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[–]Valendr0s 155 points156 points ago*

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Found it

The road in front is Atchley Dr.

My mom lived at like 2 o'clock on that picture toward the edge. It's called Sun City. Retirement age houses.

EDIT: It's the place alright. Look at the house with no landscaping toward the middle bottom, That's clearly this house.

[–]pregnantandsober 36 points37 points ago

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This needs to be upvoted more. It's a retirement community. There don't need to be playgrounds. There are clubhouses with tennis courts and shuffleboard. Also, looking at most of the backyards, they're all hardscaping... cement and rocks, low maintenance for the retired set.

[–]x3nopon 690 points691 points ago*

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To summarize the handful of intelligent comments:

This is a retirement community.

That is why the house are mostly (maybe all) single story; old people and stairs don't mix.

The backyards are small because old people don't need to play sports.

There is little greenery because it is in the middle of the desert. The lack of greenery is both environmentally correct and sustainable. Las Vegas already has water issues so green lawns are the last thing the area needs.

The roads are purposefully designed like that so that the residential roads are not thru roads and only serve the residents. This reduces traffic. I'm sure there is a giant commercial center right off this picture where everyone can drive their car and buy whatever they need. You also see there are also walkways through the development (bottom middle of the picture for example) even where roads were not put to allow residents to walk around if they choose to.

Las Vegas is surrounded by protected lands which cannot be developed; so even though it looks like there is tons of open space from a satellite view, there isn't actually that much developable land, which is one reason why the housing is so dense.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]zangorn 15 points16 points ago

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This is the definition of a car-dependent residential district. Without driving the only things to do are:

1, walking/biking/skateboarding around the streets.

2, mow the lawn, or garden.

3, visiting the neighbors.

4, staying in.

But since people park in their garages, the only way to meet people is options 1 and 2 above, which many people simply don't do. There on average people there probably know less than 2 of their neighbors. So, if you don't do options 1 and 2, then you won't be doing option 3, so many people either stay in, or drive off to do something. And everything is far!

This is one of the least sustainable and most energy dependent ways to set up a civilization. When gas prices soar and people lose their jobs, these houses foreclose first. I wonder how many of those houses in the photo are currently vacant!

[–]kingofvodka 22 points23 points ago*

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You drive to a McDonalds that's half a mile away? That's like a ten minute walk bro.

EDIT: Thanks for the corrections lol; TIL Vegas is very pedestrian-unfriendly. I live in suburban England, that's my bad.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]the-ace 4 points5 points ago

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This one single comment says so much...

[–]zanycaswell 8 points9 points ago

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The cul-de-sacing probably makes it much farther.

[–]djsjjd 6 points7 points ago

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Exactly. There are no shortcuts in these neighborhoods. They are designed for cars only and each yard (and neighborhood) is surrounded by a continuous block wall, which cannot be "cut" through.

These shitty neighborhoods can easily turn a half-mile distance into a two mile trek.

[–]zangorn 4 points5 points ago

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Look at that wall there around the neighborhood. Even if you lived 50 feet from a McDonalds, you couldn't get there because of the wall, you'd still have to drive! Or walk 10 minutes (both ways).

[–]NiallMcPaulSmells 77 points78 points ago

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Also, these people are going to be spending their time inside their house, not looking at it, and can make it every bit as much their own as most people can anyway. Just because something isn't unique, doesn't mean that it can't be just as valuable to someone!

[–]Shock_and_Awwwwww 49 points50 points ago

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This is a retirement community.

Good god, that whole county must smell like mothballs and Icy Hot.

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points ago

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Clark county. This is actually only a few miles south of the strip, so you get the funk of malted hooker ass too

[–]crod242 2 points3 points ago

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On an unrelated note, did you hear Snooki came out with her own perfume line?

[–]crazybusdriver 18 points19 points ago

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Thank you for a factual and levelheaded post. In addition to what you said about the size of the lots, this area was built when housing and land was priced higher - to reduce cost, the builders tried to get as much housing out of a limited area. There's quite the difference in the size of the lots of neighborhoods around Vegas, depending on when the area was developed.

[–]pohatu 14 points15 points ago

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thanks, but old people enjoy walking outside. There should be "brownery." There doesn't need to be trees and lush grass. You can have some natural land. Plenty of fancier places in the desert do this. The only reason there isn't some natural land left is because it would mean building 1-5% less houses.

[–]imaraddude 4 points5 points ago

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I don't know about you, but have you been to vegas in the summer or winter? It get's rediculously hot/cold. I don't want to walk around outside in vegas unless its from Casino to Casino and even then, they are mostly hooked together down the strip.

