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this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
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I was really disappointed in these comments.
NJB has been upfront consistently about how they aren't an advocacy channel and I don't fault them for not jumping into how to fix North America's transit/urban planning issues. That's simply not a focus of their content.
I also don't blame NJB for not wanting to have that fight anymore and doing what he sees as the best move for himself and his family. Good for him.
However saying "just give up" helps absolutely no one, and completely overlooks the fact that millions of people can't simply relocate to the Netherlands like he did whether that be for monetary or personal reasons.
It's exceptionally callous and pessimistic reasoning.
There are lots of pockets across the US and NA where they're getting it right, and it's my belief there's so many more areas where people don't actually know an alternative actually exists.
Change can happen. As others have pointed out in this thread, compare Portland in the 70s to today, NYC is taking strides, cities across the country are revoking parking minimums, and hundreds of other examples show this to be true. NJBs success is built on this shift in thinking.
Change has to happen.
I believe NJB, and similar content, is crucial to getting people to realize how much better things can be if we want them to be. But it will be a slow process that will build momentum over time. There are no silver bullet solutions and no immediate answers.
For similar urbanist content that overlaps NJB, but from an urban planner based in the US I highly recommend City Beautiful
https://youtu.be/JcgGiHZoWBc
For inspiration
https://www.reddit.com/r/StopCarDependency/comments/vwii99/whats_been_done_can_be_undone/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
It's not phrased the best it could be here, but he isn't talking about all of NA, but he is talking about a majority of it. There are pockets here that will get better, and are doing so, but there's also massive amounts that just can't get better without razing them. The exurbs being built on top of prime farm land in Ontario is a perfect example of this. Those places can never, and will never be fixed, at least not within my lifetime. And it is a waste of energy and time to try to fix those places.
If they go bankrupt and people move away for newly pedestrianized cities that are nicer to live in, perhaps they will be razed eventually 🤔
For a channel that constantly compares America and Europe it's hard not to feel tired and pessimistic about it. Things are improving every year albeit slowly. And channels like NJB are helping. But it can seem like we are pinnning him line a saviour and that's a lot of pressure.
Hopefully despite the way he phrased his comment there's more young people going into roles that can make change and undo damage.
But he doesn’t say to just give up. He doesn’t want to do advocacy for American infrastructure but he clearly states that there are other people that do and that he points people towards those resources
That's the first line of the quote. If that's not what he meant, it's awfully confusing.