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by thecombjelly
3229 days ago
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Alternate proposal that would not destroy more of the earth, make a big impact on lessening climate change, and improve people's health: ban personal vehicles from urban and suburban areas. Then reallocate the resources from maintaining roads and sprawling infrastructure to mass transit, biking, walking, and new housing. Roads and suburban infrastructure take up an absurd amount of space that could be reallocated to housing or even more open space. It would also help tremendously if property owners were not allowed to have any vacancy. A ridiculous number of housing units are sitting empty that could be used. |
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Firstly, if doing without personal vehicle works for you, it is great. I do see many situations where it could work. But remember that Uber drivers use personal vehicles, they are by no means part of public transit. Hourly car rent services are not public too.
Secondly, we do not live in corporate owned factory-cities, layout with well defined living quarter areas and workshops. I see no way to arrange efficient public transport system for everyone in organically grown areas, though we can probably make it work for majority. We have much more job varieties than factories - large concentrations of workforce. Take kindergartens and primary schools for example. As a parent, you want them to be as close to home as possible. You want the best educators there. Unless you assume that the best educator-children fit will be with educators from your district (for which you must assume that there are educators in your district in the first place), you need transportation for them. There are travelling salesmen, home deliveries, non-peak (home-work, work-home) traffic to theatres, eating out, hospitals, friends. Unless you want army of robots, I see no way to do without personal transportation altogether. Without personal vehicles altogether, places several kilometres away from public transport stops will be out of reach for less mobile: disabled, elderly, families with babies, etc..
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As for vacant properties... I do not even know where to begin. This idea has already been tried in Soviet Union, except they took it even further - there was per person space quota and space exceeding that quota would be taken away. Like one room in a flat would be given to someone else. Your children moved away? Say bye-bye to half of your property. Your family member passed away and you inherited their property? Better do something with it quick or risk losing it. Residents moved from you rental property? Better find anyone to rent it for any sum or risk losing it. I just don't think these are the values of democratic republic. It may be me, though.