[–]friednonsense 6 points7 points ago

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Seriously. If you've never lived in Vegas, you really have no idea. People don't walk here. The only time we ever have decent weather its accompanied by winds that make it next to impossible to walk. Old people walking here would result in death.

[–]loercase 31 points32 points ago

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I'm sure there is a giant commercial center right off this picture where everyone can drive their car and buy whatever they need.

This shortsightedness in urban planning is going to be a big headache in the future when we can't afford to drive cars.

[–]firebadmattgood 28 points29 points ago

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Yep. I grew up in a suburb, filled with cul de sacs. When I moved to an urban center, it absolutely blew my mind that I did not need to use my car for every single trip.

[–]NUMBERS2357 3 points4 points ago

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Road design like that is more dangerous than a grid, leads to more traffic accidents.

[–]philasurfer 6 points7 points ago

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Its not so much the density that offends me, its the lack of any kind of commercial or communal space. In fact, I think it should be MORE dense with some parks and commercial spaces that are walkable.

This is how building is done, when it is done for the profit and efficiency of the builder. What I described is building for people who live there.

[–]BlackFallout 5 points6 points ago

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ALL of the back yards are small in any of the houses that were built in the last 15 years out here in Vegas. If you have more than 10-15 feet of space from your house to your back wall then your living in a million dollar home in Summerlin, or your house was built over 20 years ago.

[–]djsjjd 2 points3 points ago

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Also live in Vegas. This is absolutely true.

Vegas had an amazing population (and subsequent housing) boom from 1990 - 2005. Unfortunately, these cookie-cutter, commuter neighborhoods were the result.

[–]erietemperance 2 points3 points ago*

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The backyards are small because old people don't need to play sports.

All backyards are small in Vegas, it has nothing to do with it being a retirement community.

Edit: It's not a retirement community either.

[–]pminkin 220 points221 points ago

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Sim City.

[–]Baned0n 154 points155 points ago

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Must be the new one. Curved roads.

[–]Dirk_McAwesome 142 points143 points ago

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Curved. Roads.

[–]Uni_te 27 points28 points ago

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Woah.

[–]warpus 5 points6 points ago

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Cities XL 2012

[–]cschneid 48 points49 points ago

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In SC2000, I was like "fuck the earth, time to flatten some land.". Also, "fuck the classic neighborhoods, time for some archologies"

Hmm, I was not a good mayor.

[–]Beakerbite 61 points62 points ago

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You know what.

Fuck this city.

Lets start fresh.

Time for disasters.

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points ago

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all I ever did

[–]tocs 1284 points1285 points ago

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Little boxes, on the hillside. Little boxes made of TICKY TACKY

[–]Max_Powers42 181 points182 points ago

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Thereeees a beige one, and a beige one, and a beige one and a beige one...

[–]AnonUhNon 18 points19 points ago

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Haha, thank you. When I first got to vegas I used to sing almost exactly this ad-lib to that song while driving around.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]ImProbablyThatGuy 306 points307 points ago

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Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes all the same.

[–]alphaweiner 271 points272 points ago

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There's a green one, and a pink one, and a blue one, and a yellow one.

[–]HeBoughtALot 119 points120 points ago

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...and they all look just the same.

[–][deleted] 213 points214 points ago

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And they're all made out of ticky tacky. And they all look the same.

[–]Van_Wildest 38 points39 points ago

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And the people, in the houses all went to the university

[–]iizzkozeh 102 points103 points ago

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JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL. LIVING IN A LONELY WOLRD

[–]Kinat 22 points23 points ago

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There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who love Journey. And fucking liars!

[–]asthmadragon 22 points23 points ago

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Where they were all put in boxes and they all came out the same.

[–]khrak 127 points128 points ago

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And the people in the houses all go to the university, and they all get put in boxes, little boxes all the same

[–]ScreamingFayeRae 121 points122 points ago

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And there's doctors and lawyers, And business executives, And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.

[–]notashleyjudd 144 points145 points ago

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I'm gonna go get high.

[–]Anderson0457 55 points56 points ago*

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Came to the comments for the "ticky tacky" posts. I was not disappointed.

[–]WhatsAMaWhoosIt 18 points19 points ago

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My first thought was, "that looks like agrestic."

My favorite is when they brought in all the different artists to sing that song. Now the intro's to weeds suck in comparison.

[–]EvilTOJ 13 points14 points ago

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Weeds in general sucks. It started out nice, then once they left Agrestic it went ridiculous. I was hoping the show would go more towards how Breaking Bad went, a little darker and more into the weed drug trade.

I also loathe the theme song a lot. A LOT!

[–]mysterycraze 10 points11 points ago

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Here is another song which carries the same message as Little Boxes. Originally a punk song by Crass and made into anti-folk by Jeffrey Lewis.

