europeans. In the UK it is once a week. In the U.S. it is more twice a week. We might stop to pick up some fresh veggies or an item or two in between but we tend to do one big haul. We also have larger houses so say it makes sense to buy in bulk sometimes( Which is why the U.S. tends towards larger items.). For instance although we have both larger and smaller quantiles of sugar but a 3-5 pound bag of sugar is a common item and if you well and truly wanted to go bulk you could get a 50 pound(22.6 Kg) one from Sam's Club.
I live in a city and there are a handful of clinics(and Dr. offices) near me but Health insurance works differently in the U.S. than in Europe. The closest thing to a nearly universally accepted insurance is Medicare and that is mostly for retired people(or people with certain disabilities). In the U.S. you can live next door to a Doctor's office or clinic(Where a general practitioner works) and not be able to use it due to insurance and likewise Pharmacies(Chemists).
In addition we can get medication delivered to the door making being near a pharmacist less of an issue than it was in the past. Also some Super Markets have Pharmacies and banks in them. Also Drug Stores(where retail pharmacies are) also carry retail products. I.e. You can get your meds for a sore throat and some ice cream or a can of soup too from one place as well as cards, magazines, lotions, perfume and soap and much more. Allowing one stop shopping. For instance a National Chain called Walgreens has a computer system that allows you to refill a prescription anywhere in the U.S. and we also have Apps and automated phone systems for ordering refills. This means we can get medication from places other than where we live and we don't have to go to the nearest pharmacy to get it done. We even have drive throughs at some Drug stores. For instance I don't use the nearest drug store very often(and it is walkable). The other drug store(part of the same chain) is 24 hours a day and on a street that I often drive down. Granted the nearest one is open till 10pm, but knowing that I can pick something up at anytime if need be kind of makes it handy(plus there are other things near by if I choose to do some shopping).
As for retail Americans tend not to go to bakeries for bread. We buy it at a supermarket or grocery store and we also can buy gallon sized milk(3.78L) that can last for a month to a little less than a month. Also more and more Grocery Stores are offering delivery via the internet. Basically you might pick up something near by where you live or nearby where you work or on the way home from either.
And this is in a large city where going to the nearest one is an option. Basically retail in the U.S. works differently. You can at Walmart get clothes and groceries while getting a prescription filled and drive off with a new T.V. and some plants to put in garden and so on. You can also buy weeks worth of some stuff from places like Walmart , Costco, and Sam's Club provided it does not expire, lasts a long time or can be frozen such as meat, flour, sugar, canned goods, laundry and cleaning products and so on. The U.S. is less geared towards small shops unless there are a lot of apartments nearby(or people that can't drive or can't afford to drive).
The freakout over 15-minute cities is almost entirely by Americans with anti-government paranoia, and those they have managed to encoil. Most of Europe already has it all over, with grocery shopping and doctors/dentists/chemists in easy walking distance of most areas that aren't rural. It's not going to be a huge supermarket in most cases, but it has your basics like bread and milk. And it's not a hospital of specialists, just local general practitioners. These all exist, they are more than 15 minutes away but they aren't supposed to be, that's not the point. The problem is that newer developments have been built on the edge of towns and neglecting adding shopping/services, so more and more people are miles from local amenities, so this should be corrected.
American cities are generally walkable, but the suburbs that cover vast swathes of the country aren't all - they are frequently a long way from stores and there aren't footpaths to get to them anyway. Car is king outside of the cities, public transport is nearly non-existent. But as soon as you mention having convenient supplies and services, the paranoid ones will freak out as if it is just one step away from walled off neighborhoods and checkpoints to scan your mandatory ID tattoos.
Nothing to correct given it wasn't some kind of mistake to begin with.
Nothing to correct given it wasn't some kind of mistake to begin with.
In Europe planning is done at a higher level than in the U.S.. In the U.S. each city or burb decides where residential and commercial areas will be located and developers and commercail operations need go get permits from said city to build something or start operations. In Europe there are governmental boards that decide for a region(multiple cities or burbs) where housing and commercial development will be. In my area we have burbs that are mostly industrial, some mostly residential and some with a fair amount of retail but each burb decided for itself what should be where. The short the people in the area are not upset that there isn't retail in walking distance or else they would push the local government to change this and there isn't enough interest from retail to change things(or else they would lobby the local government to change things.). This can be hard for a someone who is not from the U.S. to grasp.
In Europe planning is done at a higher level than in the U.S.. In the U.S. each city or burb decides where residential and commercial areas will be located and developers and commercail operations need go get permits from said city to build something or start operations. In Europe there are governmental boards that decide for a region(multiple cities or burbs) where housing and commercial development will be. In my area we have burbs that are mostly industrial, some mostly residential and some with a fair amount of retail but each burb decided for itself what should be where. The short the people in the area are not upset that there isn't retail in walking distance or else they would push the local government to change this and there isn't enough interest from retail to change things(or else they would lobby the local government to change things.). This can be hard for a someone who is not from the U.S. to grasp.
Those “governmental boards” in Europe take away the people’s voice. But that’s how Europeans are. They don’t mind giving up their freedoms to their overlords. No thanks.
The freakout over 15-minute cities is almost entirely by Americans with anti-government paranoia, and those they have managed to encoil. Most of Europe already has it all over, with grocery shopping and doctors/dentists/chemists in easy walking distance of most areas that aren't rural. It's not going to be a huge supermarket in most cases, but it has your basics like bread and milk. And it's not a hospital of specialists, just local general practitioners. These all exist, they are more than 15 minutes away but they aren't supposed to be, that's not the point. The problem is that newer developments have been built on the edge of towns and neglecting adding shopping/services, so more and more people are miles from local amenities, so this should be corrected.
American cities are generally walkable, but the suburbs that cover vast swathes of the country aren't all - they are frequently a long way from stores and there aren't footpaths to get to them anyway. Car is king outside of the cities, public transport is nearly non-existent. But as soon as you mention having convenient supplies and services, the paranoid ones will freak out as if it is just one step away from walled off neighborhoods and checkpoints to scan your mandatory ID tattoos.
You don’t understand the full picture of what your Overlords are trying to accomplish with these 15-minute cities. This is all part of their Net Zero strategy. Your freedom is not their concern. You become nothing but a disposable cog in their wheel. It smacks of communism. The Elites will take what they want and leave you with the crumbs.
You don’t understand the full picture of what your Overlords are trying to accomplish with these 15-minute cities. This is all part of their Net Zero strategy. Your freedom is not their concern. You become nothing but a disposable cog in their wheel. It smacks of communism. The Elites will take what they want and leave you with the crumbs.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSci
Freedom also means having choices. When governments dictate that designing for walkability is not required, then that's a freedom that is taken away.
Yes, and when everything you need is within walking distance, you become limited to those particular stores and services. There are many dental offices closer to my home but I drive 4 miles to the one I like. There are two opticians within 2 miles but I drive 6 miles to buy my glasses at Costco, 42 miles to the eye doctor. There is only one restaurant that we go to within 2 miles of our house, most of our favorites are 6-25 miles away.
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