For centuries, cities used to be built incrementally. Improving and building on successful places, and changing or abandoning unsuccessful places. This changed in America in the 1940s, when whole neighbourhoods were built on the edge of town, to a completed state. After several generations, many of these places are financially insolvent, but are propping themselves up with an ever-growing mountain of debt. To donate to Strong Towns, visit: https://www.strongtowns.org/membership Watch the rest of the Strong Towns series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJp5q-R0lZ0_FCUbeVWK6OGLN69ehUTVa Patreon: https://patreon.com/notjustbikes Twitter: https://twitter.com/notjustbikes Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/notjustbikes One-time donations: https://bunq.me/notjustbikes NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9v57F4xz46KaDsvWfCv8yw --- Sources and Image Credits Thumnail photo: Suburban Sprawl, Vegas Style https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkay/3732615241 This video is based on the work of Strong Towns, especially the "Growth Ponzi Scheme": https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/8/28/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-a-crash-course https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/13/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-1.html https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/14/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-2.html https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/15/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-3.html https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/16/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-4.html Aerial view of the Napa River where it divides Vallejo, California By Dicklyon - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69952050 Historical compilation of photos from Brainerd, MN Downtown Brainerd, then and now: http://www.crowwinghistory.org/brainerd_downtown_buildings.html Penny Postcards from Minnesota http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/crowwing/postcards/ppcs-crow.html $3.2 Billion to Fix Tampa's Aging Pipes? From Where? https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/8/30/32-billion-to-fix-tampas-aging-pipes-from-where The land of the FREE [Backus, MN] https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2010/2/17/the-land-of-the-free.html Transactions of Decline, Lowry Edition https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2010/4/20/transactions-of-decline-lowry-edition.html We Need Growth. But Only If It Generates Real Wealth. https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/10/9/we-need-growth-but-only-if-it-generates-real-wealth Branch Closings and Budget Cuts Threaten Libraries Nationwide https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/branch-closings-and-budget-cuts-threaten-libraries-nationwide/ We Can't Afford To Keep The Streetlights On https://www.businessinsider.com/we-cant-afford-to-keep-the-streetlights-on-2009-8 Cost of deferred maintenance for U.S. infrastructur ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfQUOHlAocY

I was always told, growing up, that the suburbs (of Canada) are a good place to raise children. But I've come to appreciate the importance of independence for the a child's development, something that's nearly impossible in today's car-dependent suburbs. It was pretty clear that suburbia was not right for our kids, so we moved to the Netherlands instead. Patreon: https://patreon.com/notjustbikes Twitter: https://twitter.com/notjustbikes Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/notjustbikes --- References and Sources: How to Raise the Happiest Kids in the World https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-raise-the-happiest-kids-in-the-world_b_59e7a901e4b0432b8c11ec28 はじめてのおつかい (Hajimete no Otsukai) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%E3%81%AF%E3%81%98%E3%82%81%E3%81%A6%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8A%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8B%E3%81%84 Child abductions by strangers rare in Canada https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/child-abductions-by-strangers-rare-in-canada-1.1335061 Canada among only seven countries to see rise in pedestrian deaths, OECD study reveals https://financialpost.com/transportation/canada-among-only-seven-countries-to-see-rise-in-pedestrian-deaths-oecd-study-finds Montreal pedestrian deaths at highest level in 6 years https://globalnews.ca/news/5382380/montreal-pedestrians-deaths-2018-high/ Pedestrian fatalities disturbingly high for 2019: Manitoba Public Insurance https://www.mpi.mb.ca/Pages/nr2019sept24.aspx Toronto appears to have hit a one-year high in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/12/07/toronto-appears-to-have-hit-a-one-year-high-in-pedestrian-and-cyclist-fatalities-over-40-per-cent-of-those-deaths-happened-in-scarborough.html Drivers are killing more pedestrians in Canada every year https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-for-february-3-2019-1.4997146/drivers-are-killing-more-pedestrians-in-canada-every-year-here-s-why-michael-s-essay-1.4998615 Pedestrian deaths hit 28-year high, and big vehicles and smartphones are to blame https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/pedestrian-deaths-hit-a-28-year-high-and-big-vehicles-and-smartphones-are-to-blame.html Schoolmobiliteit KpVV Dashboard duurzame en slimme mobiliteit https://kpvvdashboard-15.blogspot.com/2012/12/meer-over-modal-split.html How many Dutch children still go to school by bike? The rise of driving. http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2013/09/how-many-dutch-children-still-go-to.html Why did our children stop walking to school? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-why-did-our-children-stop-walking-to-school/ Supportive Parents Encourage Child’s Interests In Anything Within 15-Minute Drive https://local.theonion.com/supportive-parents-encourage-child-s-interests-in-anyth-1819578535 Children driven around too much, ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul_xzyCDT98