[–]Kawazawa 19 points20 points ago

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I first thought at seeing this picture. And you guys thought it out for me.

I love you.

[–]shyronnie 15 points16 points ago

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DAMMIT. i wanted to be the clever one here. i didn't get to. no one ever pays me in gum

[–]bufordt 2 points3 points ago

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It's Vegas, there may be an occasional pink one, but we don't allow green, blue or yellow. Only shades of brown will be allowed.

[–]db0255 29 points30 points ago

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Cool fact: If a woman and a man make eye contact on that show for more than a second or two, they will have sex later in the episode.

[–]Soonermandan 23 points24 points ago

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And then, somehow, Nancy will fuck everything up.

[–]dsigned001 34 points35 points ago

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The intro to Weeds was often as good as the show itself. Fucking amazing intro.

[–]puhnitor 27 points28 points ago

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Season 2 where they got different musicians to do the intro was genius.

[–]untogethered 8 points9 points ago

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Until they got rid of it.

I mean, I understand why they did, because it didn't represent the changes they made to the show. But that's the problem.

[–]dsigned001 2 points3 points ago

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Pretty much everything after they leave Agrestic (and quite a bit before they do) took too much suspension of disbelief to be worth watching anymore.

[–]Anal-Balls 67 points68 points ago

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Reddit is so amazing, this is the very first thing I thought when I saw the pic. Opened comments to post it, and here it is right on the top. Upvote for you.

[–]Immynimmy 39 points40 points ago

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Same here. Although it really isn't amazing; probably means we need to get some sunlight and talk to another human.

[–]vxx 15 points16 points ago

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That is the secret of the Top Comments. You only have to write down everyones first thought.

[–]averyrdc 6 points7 points ago

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You mean reddit is predictable.

[–]rendeld 2 points3 points ago

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when i saw this i decided to click the comments because i bet myself this would be the top comment

[–]Late2theGame 158 points159 points ago

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And to think, so many of those have been foreclosed on.

[–]themisc 28 points29 points ago

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[–]the8bit 61 points62 points ago

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1000 Sq ft for $35k man I bought my house in the wrong area

[–]josiahw 123 points124 points ago

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If you bought your house outside of Vegas then I think you bought it in the right area.

[–]AnonUhNon 65 points66 points ago*

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This. I live in Vegas. You don't get 1k sq ft house here for $35k unless it's in a terrible area of town (crime). Prices here really aren't that low and they've already bottomed. You could pick up a mediocre condo for 45-50'ish, closer to 800 sq than 1000sq, but it's going to be a first floor condo in a subdivision within a subdivision, no view of anything and your neighbors are going to be awful. So...really...let's be honest. This isn't NYC or anything, and if you're going to live in Vegas you certainly want to live on the outside outside burbs in a house house, not a condo.

Just in case anyone here cares, now's the time to get in on long term investment in Vegas. The suburb in the picture is probably the Anthem area which is a really nice suburban area, lots of second homes, 55+ restricted communities (senior communities), all recently built, wouldn't be amazingly hard to get a place with a really nice 180 degree view of the valley/mountains. Just have to find the right streets that run along ridge lines. Houses with great views obviously go for more money, but nothing beats having a back yard where you can get in the pool and stare out over the valley.

The primary reason Vegas has such a high foreclosure rate is because people let their second homes/investment properties go into foreclosure to save their primary residence.

Well, that, and sometimes you lose 17 hands in a row at blackjack!

[–]finanseer 32 points33 points ago

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Nice try, Vegas real estate agent.

[–]AnonUhNon 12 points13 points ago

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:( I said it in a different reply, but I am not an agent and I am certainly not looking to score a commission.

...but I do know a guy...

[–]stopherjj 15 points16 points ago

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Everyone in Vegas "knows a guy"

[–]WhenDookieCalls 22 points23 points ago

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| all recently built

I just couldn't do it. Sadly, recently built tends to equal cheap in this country. Here in LA we have a similar kind of sprawl that you do in Vegas, but since LA sprawled 80 years before Vegas, they're mostly craftsman bungalows built in the 1920s and 1930s. The quality you get can't be matched these days.

[–]AnonUhNon 5 points6 points ago

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I love craftsman style homes. Sadly recent does tend to equal cheap, and while construction in vegas is a bit different (due to climate and land conditions), they're still nothing to write home about. Just throwing it out there in case there are any investors out there or people that are in the market. It's about the time to get in if you're going to do it, shrug. I'm not an agent, not looking to make a commission or anything.

