People on HN tend to have this huge misconception that the entire world is one dense urban core.
Many more people live in suburbs than in cities. The suburban population is actually growing faster than the urban population [1]. For this plurality of people, cars aren't only convenient but irreplaceable.
Suburbs as a place where you can only survive with a car are mostly an American phenomenon. Most other countries mix low density commercial and residential areas a lot more, making a car-less lifestyle much easier.
None of that is sarcasm, though. Young people DO love cities. They ARE full of divesity and energy, and they’re typically job centers (how are single-family homes and strip malls going to provide startup jobs?). And yes, if you live in a city and don’t have to drive much or don’t have to drive as far, mathematically you’re using less fossil fuels. Suburban sprawl is an objective contributor to greenhouse gas emissions because you have to drive everywhere.
So I’m not entirely sure how exactly you intended to be sarcastic.
> how are single-family homes and strip malls going to provide startup jobs?
Have you visited Boulder? They make it work.
> if you live in a city and don’t have to drive much or don’t have to drive as far, mathematically you’re using less fossil fuels.
Yes.
> Suburban sprawl is an objective contributor to greenhouse gas emissions because you have to drive everywhere.
But I don’t care enough to change my lifestyle until everyone else does first.
You’re kind of proving my point. The point of my previous post is that the HN echo chamber believes that everyone agrees on these subjects. Tons of people do not agree. You won’t gain any favor by painting large landscapes with sweeping generalizations of what people think.
Many more people live in suburbs than in cities. The suburban population is actually growing faster than the urban population [1]. For this plurality of people, cars aren't only convenient but irreplaceable.
[1] http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/05/22/demographic-and-ec...