Mildly Interesting

No, a ton LESS asphalt and cement because it’s got narrow, 1-way streets (think less than half the width of a standard suburb 2-way street), no driveways and narrow sidewalks. It also has mixed housing (some single family, some duplex, some multiplex) and sometimes even has houses placed behind the ones near the street, with a shared walkway allowing access to the back.

The problem of suburbia is that it’s very low density, isolated from the rest of the city (so you have to drive just to get groceries), far from public transit, and unsafe for children to walk to school. Streetcar suburbs have none of these issues. They’re:

• high density because houses sit on narrow lots much closer together and very close to the sidewalk, with only a tiny front yard for gardening or planting trees
• much smaller and embedded within the fabric of the city, with a straight grid of alternating 1 way streets that have cars parked on them, heavily discouraging through traffic while keeping houses very close to small businesses
• close to public transit (just walk a few mins to the end of the street and catch a streetcar or go down the steps to the subway platform)
• have small bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, and grocery stores within a few minutes walk for anyone to get groceries or relax without needing a car
• much safer for children due to the slow, narrow, 1-way streets and the total absence of driveways (which are very dangerous to small children who aren’t cautious enough around cars backing out)
• also much safer due to the closeness of front doors to the sidewalk. Bad actors can’t grab kids without being seen or make a quick getaway due to the slowness of the street