[–]DnWeava 14 points15 points ago

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As a former building inspector, houses built in the last 5-10 years are better built than from any previous era. Of course a low end house today isn't as nice as a high end house from the 20s, but modern construction aterials and methods are way better. Of course if you buy an entry level house you will get cheap appliances and doors, light fixtures, etc, but those things can be changed out easily. Changing out structural members and old wiring is not easy or cheap.

[–]crazybusdriver 14 points15 points ago*

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Pffft. I live in Vegas and I'm a bit tired of everyone giving it a bad rap right off the bat. Vegas has good and bad areas just like any city. Unemployment is bad here, naturally, since the main industry here is tourism-based and as such depending on the national economy. If you have a job, and are able to get a loan/mortgage approved, Vegas is an incredibly affordable place to live right now.

I have a 1255 sqft house, a nice pool, corner lot, park across the street and in a gated community, that is built in 2001 in great shape, in a safe area, and I pay a mortgage payment of $664/month. And if I would have bought it today, my interest would have been lower and so would the purchase price too.

EDIT: spellign

[–]Anonymous_Bosch 12 points13 points ago

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Gated community...explain this to a dumb European. That's where you are under protection from armed guards and behind fences to stop bad people getting in?

I'm naturally suspicious of any place that needs gated communities.

[–]crazybusdriver 9 points10 points ago

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:) Dumb European here as well - that immigrated to the US (legally) a while back.

There are different levels of gated communities, some have guarded gate stations, some do not (mine don't). I simply use a remote or a key-code to get in. I too shared your reservations against gated communities, but after thinking about it for a while, the truth of it is this:

Some folks think there's an added level of security, having a gated community - in reality, that can be a dangerous assumption. What I think of it is simply a feature where the through traffic is reduced to a minimum and the door-to-door solicitors are mostly stumped. In all, it makes for a somewhat quieter neighborhood, but that's mainly it.

What is true for (almost?) all gated communities is that they are part of an HOA - homeowners association. This means I pay a monthly fee to them, they make sure the park and greenery is kept and maintained, they prevent people from parking 5 cars on their front yard, and running a shop out of their garage, for example. Some HOAs are very limiting, there are areas where they will limit what colors you can paint your house, what plants you may use in your yard, etc. The key is to research your housing area of interest and make sure that there are reasonable and not intrusive limitations to where you plan to make your home.

[–]AyaJulia 7 points8 points ago

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It's not that it needs gated communities. It's just something people feel special having. It lends an air of exclusivity: "you can't come in here unless you belong, and I belong." It also makes people feel more important than they really are when there are actual other human beings hired on just for the purpose of watching their gate. They start to feel like they have loyal watchdogs, rather than lackeys earning a paycheck wherever they can.

My apartments have the same effect because they have a lock on the building door, but that doesn't make me feel special since I'm not an idiot (though I might fall prey to feeling special if I had a doorman), and I don't live in a bad neighborhood.

[–]lucretiusT 2 points3 points ago

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Yep, I'm feeling just the same, thinking that a house of the same area costs more or less 250k euros here.

[–]WarlordFred 34 points35 points ago

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OH MY GOD MY KATAMARI IS GOING TO GET SOOO BIG.

[–]Cyborg771 96 points97 points ago

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Because I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought of it. Tilt shifted.

[–]Deggit 3 points4 points ago

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Isn't the original photo already tilt shifted? I came here to see if anyone remembered what that effect was called.

PS you should watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk9EBOOAYiU

[–]fromfocomofo 8 points9 points ago

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How does tilt shift work?

[–]Cyborg771 23 points24 points ago

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Well this is phony tilt shift in photoshop but basically you just blur an image along a gradient to make it look like it's a macro shot of a miniature image. It's super easy.

http://www.tiltshiftphotography.net/photoshop-tutorial.php

[–]Haasts_Eagle 2 points3 points ago

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Is this video also making use of tilt shift? I get the same sense that I am looking at something tiny, but have never known what the technique is.

[–]shoulderdestruction 9 points10 points ago

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After reading the comments and looking at the picture a bit closer, something about it is peculiar... I see hardly any cars actually driving on the streets.

Maybe this pic was taken early in the morning or there's something else at play here, but the much smaller neighborhoods where I'm from are always extremely busy with traffic.

[–]crackheadpigeon 4 points5 points ago

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Vegas suburbs are very spread out. During the work day on a weekday you'd be lucky to find 1 car driving in any particular neighborhood on the outside of town.

[–]Akamikeb 106 points107 points ago

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I find it interesting how many negative responses there are to this picture. I grew up in a very similar housing track in Vegas and when I see a shot like this it kind of makes me homesick. What I liked the most was having so many friends live within such a close proximity, it made walking to their house during the summer a tad more bearable. I used to spend every other summer out with "Grandma-Tine" in Kokomo, IN, and while I thought the open lots and large fields were a spectacle, I also felt it was a huge waste of space (I was also 12 and had no idea wtf I was talking about).

