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by cglan 1661 days ago
My general opinion as a young adult is that both the design of our cities and suburbs (making general hanging out a huge chore) and the past two years which have forced many people to be anti social have been devastating. The most social times for me are always when my friends are easily accessible through walking.

These days getting people to come over is so difficult and the lack of good public transit options make a 3 mile distance a ridiculous endeavor. Combine that with the stress of the past two years and public policy that continues to fail on a global level over this (when will it end) even my more extraverted friends have become anti social. It's hard to get out of that rut when you're in it. I've made do with the understanding that I'll have to push myself to hang out with people to the point of burning out in order to forge strong friendships but it's not ideal.
3 comments
dfxm12 1661 days ago
...This included 61% of young people aged 18-25 and 51% of mothers with young children.

Going from college, surrounded by people looking to socialize, to who-knows-what, is quite a transition. I bought my house near public transit options and within walking distance of entertainment/recreation options on purpose. I know that's not always easy to find, but like you say, a significant part of this is a policy choice, not just because of public transportation, but zoning could play a part in it as well. The city I live in has since given grants to businesses building along public transit routes and it is having a positive effect on people being out and about.

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singhrac 1661 days ago
Sometimes I'm surprised by how shockingly unwalkable certain areas of Manhattan are. Why are the residential areas of Hudson Yards so terribly unfriendly to people who want to "hang out"? Because all of the third places [0] are purely commercial, rather than a mix of commercial and social. European cities do this much much better.

At least in New York there are plenty of parks (including a mix of commercialized like Domino Park and the High Line and more raw, like parts of Central Park and west side near the river). I can't imagine being in a city with poor public design, like SF.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place

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panaffa 1661 days ago
Yup!! I've been lonely for a long time and for a year or two become obsessed with urban design as one of the many factors that can isolate us and make us feel inhuman. Hope it improves for the sake of future generations
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