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In the footsteps of Robert Moses
2 days ago
- Robert Moses, a powerful urban planner, built extensive infrastructure in New York including parks, bridges, and highways but often prioritized cars over people, leading to negative social impacts.
- His early achievements like Jones Beach and Long Island parks were impressive, but his later projects caused displacement, environmental damage, and segregation through low overpasses that blocked buses.
- Moses's controversial projects included the Gowanus and Cross-Bronx Expressways, which destroyed neighborhoods and displaced thousands, while his vision for car-centric cities influenced other U.S. cities like San Francisco and Seattle.
- The author reflects on Moses's legacy, noting his power and permanence but also the harm caused, as seen in Randall's Island and the flaws of his planning philosophy.
- The book 'The Power Broker' by Robert Caro inspired the author's road trip, offering deep insights into Moses's life, achievements, and failures, highlighting the complex relationship between urban development and community.
Road Width Extremism
2 days ago
- Author changed from anti-car to advocating narrow inner roads (~1.5 cars wide) with no on-street parking.
- Taipei has a grid of major roads (6-8 lanes) and small neighborhood streets where cars yield to pedestrians.
- This two-tier system provides clarity: cars dominate major roads but are guests on minor roads.
- Barcelona's superblock project aims for similar effect but retrofitting existing medium-large roads.
- US cities should follow Barcelona model (retrofit), new developments should use Taipei model.
The American suburbs are better than you think
16 days ago
- The author, who prefers dense urban living, acknowledges that American suburbs have advantages that appeal to many people.
- Suburbs do not necessarily force long commutes; Americans have relatively short commutes due to polycentric urban layouts and faster car travel compared to public transit.
- Research indicates suburbs are not lonelier than cities; social connections often form through repeated interactions with known people, facilitated by larger homes and cars.
- Millennials and families are increasingly moving to suburbs, partly due to high urban rents but also because suburbs offer better conditions for raising children, such as more space and convenience.
- Urbanists should not frame cities versus suburbs as a zero-sum conflict; instead, they should advocate for both dense urban cores and improved suburban designs to cater to diverse lifestyle preferences.

Hasty Briefsbeta

urban planning

In the footsteps of Robert Moses

Road Width Extremism

The American suburbs are better than you think