Anyways, just thought it was interesting to see so many people hating on that style of home development when I (was clearly projecting) opened up these comments.

/precaffeinediary

[–]Gumburcules 12 points13 points ago

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I have never been to a suburb like the one in the picture so maybe you can help.

How far do those houses extend? It looks like houses as far as the eye can see. Where do you go pick up a carton of eggs or something if you need one? Is there a large street every so often where there are stores and restaurants, or do you have to drive all the way into the city?

I can't imagine living anywhere that I couldn't walk to the corner store or the local bar, or at the very least ride a bike there.

[–]Platypuskeeper 12 points13 points ago

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Well, I've lived in a not entirely dissimilar place. But also extremely different places (cities, small towns, apartments, and in different countries). I can't say I miss it. On the contrary, I really really dislike it. But I'll tell you why (long comment follows):

It's just a vast, spread out mass of homes. In the picture, you don't see any parks, playgrounds, schools, day-care centers, churches. Much less any shops, squares or natural meeting-places. You can walk to your neighbor, but that's about it. To get anywhere, to do almost anything, you need a car. Needless to say, any kind of mass transport is entirely out of the question. The houses are unremarkable, mass-produced and lacking in individuality. The yards are tiny, the houses are as packed together as possible. (Add to that the whole Nevada thing - it might not be that much fun in your yard)

Basically I feel this combines the worst-of-all-worlds, city-planning wise. If you live in an apartment in a city, you have no yard and no real individuality in your home, but you have high density. You can walk to stuff, you have mass-transit, you've got a live neighborhood outside your door. You'll have more neighbors than most would care for, though.

If you live out in a quite rural setting, you've got the same isolation in that you need to take a car everywhere. But then, at least you've got space, and probably a more unique home. You can still likely walk to your neighbor, although you'll have fewer of them.

If you live in a small town, or well-planned suburb, you can have both an actual house and things to do within walking distance, and mass transport at least for commuters from the town/suburb center to other places. You can have a sense of community, with an actual town-center where you have events, or just chance encounters.

That's what really bugs me. Not just the environmental and gas costs of this kind of construction, but this isolation between where you (and your neighbors) live and everything else. You feel like you're island-hopping between fixed locations: work/school/supermarket/shopping mall/home, with little chance (or is it risk?) of the unexpected or 'real world' intruding on it.

I don't feel it's the best way to live. Hardly the worst, but what I'm saying is that there's a better way, if you just have some actual planning. I believe stuff gets built like this simply in order to maximize profit. Buy cheap land, fit as many houses as you can on it, sell. Actually making it the best-possible place to live isn't a concern, at least not insofar it might hurt the bottom-line.

I'm not against suburbs at all, just this sprawl. High-density housing with the drawbacks of low-density, and none of its features. I've got nothing against automobiles either, but things should be planned to minimize their usage, not maximize it. In the 50's-60's, when they started building like this, gas was cheap and city planners (who'd grown up in the 1920's) still had the "driving is fun!" attitude. Today there are fewer excuses. It's just that it's become so common that people don't demand better.

[–]CityLightsBurn 11 points12 points ago

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Thank you! My exact thoughts when I saw this picture: Homesick.

[–]rabs38 245 points246 points ago

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All this hate for the middle class.

[–]yesukai 213 points214 points ago

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Yeah. "Stupid Americans, having comfy places to live for pretty cheap by applying mass production to housing."

[–]gsxr 32 points33 points ago

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I remember being young and thinking the burbs suck. To many houses all looking the same, all those assholes. Little older now, got a kid and a wife, and i really like living in the burbs. I have a decent house, next to some other decently maintained houses, and everyone is pretty much like me. But not so much like me they're annoying, more same general place in life.

[–]warpus 13 points14 points ago

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Yeah, but doesn't it get boring to live in such a cookie cutter neighbourhood where everything looks the same? Not annoying to have to drive everywhere?

Those are my 2 main problems with such burbs..

[–]gsxr 10 points11 points ago

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What matters changes drastically as life goes on. A little predictability is pretty comforting after dealing with work, bills, kids and general life.

and since most people that live in your immediate area are pretty much the same as you socially, and economicly there's sort of a nice feeling we're all in this together. A weird sense of community.

[–]warpus 5 points6 points ago

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I understand that, and agree, but disagree that every single house has to look the same, with no parks or any other interesting areas in the neighbourhood.

Variety is the spice of life!

