When I was home in the States I had to defend having wanted to live for 2 and 1/2 years in Germany. For many people 30 months (or 921.5 days) is the brink of eternity - an eternity abroad. They are sure I will be in Germany forever. And no one, except a person without financial alternatives or someone who is persecuted would choose that, right?Surprisingly people who have been abroad a lot are the most disbelieving. "Don't you get tired of not being able to express yourself naturally in your own language?" "Don't you wish you could just pop home for a weekend?" The answer, of course, to both questions is yes, but it misses the point here.
The crux of my defense is always: I think Germany has really livable cities with vibrant nuclei. I can stumble out my front door and within five minutes I've reached my dentist, picked out organic groceries, taken shoes to be repaired, popped into a thrift store, or sat down for Spanish lessons. And restaurants, beer gardens, and cafes within a five-minute radius are in such abundance it is hardly worth mentioning. (The best news is - but, ssh, it's a secret - even with the dollar at rock bottom and a student/subsistence salary it isn't prohibitively expensive to live in a thriving German downtown - and it's safe.) Another bonus is, when I've had enough of the city, there are frequent trains and smoothly paved bike paths to get me out.
That upshot of all of this is that living without a car is not only possible, it is the only sensible way to live. And that point is made here by a more articulate spokesman from the NY Times.
I live in the sort of neighborhood in Germany that Krugman describes, "a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping." And I agree with his conclusion that this kind of neighborhood "barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas." To make a contrast, he even mentions a US city close to home: "Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses, and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars, and cars."
For most educated Americans this isn't really news. It is, however, hard for people who haven't lived in Germany or similar places in Europe to appreciate the extent of the disparity. And the ramifications that transportation issues have for quality of life.
On the other hand, Americans are making changes. I am really pleased to see more bikers in my hot and humid hometown every time I visit. They are defying the famous wisdom from Field of Dreams, ("If you build it, they will come."), tired of waiting for bike paths to be built. Hoping that if they come, the city will build. I am also encouraged by talk of restoring existing railway lines and expanding passenger rail travel between major cities in the area I grew up. Both these things seem to not only be relevant for the liberal enclave in which I was nurtured, but also for other parts of the nation.
Rock on, green city planners, amateur and professional. It makes me want to come back and fight the fight. Almost.
The crux of my defense is always: I think Germany has really livable cities with vibrant nuclei. I can stumble out my front door and within five minutes I've reached my dentist, picked out organic groceries, taken shoes to be repaired, popped into a thrift store, or sat down for Spanish lessons. And restaurants, beer gardens, and cafes within a five-minute radius are in such abundance it is hardly worth mentioning. (The best news is - but, ssh, it's a secret - even with the dollar at rock bottom and a student/subsistence salary it isn't prohibitively expensive to live in a thriving German downtown - and it's safe.) Another bonus is, when I've had enough of the city, there are frequent trains and smoothly paved bike paths to get me out.
That upshot of all of this is that living without a car is not only possible, it is the only sensible way to live. And that point is made here by a more articulate spokesman from the NY Times.
I live in the sort of neighborhood in Germany that Krugman describes, "a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping." And I agree with his conclusion that this kind of neighborhood "barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas." To make a contrast, he even mentions a US city close to home: "Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses, and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars, and cars."
For most educated Americans this isn't really news. It is, however, hard for people who haven't lived in Germany or similar places in Europe to appreciate the extent of the disparity. And the ramifications that transportation issues have for quality of life.
On the other hand, Americans are making changes. I am really pleased to see more bikers in my hot and humid hometown every time I visit. They are defying the famous wisdom from Field of Dreams, ("If you build it, they will come."), tired of waiting for bike paths to be built. Hoping that if they come, the city will build. I am also encouraged by talk of restoring existing railway lines and expanding passenger rail travel between major cities in the area I grew up. Both these things seem to not only be relevant for the liberal enclave in which I was nurtured, but also for other parts of the nation.
Rock on, green city planners, amateur and professional. It makes me want to come back and fight the fight. Almost.
