Thank you for responding, I appreciate your point of view. Mind you I don’t agree with all of it. I HAVE lived in New York City, I detested it. Way too crowded and the people there HAD to develop the mental protection of looking straight ahead while walking or riding the subway’s etc.
I’ve lived so far away from civilization that a trip to the city was like moving 50 years into the future. Very unnerving I must admit.
I’ve lived in exurbia where my job was an hours drive away. It was not the best situation but the job was worth it.
Now I live back out in the country on my farm and I visit the nearest small town once a week or so and the nearest city every few months. This is by far the best for me, but I do know my faults. Too many people creep me out, going to Wal-mart is okay if it’s a short trip but any longer than a half an hour and I break out in cold sweats and have to leave.
So in conclusion what’s a good lifestyle for you is NOT one for me. That means that there needs to be the freedom of movement for each of us to find our own place where we are comfortable and can thrive.
I agree with you entirely about different strokes for different folks and freedom of movement. What I wish the car lobby would understand is that all movement is not motorized. Some of us actually live in the neighborhoods that suburbanites only drive through, and their roads can easily become hazards and barriers.
My daughters walk home from school, I ride a bike to work, and my wife could and should, but that’s another story. Here this is not an unusual pattern. It could be much more common than it is if we zoned for mixed use neighborhoods and planned transportation better.
By the way, I didn’t like New York either. Lived there for two years and am glad to have had the experience, but that was enough.