[–]fco83 3 points4 points ago

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On the street level (as opposed to from the air), they dont all look the exact same. Different colors, different layouts, etc. You might have the same developer but a list of available plans. A lot of suburban areas do have park space built in (i have a very nice park with a trail through it that i like to walk through a very short walk away), id imagine this is different for vegas due to the fact that green space is pretty hard to maintain in a desert.

[–]sim006 49 points50 points ago

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It's not hate for the middle class. It's hate for bad urban planning. Areas like this increase reliance on the automobile which causes congestion and increases fossil feel usage, poor air quality and carbon emissions. They also are a detriment to the economy as all this infrastructure for so few people means a greater maintenance cost per person. Lastly they really hurt social connectivity of communities.

This is a really good Ted talk on the subject: http://m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6XRjatW_N9M%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&feature=youtu.be&v=6XRjatW_N9M&gl=CA

[–]Buscat 6 points7 points ago

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This is a ridiculous strawman argument that I'm always getting thrown at me. I don't hate people, I just feel sorry for them living in a place like that, and don't feel that we can sustainably just keep growing these vast fields of houses.

[–]Vectoor 77 points78 points ago

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Auto centric as hell, no way to get anywhere without a car. Great for kids, elderly, drunk people, poor people, the environment, the gas bills, the people stuck in traffic. Everyone is happy!

[–]bobandgeorge 8 points9 points ago

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That's part of the problem with Central Florida. If you're in downtown Orlando, you're cool. There's cabs and buses everywhere. Anywhere else? Not so much.

[–]gerp 9 points10 points ago

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Apply that to central everywhere in Florida. The train plan from Tampa to Orlando would have been so awesome.

[–]I3ombastic 2 points3 points ago

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apply that to everywhere in the US that's not a major city

[–]U2_is_gay 31 points32 points ago

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I grew up in the suburbs but I would hate a place like this. Nothing but houses for miles probably. The suburb I grew up in was created a little more, organically I guess is the word. Just a byproduct of urban sprawl rather than careful suburban planning.

[–]BCBUDDHA 14 points15 points ago

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do be fair, strip malls with amenities and sports facilities are usually strategically positioned

[–]howfishdo 11 points12 points ago

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Yes, but strategically positioned means you probably need a car to get around. Suburbs like this one were designed and planned with the car as a scale in mind, not the people living there.

[–]U2_is_gay 2 points3 points ago

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Oh I'm not saying it was just thrown together. It's just more of a city than a development, which is really all you see now. The more rural areas outside of my city have been starting to get developed, and with all that open land you have opportunities to plan out the placement of every damn tree, to the point where it looks a little plasticy, if that makes sense.

[–]baltasaro 7 points8 points ago

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As an urban planning student, this kind of makes me want to vomit.

Here's this: NASA aerial time lapse of Las Vegas's sprawl over the last 40 years.

[–]flobin 32 points33 points ago*

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They have very small backyards in relation to the size of the houses.

edit: perhaps because it's in a desert and being outside sucks?

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points ago

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There's not much need for a yard in the desert

[–]hells_cowbells 4 points5 points ago

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Sprawling on the fringes of the city, in geometric order. An insulated border. In between the bright lights and the far, unlit unknown.

Detached and subdivided in the mass production zone.

[–]dabmaster 4 points5 points ago

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Little boxes...

[–]Chimerasame 3 points4 points ago

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Is any Redditor reading this a City Planner/Engineer or somesuch? I'm curious if there's any particular reason that having a bunch of curved residential roads is preferred to having straight ones (when it doesn't seem from the picture that they're curving around anything in particular; they seem to be curving for its own sake.)

Thanks in advance!

[–]1packer 11 points12 points ago

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Slows traffic down, if you have a straightaway people(at least I know me at least) tend to accelerate harder and have their speed drift up. Also, having a really screwed up grid, as Shagomir said earlier, helps keep traffic off of residential streets.

*Edit: Just remembered where I had heard that from. Actually was for a huge bridge project that required a curve because it helped keep drivers more alert as well. Which seems pretty important in a residential development.

[–]niczar 2 points3 points ago

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Modern urbanists prefer straight lines nowadays, they force traffic to slow down and drivers to pay more attention.

[–]fadedseaside 9 points10 points ago

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Read Cadillac Desert.

[–]bamfsalad 8 points9 points ago

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Las Vegas redditors unite!

[–]7D4Y_WEEKENDS 4 points5 points ago

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Flying from San Diego to LVS I've noticed this before. The crazy part is the distinct you see where the burbs stop and the vast desert begins.

[–]nativeofspace 37 points38 points ago

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If you look closely you can see a hooker on every corner.

[–]bvanman 41 points42 points ago

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Isn't that the American dream?

