The thesis of this book is that cities should be designed around pedestrians and more livable spaces rather than cars and commutes, and that this sort of design would make people happier. I wanted to like this book, and I even agree with the thesis, but the author’s approach was infuriating and left me less convinced than when I started.
He often relies on anecdotes about super-commuters who bike through piles of snow and live happy, healthy lives. That may be great, but I can tell you that none of the residents in the 8 properties I own fit this category. The best parts are about acknowledging why people want privacy and want to drive, and I wish the entire book were an honest accounting of why people drive despite the obvious drawbacks, and the right way to think about urban design in a way that can accommodate these desires while improving on our suburban, low-density status-quo.
Instead we get cheerleading about all the utopian stories of cohousing developments that are greener, more walkable, where the developers made money, the city increased revenues and everybody sang Kumbaya at the end.