[wccrawford]

Having lived in the "countryside" most of my life, it would absolutely increase "car dependence" (and thus pollution) for people to move there. Public transportation simply isn't possible on those scales.

We had maybe a dozen neighbors within a mile of us. Town was 5 miles away. School was in town. We had a nursery next to us, but the next nearest job was in town.

Even if you restricted what you're saying to the actual towns, that town currently has 3000 people in it. It only had 1000 when I lived there.

I just checked, and they do apparently have "public transportation" there now. They recommend that you book it 3 days in advance to make sure there's availability. It's pretty clearly designed for people who can't otherwise get around, but does clearly state that it's available for everyone.

[coldtea]

>Having lived in the "countryside" most of my life, it would absolutely increase "car dependence" (and thus pollution) for people to move there. Public transportation simply isn't possible on those scales.

It's also not needed most of the time, and surely not everyday.

Plus, the US model of "countryside" life is not the same as in Europe or elsewhere: e.g. "We had maybe a dozen neighbors within a mile of us. Town was 5 miles away. School was in town. We had a nursery next to us, but the next nearest job was in town."

That's not countryside, that sounds like some a rural desert.

Countryside in most of Europe e.g. is networks of villages, that are more or less autonomous.

[pjc50]

> networks of villages, that are more or less autonomous.

Apart from the fact that most people there have to do a big shop once a week at the nearest supermarket, or that all the professionals commute out of the countryside to their urban workplaces?

Only the islands are properly autonomous, and even then that just increases the length of time between supermarket trips.

[coldtea]

>Apart from the fact that most people there have to do a big shop once a week at the nearest supermarket

The nearest supermarket is often directly in the village area. And if you not, it just takes 1-2 trips per month to go there.

And people live and work there, they don't commute to "urban workplaces". These are rural villages, not suburbs.

[p_j_w]

Do these "more or less autonomous" villages have electricity, internet, and running water?

[coldtea]

Yes, they have all three. They have pipes connecting them to the country-wide electrical and phone network, and the regional water system.

Autonomous as in "you don't need to visit some city to get all your basics nor you need a car to go miles away to some Walmart to shop", not as in "they make their own electricy locally".

[refurb]

Not sure how that impacts car usage?

[coldtea]

In that most of the month you just walk around your village, go to your shop, your field, the grocers, the super/mini/medium-market, to neighbors and friends, etc, and don't need a car.

You might use it a few times a month if you need something special, to visit another village or the nearest city, and that's it.

So like 1/20 to 1/50 the car use of the average suburban dweller.