The Village

About 14 years ago, we moved out into the rural suburbs. I loved the quiet, the abundant wildlife, and our proximity to farms. I didn’t realize just how often doing anything at all would require a car. The Sprawl Absolutely nothing was walkable. We lived at the very top of a very high hill, so things weren’t really bikeable either. Groceries, restaurants, entertainment, friends, the library, and so on… you need to get in a car and drive at least 15 minutes for all of it. And as a result, we became homebodies, and spent a lot of money buying a lot of stuff to make our home a place we had to leave as little as possible. Bad Zoning In a city, any particular block will include a mix of apartments, businesses, and maybe a park or school or playground. No matter where you live, you can walk or bike to get around and get what you need. By contrast, suburb zoning laws in North America usually prevent this kind of mixed-use development. Homes are allowed on one side of town. Businesses are…