[–]iamnotatroll 30 points31 points ago

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My first time in the city, see this hot girl at a bus stop. Thought she was a hooker. Circled the block twice, contemplating a business proposition, got scared thinking it might be an undercover cop. Was probably just a hot girl waiting for her bus.

[–]gellatintastegood 12 points13 points ago

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10/10 would read again.

[–]merik42 6 points7 points ago

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This would be a terrible place to be when the zombie apocalypse happens, way too many houses to secure

[–]Thelonius_Monk 20 points21 points ago

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I think most suburbs look pretty depressing when viewed from this altitude, not just Vegas.

[–]this_sort_of_thing 13 points14 points ago

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The main issue here is the zoning, speaking from my Sim City experience. It's just a huge block of residential with nothing in between. There should at least be strips for commercial shops, grocery stores and such.

Here in London no matter where you live (mostly) you're not too far away from a 'high street' which has shops and such, even in the suburbs.

I can't imagine living in the middle of a huge block of houses with nothing but houses for a few miles on either side.

[–]WhenDookieCalls 10 points11 points ago

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Most American cities are like what you're describing in London, especially the older Eastern ones. In New York, Philly, Boston, or DC, you're usually walking distance from a commercial area. Come to think of it, LA and SF are like this too. Really, its the just sunbelt cities like Phoenix and Vegas that really fucked it up. They were built with seperated, Euclidean zoning like this, completely buying in to the "age of the automobile" thing. Literally every trip you make is in your car. Sad way to live.

[–]Cixelsid 4 points5 points ago

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Yeah whoever designed Vegas was smoking crack.

[–]asshat2010 5 points6 points ago

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Is this really any worse than row homes in Philly or big developments in Texas?(ie:places i've lived) At least it looks relatively safe.

[–]crazybusdriver 4 points5 points ago

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Before everyone is appalled by the suburbia nightmare layout of this neighborhood, keep in mind that the picture is taken in a way to where this effect is magnified. Sure, from an aerial view, the houses look much the same, like with any master-planned neighborhood. If you walked the streets, it would not look as bad.

[–]octbar 7 points8 points ago

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This would be an awesome place to go trick or treating.

[–]HandyCore 2 points3 points ago

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So.... how long before that aquifer is tapped out and the city becomes a ghost town?

[–]zachpfeif 2 points3 points ago

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Nooooope

[–]Surfacetovolume 2 points3 points ago

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CSI establishing shot?

[–]nonlinearmedia 4 points5 points ago

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welcome to hell.

[–]Kite_sunday 7 points8 points ago

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As someone that lives in Nevada, I can say that 48% of those are empty, or are housing crack heads.

[–]bruce_dedeuce 2 points3 points ago

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I'm from Vegas, and nope. This is likely Anthem, not NLV.

[–]Philux 10 points11 points ago

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I don't know why everyone is bitching about Vegas, This picture is from Henderson, and not even Vegas. I moved to Vegas and love it! My wife and I are youngish and we are already able to get a house. There is no freezing winters so we can go out camping almost year round. Besides the 2 months its to hot. I find it better then 4-5 months of freezing weather. My yard is easy to take care of I never have to mow. Rock climbing is amazing here! So while most of you I am sure live at home or rent I am living in something that I can get money back from, and pay I less now then I did renting a smaller 2 room condo in a different state.

[–]cat55 7 points8 points ago

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sad ... does not look inviting..and I wonder how many of these are forclosed on.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points ago

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something oddly relaxing about this picture

[–]dershodan 1 point2 points ago

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Simcity, when you get tired of micro-managing everything.

[–]untrustableskeptic 1 point2 points ago

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I feel like Tim Burton could do something with this...

[–]Clayburn 1 point2 points ago

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I love how orderly suburbia is. It even makes the craziness of Vegas serene.

[–]Brotherhood03 1 point2 points ago

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…Son of a bitch.

[–]mastigia 1 point2 points ago

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It doesn't all look like that. That is a pretty nice area actually, of course a lot of it is empty now because anyone with disposable income and sense moved.

[–]alreadyreddit69 1 point2 points ago

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the National Geographic logo has a Brazzers effect on photos

[–]Sternenfuchs 1 point2 points ago

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Oh the diversity

[–]dizzeekittee 1 point2 points ago

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No thank you..

[–]dem503 1 point2 points ago

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I would get SO LOST if I lived in there.....

[–]digitalinfidel 1 point2 points ago

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the suburbs: the place where culture goes to die

[–]cl0uder 1 point2 points ago

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This is sort of frightening.

[–]Brocycle 1 point2 points ago

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As an urban planner...bleugh

[–]nurdboy42 1 point2 points ago

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The monotony would drive me insane

[–]TheMrPurple 1 point2 points ago

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Otherwise known as Human Containment Facility No. 23464

[–]taxonrestroomvisits 1 point2 points ago

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one of us one of us

[–]Slydersno 1 point2 points ago

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This is what I like to call people farms, lots of nice little pens all lined up in a row.

