Jacobs4525

What strategies have you found effective in convincing people to support the policies you advocate for (upzoning, implementing mixed-use zoning, reducing parking minimums, etc.)?

In America it seems like people are generally convinced that the way things are now is how they always have been and always should be, and I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall when I mention that I don’t like not being able to walk to places that are close by and really should be accessible by foot, for example. What are some points (if any) you’ve had success changing people’s minds with?

Saving this. Thanks!

Makes sense. I guess in a roundabout way that sort of does convince the people who think that sprawling low-density car-dependent suburbia is the only way to do things by showing them another way. Thanks for the reply!

Yeah. I consider myself a car guy and actually like cars, but having grown up somewhere relatively walkable (Boston area), it's now incredibly painful to live anywhere else. The fact that you *need* to drive for even basic short trips in >90% of America is depressing and peoples' eyes would be opened if they could live somewhere walkable for a little bit. It's also really annoying to have to always have a DD and worry about how you're gonna get home if you plan to go out and have a few drinks. I also don't think people realize that moderately increasing density and lowering parking minimums doesn't even really have that much of an impact on the convenience of driving, and the reduced traffic actively makes it better for those who still do choose to drive.

Higher density is the solution to traffic, though, because it means more people can walk or use public transit instead of drive.