Paul Krugman On Being "Stranded in Suburbia"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 05.21.08
Economist Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times about a very reasonable, middle-of-the-road approach to cutting fossil fuel consumption: Be more like Europe.
"Here are the two secrets of coping with expensive oil: own fuel-efficient cars, and don’t drive them too much.
Notice that I said that cars should be fuel-efficient — not that people should do without cars altogether. In Germany, as in the United States, the vast majority of families own cars (although German households are less likely than their U.S. counterparts to be multiple-car owners).
But the average German car uses about a quarter less gas per mile than the average American car. By and large, the Germans don’t drive itsy-bitsy toy cars, but they do drive modest-sized passenger vehicles rather than S.U.V.’s and pickup trucks."
However he notes that we don't only have to change what we drive, but the way we live affects the amount we drive, and we have to change that too.
"consider where I am at the moment: in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping.
It’s the kind of neighborhood in which people don’t have to drive a lot, but it’s also a kind of neighborhood that barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas. Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars."
He concludes, the American Richard Blaine talking to the European Ilse: "if we’re heading for a prolonged era of scarce, expensive oil, Americans will face increasingly strong incentives to start living like Europeans — maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of our lives." ::New York Times
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So much depends on context and "what other people are doing." I remember being in Europe and seeing an ad for the new German gigantic luxury family car. It showed a family jammed into something larger than a VW Golf but smaller than a Passat. They were laughing and having a good ol' t ime...here, a man fears being called a fruit unless he's driving a big-a** SUV.
I Love the way European towns are set up - even in the 'burbs you're never very far from a train stop. Dallas is going in that direction with the DART and you can already see that where there are big train stops there are also 4 and 5 story residential buildings with mixed-use ground floors. It's what I see them build the most of and it's exciting.
Now if we could just move beyond filling those first floors with the same dozen or so chain businesses to unique small businesses I'd be a pig in slop.
Having lived in Europe and recently been back there visiting, I can say there are a lot more bikes and a lot less fat people. Walking and biking is a way of life and the most convenient way to get around. Pretty simple when there are bakeries and butcher shops all over the place.
The thing is that those high-mileage cars are mostly diesel. I'd say for every gas-powered car I saw (in Belgium) there were 10 turbo diesels. People are crying about $3.70/gallon regular here. Well, try getting them to buy $4.50/gallon diesel. Not only that but the choices in high-mileage cars, especially diesels, are so limited.
Paying more for stuff is a drag, no matter who you are. On some levels I'm glad the American wake-up call is finally here in the form of pricier gas. We've had it so good for so long that I think people need to get their priorities straight.
He notes that less Germans don't own "itsy-bitsy toy cars", but that owning multiple cars is less common than in the USA.
I don't know for Germany, but In Britain at least, families that do own a second car often choose an "itsy-bitsy toy car", which is driven most of the time, with the larger car used when necessary.
In my case, my parents used a "toy car" for all trips within about 40 miles of home, and the larger car for longer distances. When both cars needed to be used at the same time for shorter trips, whoever was driving further (or into a congested city) would use the small car.
But what if you have to transport a dishwasher????
Kidding. :-)
Paul
Well, I'm a multi vehicle owner and proud of it. That 17 mpg Chevy Silverado in the driveway stays their except to haul building supplies or tow the maintenance trailer I need for my business. That 39 mpg Saturn I commute with sits in the driveway unless the 65 mpg Kawasaki can't be used (heavy rain or very cold). I'm saving up for the day I can convert the Saturn to an EV or when EV's are sold outside California, so I can buy one, whichever comes first.
I still think Americans really need to get over their sense of entitlement when it comes to owning cars ... and give up on the suburbs altogether.
1. Reorganize American cities so that walking or taking public transportation is super practical.
2. Move out of the suburbs. Live in the city where you work, give up long commutes.
I think people need to address two things. First, the size of the United States versus the size of most European countries. When it comes to building and maintaining the infrastructure for mass transit, Europe has a lot less space to cover. And second, it's tough to enjoy the environment that you work so hard to protect when you live in a congested city and are surrounded by concrete.
"Move out of the suburbs. Live in the city where you work, give up long commutes."
I agree but also acknowledge that it's not nearly as simple as it sounds. Many cities have simply become way too expensive for many people. If you make less than $50,000 and have a family getting a place in San Francisco isn't exactly easy or cheap. On top of that many big cities have atrocious schools compared to the suburbs/exurbs and for parents that's a bigger factor in deciding where to live than commute distance. Also really hard for kids to get out and play when your residence is a tiny apartment and the nearest park is several blocks away and inhabited by somewhat questionable people engaged in various acts of illicit commerce (as was the case when I lived in SF).
To get people to move closer to their jobs is going to require a wholesale rebuilding of nearly every aspect of most major cities. Doing that is going to take massive amounts of money that very few cities have. Raising taxes on homeowners is political suicide and raising business taxes is also somewhat futile because companies will simply move to the suburbs. My wife and I consider ourselves to be very fortunate to live in Seattle proper where we can walk/ride or take public transit for most of our needs. We also realize that many people can't afford this luxury.
The suburbs aren't what they used to be. More jobs are being created in the suburbs than in the cities. In the SF area, as many people commute to the suburbs (Silicon Valley) as to the cities (SF, Oakland, San Jose), maybe more. Some suburbs are turning into cities in their own right, growing downtowns and denser housing even some public transportation. This is the silver lining to the dark cloud of land use patterns formed when gas was cheap , the population a fraction of today's, and the air was clean. Europe had the advantage of being settled when transportation had hoofs not wheels.