[–]namepitched 1 point2 points ago

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The American Dream.

[–]sheap 1 point2 points ago

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god that looks horrible. I could never consciously move to a place like that

[–]Not_a_Clue 1 point2 points ago

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But we are all unique and significant right?

[–]HereticAlpha 1 point2 points ago

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Oww. My head hurts.

[–]pokemanzred 1 point2 points ago

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why is everything 1 story high?

[–]RickPewwy 1 point2 points ago

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ahh yes the wonderfully attractive patterns of urban sprawl.

[–]finalaccountdown 1 point2 points ago

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I've been there someone was growing corn inside their house. also I found a fusion battery.

[–]yaktrax 1 point2 points ago

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IMAGINE the trick-or-treating potential.

[–]thinkforward 1 point2 points ago

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So the zombie apocalypse starts in Vegas.

I'll be ready.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Nothing like a suburban sprawl to make me feel optimistic about humanity.

[–]legalhandcannon 1 point2 points ago

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Meth, everywhere Meth!

[–]tx8 1 point2 points ago

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Why nobody has solar panels on their roof ? Not enough sun light ಠ_ಠ?

[–]baggachipz 1 point2 points ago

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"YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! We have deserts in America, we just don't live in them, assholes!"

Poor Sam, spinning in his grave.

[–]buddyblazer 1 point2 points ago

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Little boxes made of ticky tacky.

[–]ssjjss 1 point2 points ago

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Doing it wrong. Save on walls.

[–]DubstepMeGusta 1 point2 points ago

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Little boxes, on the hillside.

[–]ropers 1 point2 points ago

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[–]mslaybau 1 point2 points ago

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Note the absence of schools, parks, post offices, stores, etc. This is a big problem with suburbanization that we've seen for decades in the U.S. and increasingly so in other countries: residence-only zoning ordinances that keeps populations away from the noise and pollution of industrial areas, but also forces you to drive to do anything, and ends up precluding community because of the lack of serendipitous encounters at schools, parks, post offices, etc.

[–]Jyana 1 point2 points ago

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I know it's Vegas, but it's not a very accurate representation. There's shade from a cloud on the upper half of the picture - completely unrealistic.

[–]newtothelyte 1 point2 points ago

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I just can't see myself living in a suburb. I'd rather live on the countryside or in a major city.

[–]mcandro 1 point2 points ago

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'another Pleasant Valley Sunday'

[–]Masta-Kink 1 point2 points ago

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[–]howisthisillegal 1 point2 points ago

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Just call me Levittown #2!!!!

YAY FOR HOMOGENIZATION.

[–]nwzimmer 1 point2 points ago

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I'm surprised no one as mentioned this book yet; VERY good read on this subject...

"The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Geography-Nowhere-Americas-Landscape/dp/0671888250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333474570&sr=8-1

[–]TbanksIV 1 point2 points ago

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And they're all made out of ticky tacky.

[–]Azhigher 1 point2 points ago

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Ah Anthem, I live right next to that. It's really not all that bad, it's a nice neighborhood / community compared to the majority of Vegas.

[–]assburgers98 1 point2 points ago

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Little houses on the hillside, little houses made of ticky-tacky...

[–]xdef23 1 point2 points ago

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little boxes

[–]adamslap 1 point2 points ago

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What's the big deal? This is nothing, have you people seen Phoenix?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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"Little boxes on the hill top..."

[–]zanycaswell 1 point2 points ago

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Oh god it's so hideously inefficient.

[–]moj0j0j0 1 point2 points ago

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So where do the people making negative comments live?

[–]hardc0ded 1 point2 points ago

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Anyone seeking more info might also check here:

title comnts points age /r/
the burbs 1272coms 958pts 1yr pics

source: karmadecay

[–]Thermodynamicist 1 point2 points ago*

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I can't see a pub within sensible walking distance, and I also can't seem to see any bus stops. Somebody seems to have incorrectly labelled a picture of hell...

[–]kitd 1 point2 points ago

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I think I'd top myself living in a place like that.

[–]ballstein 1 point2 points ago

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*May cause epilepsy.

[–]shredbang 1 point2 points ago

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Looks like hell to me

[–]Zugzub 1 point2 points ago

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I could never live in a place like that. I would probably kill some one sooner or later.

[–]DigitallyGeeking 1 point2 points ago

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Ha came here for the Little Boxes references, wasn't disappointed.

[–]allyparsons 1 point2 points ago

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Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky, Little boxes, little boxes, Little boxes, all the same. There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same.