Build denser neighborhoods, eliminate the need for long commutes in general. Commuting is not adding value to our economy, it is just a large money pit that we throw gas, maintenance, and tax dollars into.
The concept of low-rise residential & commercial is very recent, and was a reaction to the cold war (eg: lets spread out, nukes can't kill us all then!). You end up with sprawling burbs covering your best farmland, and a crapton of infrastructure to maintain at great expense. If it weren't for federal infrastructure subsidies covering the up front capital for infrastructure, most suburbs would not exist.
You can build dense, multi-story complexes with good insulation and seperation, were it not for running into your neighbors at the mailbox, you'd hardly see them at all. Most buildings built from 2002 on in Seattle are of this caliber, and having put up walls before, stapling some insulation between isn't that hard or expensive, and is worth every dollar if you plan to live there.
The concept of low-rise residential & commercial is very recent, and was a reaction to the cold war (eg: lets spread out, nukes can't kill us all then!). You end up with sprawling burbs covering your best farmland, and a crapton of infrastructure to maintain at great expense. If it weren't for federal infrastructure subsidies covering the up front capital for infrastructure, most suburbs would not exist.
You can build dense, multi-story complexes with good insulation and seperation, were it not for running into your neighbors at the mailbox, you'd hardly see them at all. Most buildings built from 2002 on in Seattle are of this caliber, and having put up walls before, stapling some insulation between isn't that hard or expensive, and is worth every dollar if you plan to live there.