This message was self-deleted by its author

[ZDU]

This message was self-deleted by its author (ZDU) on Wed Jun 25, 2025, 04:22 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[Scrivener7]

1. I live in a walking town. I love it. As the article describes, I know the local shopkeepers an restaurant owners,

I know my neighbors and seldom venture out without meeting a friend and stopping to chat.

But in order to have such a lifestyle, a town needs to have multi-unit housing. And the DUers I have seen weighing in on multi-unit housing don't actually understand it at all, and they despise it. They're also astonishingly rude about it.

So while I agree wholeheartedly with this article, I doubt it will get much play here.

[WarGamer]

2. multi unit housing is fine... as long as you control who lives there.

Retired folks with retired folks... families with families... college kids with college kids, etc...

[ZDU]

4. Sure

Segregate and exclude. I see your position. Go on. You do you.

[WarGamer]

5. So you think that 55+ housing and college dorms are discriminatory?

Segregated?

[ZDU]

6. Self-segregate

Be my guest. Exercise your freedom.

[Scrivener7]

7. As I say, people on DU don't understand it. My neighborhood is a mix of older and younger, families, couples and

single people. And it has been that way for 100 years.

I am retired. The notion of living with only other retired people seems artificial and sad to me. Not to mention boring.

[WarGamer]

8. As I'm sure you know...

Millions of Americans choose to live in 55+ communities...

I'm happy you like living with young folks and families.

[Scrivener7]

9. Yes, but my comment is meant to disagree with your contention that you have to self-segregate

or it doesn't work. My neighborhood proves that is not true.

If you want that, do it. But that is not necessary for a neighborhood to work.

[WarGamer]

11. NYC co-ops are somewhat exclusive... are they bad too?

[ZDU]

13. WarGamer, is your game to

Last edited Wed Jun 25, 2025, 05:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Be happy with your kind. Best of luck! Enjoy your age group of millions and millions. p.s. There are small towns all across America that have diverse and walkable places, not somewhat exclusive.

[Scrivener7]

17. Stop moving those goal posts, dear. They're too heavy and you're going to hurt yourself.

[WarGamer]

18. No one moves goal posts.

55+ communities, co-ops, college dorms... all examples of housing with limits on who can live there.

Lots of people want to know who their neighbors are.

[Scrivener7]

19. I know who my neighbors are.

[ZDU]

3. Thank you!

Your honesty and willingness to share are sincerely appreciated. Just between you and me, I generally have very thick skin and honestly don't care about DU comments contrary or in opposition to my own. You know, the saying: You Can't Fix Stupid. Let's both have a laugh! And shake our heads too! We Can't Fix the Stupid at DU. Stupid Happens!
Cheers, my Friend!
We shall love our walkable neighborhoods and communities!

[fujiyamasan]

10. I was hoping for a list and analysis of various walkable towns in the US

I only saw mention of Ithaca, NY.

Unfortunately, walkable towns are usually pretty expensive in the US. In my experience these are the towns younger professionals usually move to and the rents are charged accordingly. This is where you have access to bars, restaurants, and other activities.

European cities are inherently different. They have town squares dating back hundreds of years in many cases and are filled with rich history and each has a unique culture. There’s no point in really comparing them with American cities, which are much newer and were developed with cars as the primary source of transport (hence all the parking structures).

A really good series on American small towns was done by James fallows at the Atlantic a few years ago. He went over all the things that made some small towns real magnets for jobs and younger people (and he actually flew to those towns to check them out since he’s a pilot). He pointed out a few commonalities like parks, restaurants, and other things. I’ll have to find it and post a link.

On edit here’s the link:

https://www.theatlantic.com/our-towns/
And his book, which I didn’t know about. I might pick it up sometime.
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Towns-000-Mile-Journey-America/dp/1101871849

[ZDU]

14. Visit Public Square @ CNU.org

You may find it pleasantly surprising.

https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare

[area51]

12. But moving to Europe would probably get you universal healthcare & gun control. n/t

[ZDU]

15. True

[DFW]

16. Gun control to an extent. Universal health care, unless you were born in certain countries is an American-made myth

Some countries, like France to my immediate west, come close. The “everything-is-free-there” crowd is in for a disappointment here in Germany, Germany has hundreds of thousands of uninsured citizens. That is a tiny number compared to the USA, but they are no phantoms. When I moved here, I was sent to a “Private” insurer, since my employer is in the USA. I was quoted $35,000 a year, a bit above my pay grade. That was 14 years ago, so probably double that now. If that’s “free,” good morning, Mr. Bezos.

NOTHING is free here. Doctors and teachers do not work for zero salary. Construction firms do not build schools and hospitals from donated material, and without getting paid. Water and utility companies do not provide running water and electricity with charity contributions. These things are financed differently from the way we do it, mostly through taxes and fees. Anyone with stories of medical emergencies being treated here without being billed either got lucky or gave billing info that got written off as unintelligible to the staffer trying to get accurate info. In such cases, congratulations, you just mooched off the local taxpayers. My wife was a social worker here for decades, and had to deal with people who had problems with the government bureaucracy that was supposed to help them. She was never bored, or without people in dire straits knocking on her door.

Gun control laws ARE on the books in almost all Schengen countries. Unfortunately, Schengen also means open borders with all the former socialist colonies of the Soviet Union. When the Red Army withdrew, their soldiers sold off hundreds of thousands of guns for dollars or cash from the Western European countries. They are everywhere, and for sale—not legally, of course—but the hole they can put in you is just as real. Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, show the cash and you need not leave unarmed.