About ten years ago I met a group of American exchange students at some high school event. The city (in Europe obviously) had* the most incompetent, mismanaged, underdeveloped, dysfunctional public transit system I had ever seen… and the Americans had nothing but praise and adoration for it. I couldn’t understand why, until I stumbled across Not Just Bikes and learned how fucking dire the situation is over there. The transit system is still the same, maybe worse, but this new perspective gave me a measure of appreciation. We’re not quite as fucked.
However, most tourists only experience the public transport in relatively central areas of the city, going mostly towards the centre, and mostly outside rush hours, so they do experience it at it’s best.
A classic English garden is quite different from an American lawn. An English garden has flowers and bushes and ornaments. It is very well maintained though, that is true, too maintianed maybe. The grass part is also pure grass with no room for “weeds”. But the English make it look “orderly and autistic” while the Americans just make it look “sterile”, no life, no inspiration, no spirit, no joy, no color, no vegetables, nothing.
My HOA requires a “percentage of green space” which most people have interpreted as lawn. Primarily because it is cheaper (and less effort) to just slap down some Kentucky blue grass and a sprinkler system than it is to plant native plants.
If you violate HOA rules, they can put a lein on your property (fine you) and, in extreme cases, you can be evicted.
Why do HOAs have this power? Property values.
So down at the bottom, what’s the reason for the homogeneity and isolation of suburbia?
The European mind can’t comprehend.
About ten years ago I met a group of American exchange students at some high school event. The city (in Europe obviously) had* the most incompetent, mismanaged, underdeveloped, dysfunctional public transit system I had ever seen… and the Americans had nothing but praise and adoration for it. I couldn’t understand why, until I stumbled across Not Just Bikes and learned how fucking dire the situation is over there. The transit system is still the same, maybe worse, but this new perspective gave me a measure of appreciation. We’re not quite as fucked.
However, most tourists only experience the public transport in relatively central areas of the city, going mostly towards the centre, and mostly outside rush hours, so they do experience it at it’s best.
We got lawns from France and England.
A classic English garden is quite different from an American lawn. An English garden has flowers and bushes and ornaments. It is very well maintained though, that is true, too maintianed maybe. The grass part is also pure grass with no room for “weeds”. But the English make it look “orderly and autistic” while the Americans just make it look “sterile”, no life, no inspiration, no spirit, no joy, no color, no vegetables, nothing.
In the same way you got deep dish pizza from italy
If you wanted to. American seems like they’re required to have a lawn or else they’ll get sued by HOA or something.
My HOA requires a “percentage of green space” which most people have interpreted as lawn. Primarily because it is cheaper (and less effort) to just slap down some Kentucky blue grass and a sprinkler system than it is to plant native plants.
If you violate HOA rules, they can put a lein on your property (fine you) and, in extreme cases, you can be evicted.
Why do HOAs have this power? Property values.
So down at the bottom, what’s the reason for the homogeneity and isolation of suburbia?
Laziness and greed.