It’s surprising how often I can actually bump into people that I know when I’m walking or biking around. Like other parents from my child’s school or coworkers.

I think people really underestimate how antisocial cars are and how much car centric design actually harms our communities

I’m definitely bad at striking conversations up with random people, so living somewhere that was walkable wasn’t as magical for me as it seems to be for a lot of people here in the comments, but I will say it was definitely better. I got out more, saw people more, just generally felt like I was actually doing thing instead of just moving between my bed and office like now.

Causal connections make a world of difference. A smile and nod at scale can make you feel a part of a community, and it’s so much easier to pause for a conversation when you aren’t in a car

In the UK you do notice the difference between walking in a city and in a more community based area. People say good morning to you, sometimes even gasp make eye contact! It’s genuinely a bit jarring if you’ve been living in a high density area full of people who don’t often talk to each other. Even on the bus the difference is night and day, was always nice coming home from uni to hear people talking to strangers on the bus.

Places have a psychological impact on us, not surprised that a place that feels more communal encourages more community based behaviour.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last ten years of my life in walkable neighborhoods, and yes, they’re pretty glorious. People get to know you and your pets, and they watch out for your place when you’re not there, and you do the same for them.

The sense of community is palpable, and when your brain is broken like mine, it’s nice when people are kind to you.

Living in rural nowhere is a deeply depressing state of existence, more so when you can’t drive. I deeply wish I lived in a walkable city.

I don’t foresee cars ever becoming unnecessary, since that’s the only feasible way to get to work without being severely limited in your choice of employers, and having little or no choice of employer would be feudalism in all but name.

That said, work isn’t the only place you need to go. Neighborhoods ought to include shops, restaurants, and the like, too. Here in suburban Oregon, that is already the case, and it’s quite convenient to be able to walk over to the nearby grocery store whenever I need something.

Once I moved from the suburbs in MS to Seattle, I realized how many more friends I could make randomly. Our first night in the city we met someone and exchanged phone numbers. We’ve met a handful of people by just walking to the dog park too! Living in the city has done wonders for my mental health.

Growing up in the suburbs I was amazed at how different life felt in the city. Much more vibrant and full of socialization.

I feel like I can never find a single moment to myself living in a city and I hate it.

Online communities (like Beehaw!) are amazing, but IRL communities are so important for our mental health too, and those are deteriorating in our modern life. All over the world, people are more depressed than they’ve ever been.

I completely support the idea of making communities more safe and walkable. It feels impossible to tackle on a national level, but there’s a lot you can do locally. Get to know your local politicians and get involved.

Well. Would be nice, if before that was even considered, that you’re not afraid of getting shanked for your wallet everytime you walk out the door, walking at a brisk pace to wherever you need to go. Public safety needs to be improved before this kind of thing can be considered.

No shit, Sherlock.