Episode

Car Ownership Versus the Promise of Convenience

Podcast
The Bottom-Up Revolution
Published
Jul 21, 2026
Duration seconds
976
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://littlethings.strongtowns.org/e/car-ownership-versus-the-promise-of-convenience/
Audio
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kn55mn76b8ckfmkm/BUS_7-21-26.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/the-bottom-up-revolution-515360/episodes/car-ownership-versus-the-promise-of-convenience
Markdown
/podcast/the-bottom-up-revolution-515360/car-ownership-versus-the-promise-of-convenience.md

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Summary

Andrew Price spent nine years living without a car in Hoboken, New Jersey, where most daily trips could be handled on foot or by transit. Once he bought a car, even routine outings came with a new calculation: where he would park, how much it would cost, and whether driving was actually the easier option. An early Strong Towns member, Price examined places, non-places, and the difference between fine-grained and coarse-grained urbanism in articles. He reflects on how owning a car made him a stronger urbanist, a realization that connects back to his first years in Arkansas, where lawns, roads, and parking lots filled the landscape, but finding a place to sit outside with lunch still meant getting back in the car. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Andrew Price (Blog, LinkedIn, X [Twitter]) Places and Non-Places and Fine-Grained vs. Coarse-Grained Urbanism by Andrew Price (Articles) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.