Eschaton's Radical Plan

Duncan Black at Eschaton outlines his

...radical plan to convert all of America into Manhattan:
1) More money for mass transit, including, where appropriate, subway, light rail, better bus systems, commuter rail, and high speed medium haul trains...
2) Changing land use rules especially around transit stops and stations, encouraging higher density and mixed used zoning.
3) Better pedestrian integration between nearby lower density development and higher density development near transit stops.
4) Reverse trend of construction of single access road development.
5) Within existing urban areas, a reversal of the car-centric planning which damages the urban streetscape.

None of this is actually all that radical ... All this would ideally reduce car dependency and give more people easier access to mass transit and at least some small walkable town center type areas.

Black thinks most Americans want to "live in a world where they don't have to have one car per driving age family member, where their non-driving teens have some independent mobility, and where they can walk to get a cup of coffee or a beer occasionally. And, yes, their yards too."

Duncan Black just described my part of Oakland, CA. If AC Transit restored a couple of crucial bus lines to fancy hills neighborhoods, this would describe every section of Oakland. I live on 1/6 of an acre, two blocks from cafes, designer beer, organic produce markets & indie bookstore. 18 minutes by freeway to San Francisco, 25 minutes by express bus. Bus links all over town and to Bay Area Rapid Transit. I could take a bus to anywhere on the planet (via SFO or Oakland airport).

Meanwhile in my urban, hyphy-pumpin', scraper-car spinnin' neighborhood, we have beekeepers, chicken-ranchers and gardeners. My kids are up the hill right now at a day camp in a fly-fishing park, doing art projects and catching fish. They were in the redwoods last week, 1.5 miles away, camping overnight. The bus goes there, too.

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And my 8 year old recently slipped out of the house, walked four blocks to the produce market, begged a lemon and walked home. We don't want him to do that again, but if the crime rate got a little better - fewer cars and more people on the sidewalks would do it- we would feel okay about letting the kids get out on their own. Only a generation ago we did.

It's within our reach, folks. Every town core built before 1945 could work like this, and the later suburbs could be adapted.