I have a great study on this with actual numbers but it's packed up right now. When I can unearth it, I'll find some excuse to post actual numbers.
cyclocross said:
"To get people to move closer to their jobs is going to require a wholesale rebuilding of nearly every aspect of most major cities. Doing that is going to take massive amounts of money that very few cities have. Raising taxes on homeowners is political suicide and raising business taxes is also somewhat futile because companies will simply move to the suburbs"
Vancouver, Canada is in fact a prime example of how to pull this off successfully. The economic development benefits for the city have been worth so much more than the initial costs that they've been expanding the system at a breakneck pace.
First, Vancouver is one of those towns that grew up originally around electric trolley lines and a few inter-city trains, then cars, then the old rail lines were scrapped (the trolleys actually turned into trolley buses, but those only exist in the city itself). There wasn't any rapid transit infrastructure until 1986 when Skytrain was built for Expo 86.
First, the city took a "if we build it, they will come" attitude. I'm sure that they did a proper analysis of where they put the line in the first place, but the fact remains that what happened afterward, is that more development sprouted up near Skytrain stations than anywhere else, both commercial and residential. This improved densification, which likewise boosted Skytrain ridership, which brought more money in from fares and property taxes.
This increase in property values along Skytrain lines has produced support from landowners and investors, which has been key in expansion of the system.
Oh, and here's some great reference material: http://www.ersa.org/ersaconfs/ersa03/cdrom/papers/295.pdf
"Move out of the suburbs. Live in the city where you work, give up long commutes."
In metro Boston, many of the bigger employers are located in scattered office parks that have no nearby housing or public transportation. When big employers are as geographically scattered as their employees, it becomes very difficult to connect all points with public transportation.
The move of Sears corporate headquarters from downtown Chicago to Hoffman Estates forced many hundreds (or thousands?) of employees to switch from public transportation to long commutes by cars. I'm sure that Sears wasn't alone in making such an environmentally devastating decision.
It seems to me that the right market forces simply aren't in place.
"2. Move out of the suburbs. Live in the city where you work, give up long commutes."
Ho ho, this is rich. If I had the money to live in San Francisco, I would. However, I also like being able to put away money for grad school, go to the movies every once in a while and oh yeah....eat! I wish we had a better bus system so I didn't have to drive a bunch of miles to the train station and I wish the train ran later, but those are both very expensive options for cities, as well as the people who have to keep buying gas in the meantime. There isn't much in my line of business in the town I work in either. In many cities, most people prefer a shorter commute, so closer to the city = more expensive. And in most major cities, not everyone who works there can live in the city proper, it's just a matter of space.
It's attitudes like yours that are really going to kill the environmental movement. There is going to be massive backlash because some people would rather be self-righteous than look carefully at people's situations and help them.
whitbit notes that
It's attitudes like yours that are really going to kill the environmental movement. There is going to be massive backlash because some people would rather be self-righteous than look carefully at people's situations and help them.
My response: fine, then die. I'm not selling anything you have to buy. I don't have to convince you. We've allowed debate in politics to pollute truth. You take an action; there are results.
Help from the perspective of self is often misguided, an idiot's compassion. Gas prices too high? Drill more. (Idiot compassion) Reminds me of a drug dealer, helping to make sure their customers don't find other suppliers. The reason food prices have been raising is that we have created a system selected on the principles of inexpensive (often illegal) labor, low-cost transportation, and food production centralization. So, just what did people think would happen when higher enforcement became the mantra here, when oil prices raise 400% during Bush's term? You got what you paid for, America. Now, enjoy your just desserts.
Myself, I am an American who is frankly sick and tired of all the hand-wringing about how tough change can be. Get over it, and get over your collectively self-centered, self-infatuated, and inflated ego. Having lived in the UK (Stratford-upon-Avon) for a time, I can tell you the sheer joy of a quick walk for a few fresh local groceries. Here, in the States, I'm lucky to see a tomato that is not rock hard from its immaturity.
Change happens incessantly, whether you like it or not. In the end, if you adapt, you survive. If not, then you don't. The Romans didn't, the Chinese dynasties didn't, and perhaps the American way of life won't either. Some would say good riddance. Some would lament. To claim there is any intrinsic value in the American way of life is again scales the heights of hubris and bears the sin of pride on American shoulders.
So, we can either fight, kick, and whine like a misbehaving bulldog caught by Cesar, or we can recognize that we dug this pit. More oil is not going to get us out of it. It may soothe the short term pains, but that only encourages us to wait longer. Get off your butts, out of your chairs, and vote. Elect people who understand science, reality, who don't look for magical solutions to life's problems. If Bush said Thor told him he was blessed, we'd have gone nuts. But an emaciated Jew, well, that's ok. If you really voting does nothing, sit this election out. Put another oil-guzzling president in the White House. Watch the Supreme Court turn White, Male, and Protestant. Tell the 50% of those who can vote but don't that they must vote. Just think of what would happen if they actually stopped and actually voted. Green? Who knows.
That will be the first step, a change of the self. And only by changing the self can you understand the self, understand others, and finally move away from yourself to fully embrace everyone just as you embrace yourself, with just as much of a God-given right to 3 ton pavement whales as you. And then, just then, when you're finally out of your own skin bag, you'll frankly stop acting from the Ayn Rand-ian delusion and start acting as part of the World.
i live in texas. i like the idea of walking everywhere for groceries, etc. the problem is that its 33 degrees Celsius outside right now. i feel like this is a huge problem in developing walkable/sustainable cities in the southern US.