I should have been way more clear in my initial comment because my wording made it sound as though I think commutes would be more social without cars, and having lived in Chicago I can say that while my commutes were more social than they are now, it wasn’t so drastic as to feel negative about it. My actual opinion is more in regards to the way cities develop and age when built nearly strictly with the automobile in mind, which is the reality for basically all cities in the Midwest. “Aging in place” is one concept you should definitely Google, it’s very interesting and very relevant to modern day America, as it’s something most of us will not be able to do.

We are social animals first and foremost. Despite the personal freedom automobiles were created to provide, their impacts on cities (in terms of infrastructure, environment, economics, sociology as well) are well-studied and documented, and largely indicate that when our built environment is built for cars, not people, it begins to detrimentally impact the urban fabric of the city (style and scale of buildings, style and scale of public right-of-way, proximity of necessities, area and location of open space, the list goes on). But you can’t pull a thread from that fabric without impacting the integrity of it as a whole. When a trip to the grocery store requires a car, that immediately puts a strain on some people - those who are perhaps too old to drive a car, or those who can’t afford a car, or those who aren’t old enough to drive yet, etc. etc. etc. Auto-centric development really does impact our lives in ways we tend to not see because we are just so accustomed to our cities being that way, but there are better ways to design our urban areas, ways that could really improve our lives financially, socially, and environmentally.

This is not to say that cars have no place in a city, that’s hardly realistic, but there are many, many good reasons cities should begin to truly pursue alternative forms of transportation.

50% read it that way, the other 50% saw a sarcastic dig at me, so I thought I’d ask lol.

Is this meant to be a veiled insult directed at me?

When nearly everything is strictly accessible by car due to lack of public transit, patchy bike infrastructure, auto-centric land development patterns, etc. it tends to make your existence pretty lonely. You spend your travel time alone, surrounded by other people who are also alone in their own cars, and only have to interact with people once you've arrived where you are going. Repeat on the return trip. Multiply by everybody forced into our auto-centric city, and you've got a populace that spends more time in personal vehicles than actually out in the city, forming its urban fabric.

Obviously there are a lot of factors that would go into making a place feel lonely, but car dependency is a huge factor, in my opinion.

And yet he still lives.

If God were real, he'd be a cruel motherfucker.

My husband has been keen on switching our ISP over to fiber but I feel like I keep seeing more and more issues since the transfer to Brightspeed. Not to mention their response reads like PR 101 with poor grammar lol.

The only thing Jesus will take from you is your weekly tithing.

I moved here from Chicago and the drivers here are so much worse than there. Especially when it comes to respecting bike/ped infrastructure. Folks here don't seem to give a rat's ass about you if you travel outside of a personal vehicle, and even then drivers are constantly on their cell phones putting other drivers in danger. It's horrible.

Ah, Springfield. Becoming Texas, Jr. right before our very eyes.

We are the only planet, that we know of, that hosts an abundance of diverse life and yet we treat it like it isn't the most precious thing in existence. We only have one Earth, and you can't just buy new species or ecosystems. Our hubris could very well be our downfall.

We just ordered delivery from y’all last night 😭😭😭

Makes sense, but yikes. Guess I’ll talk to the husband about buying from different brands then.

Is this true? Should I just go Google?

wannabe christofascists deserve all the judgment my gay ass can muster honestly

My husband says he smelt something like raw sewage near Republic and Charleston as well.

I don’t disagree but my statement still stands lol. 😂

Fuck Donald J. Trump and every person who has enabled him throughout his life.

I can explain why this happens! In Springfield, new sidewalks are built by the developer at the time of a property’s development (with some exceptions). That hasn’t been the rule forever though, so large parts of the city were developed without any pedestrian infrastructure at all. Now that some of those properties are redeveloping, those without sidewalk are usually required to build it. If it’s a corridor without sidewalk that the City has determined needs the infrastructure, that could mean building a sidewalk with no connection at your property line. This can lead to a patchwork of infrastructure if certain properties do not redevelop when their neighbors do.

The City has a pool of money funded by properties that request to pay a fee in-lieu-of sidewalk, which a special board considers and approves based on the need, etc. in that area. The developer pays for each foot of sidewalk they request not to construct, and that money is then used to build sidewalk elsewhere in that property’s Council district (1 through 4).

I have an expired Illinois ID that I was allowed to use because it expired after the last general election in 2020. They commented that it was an IL license, but not that it was expired, which surprised me. But I wasn’t given any grief over it and was allowed to vote like normal.

Now to find my birth certificate and passport so I can get a REAL ID.

Was at my polling place at 8:00AM, was the 240th person to vote. Hoping for a positive outcome for Amendment 3, and the Senate seat (doubtful).

There's a church to the west and an incredibly fancy home/professional photography studio to the north. The quarry is to the south and Sequiota Park is to the east.

The property owner to the north with the photography studio was very outspoken in her opposition to the rezoning when City Council reviewed it, as was Galloway generally.

The City is not asking for it; City Council approved the rezoning years ago and the neighbors attempted to appeal the decision. It escalated into a court case between the property owner/developer and the neighbors, which led to the ballot question.

Keeping an eye on this, interested as well!

The coolest rodents!

My husband and I would like to move at some point. I grew up near KC and our shared friend circle is still mostly there, so that’s the most realistic option. I prefer denser cities because it’s easier to live life without a car, but our three-year stunt in Chicago made it really evident that we wouldn’t hit some life goals on our income (home ownership being the principal one) if we stayed in a more expensive place long-term. I think we may more seriously consider the UK or Europe once our parents pass on, but that’s a ways down the road in all likelihood.

Springfield is a nice enough place. We are gay, and it can be hard to see the good in a place where closed-mindedness is more common than in a place like Chicago. It sucks that we don’t feel comfortable holding hands while walking downtown. That’s honestly one of the biggest motivators for us.