Matt Yglesias On Designing Better 'BurbsI'm sorry, but I have a
hard time believing this kid has ascended to the top of the liberal blogosphere with tripe like this. He presents two different designs for a suburban area:
Obviously the second development pattern is more desirable (as Matt illustrates) from a gas consumption or bicycling standpoint. But who the heck would want to live there? You'd have to deal with lots of drive-through traffic. Second, it looks like a lot more streets in that tiny area which means more pavement to absorb the head during the day and release it at night; the well-known "heat island" effect.
Some of Matt's commenters point out some of the other problems. Lots of intersections in the second grid; that means lots of four-way stop signs, so there's more stopping and starting. All the greenery is gone in favor of small strips of land; there is no provision for wildlife.
Labels: Matt Yglesias
