
How our housing choices make adult friendships more difficult - saeranv
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/28/9622920/housing-adult-friendship
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Doches
This feels like a distinctly American problem to me. It's hard to have
serendipitous interactions in public spaces if you're sitting in car at the
time. I've lived in several large American and European cities and I wouldn't
willingly go back to a car-centric lifestyle. So many of the plaintive
questions in this article ("when was the last time you had a meaningful
interaction with someone in a public space?") ring hollow to me; that sort of
spontaneous running into friends is the norm when you walk instead of drive.

~~~
saeranv
Unfortunately, wealthy citizens in other countries mistakenly aspire to this
American/Canadian model of suburban residential development, hence the
increasing popularity of suburban residential fabric in India, China etc.

That being said, here in Toronto, there's been a wave of newer developments[1]
in these very the outer suburbs that are based, somewhat, on principles of
compact, urban patterns. It's not quite urban, because of course they still
have to deal with the existing building regulations and zoning codes in the
suburbs that essentially make it illegal to build anything but sprawl - but
it's something to keep an eye on.

[1]
[http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/01/14/paradise_saved_gt...](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/01/14/paradise_saved_gta_growth_plans_aim_to_rein_in_sprawl.html)

