Suburbs that don't Suck - Colonial Suburbs (Bordentown, New Jersey)

I'm slowly convincing you that New Jersey is actually great.
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More History found here:
bordentownhistory.org/bordent...

Пікірлер: 794

  • @alanthefisher
    @alanthefisher3 жыл бұрын

    You guys really don't like my take that Thomas Paine is the only good founding father lol. I should add that John Adams was decent too. But idk what you're expecting from this channel haha

  • @user-de4cq6uk6l

    @user-de4cq6uk6l

    3 жыл бұрын

    You said “in modern context,” I don’t see how anyone could argue with that, Washington would be in federal prison for slavery today, but in historical context that wasn’t considered a problem

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@user-de4cq6uk6l thank you. Yeah I don't think most people caught that

  • @TheFourFoot

    @TheFourFoot

    3 жыл бұрын

    I’m no American history Stan, but yeah, there were worse ones lol

  • @IkeOkerekeNews

    @IkeOkerekeNews

    3 жыл бұрын

    How about John Jay?

  • @waltercunningham494

    @waltercunningham494

    3 жыл бұрын

    You don’t like revolutionaries that owned slaves or something?? That’s too bad I guess you should cry about it.

  • @adamvmc9249
    @adamvmc92493 жыл бұрын

    Having immigrated from a small town in Ireland I bought my house in Bordentown city the only criteria I wanted was to be able to fall home from the local (pub) and be able to walk to a grocery store or just anywhere in general. This town has a community spirit and really reminds me of my home town.

  • @greenmachine5600

    @greenmachine5600

    3 жыл бұрын

    Nice to hear.

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    Speaking of pubs and walkability, that will be the topic of a future video :)

  • @adamvmc9249

    @adamvmc9249

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alanthefisher nice if you need a test dummy let me know. I enjoy an old pub crawl or two.

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@adamvmc9249 you're welcome to join my discord, it's usually an easier way to get in contact. We eventually will plan a channel meetup too

  • @xsw882

    @xsw882

    2 жыл бұрын

    NJ is one of the few places were u can walk places. many other states dont even have sidewalks. Most poor people in the northeast get coerced into moving to texas, florida, california, virginia, etc just to find out that the rent is a bit cheaper but a car, and probably a financed new car, is a necessity

  • @NotJustBikes
    @NotJustBikes3 жыл бұрын

    I lost it at "YOU HEARD HIM!!" 🤣 Great. Now everyone on the street is watching me, and not just because I'm a world-famous KZreadr.

  • @Ninja-The-Red-Shinobi

    @Ninja-The-Red-Shinobi

    3 жыл бұрын

    imitation is the greatest form of flattery they say.

  • @NotJustBikes

    @NotJustBikes

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Ninja-The-Red-Shinobi definitely! Strong Towns and BicycleDutch are very flattered by my channel.

  • @user-de4cq6uk6l

    @user-de4cq6uk6l

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@NotJustBikes and Alan Fisher on a video? Car boomers are shaking rn

  • @dutchman7623

    @dutchman7623

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@NotJustBikes Ja, maar....

  • @JTPQuinn

    @JTPQuinn

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm a car boomer. Gone cross country 3 times. Cars=Freedom. You can go anywhere there's a road, and if there isn't a road, it probably sucks and isn't worth going there. That said, rush hour commutes are stressful, and anyone who drives in the city rather than taking public transit I'm convinced is clinically insane.

  • @markrichards6863
    @markrichards68633 жыл бұрын

    The suburb my parents moved us to, when I was in high school didn't even have sidewalks, except on a few streets. I graduated in the late 70s. I moved back to NYC right after college. When I go back to visit, I'm shocked at how obese people are there. I'm 63, walk two miles to work and back every day, still thin. Suburbs are killing us.

  • @Anankin12

    @Anankin12

    3 жыл бұрын

    I used to bike 3 miles to and 3 miles back from school and when I had to be driven there I often came back by foot. Was still fat. Walking helps, but it's not that much of a changer. You have a healthier lifestyle than those people and/or have a better natural metabolism, the walking is not neither the cause nor a significant factor in you not being a fatass.

  • @Anankin12

    @Anankin12

    3 жыл бұрын

    Still being able to walk places is great, if nothing else for your mood.

  • @markrichards6863

    @markrichards6863

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Anankin12 I walk two miles to work and two miles home every day. I walk the Same route, but the experience is different every time. It's my exercise, my meditation, my quality Time alone, surrounded by thousands of others. I'm 62, am the only one in my family with normal blood pressure and good cholesterol and triglycerides. That suburban life is a killer.

  • @Anankin12

    @Anankin12

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@markrichards6863 As I said, I'm pretty sure the walk is a great thing for your mental health and state of mind. I don't think it's responsible for your better physical condition, I think that's due to other good choices in your life. A relatively short walk like that doesn't even begin to make you work out enough to justify the other stuff, as far as I know... Unless it's like a serious uphill.

  • @markrichards6863

    @markrichards6863

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Anankin12 I disagree. Four miles a day is a pretty good workout, plus all of the other incidental walking. I'm in my 60s, have been doing it consistently for 35 years. It's low impact. It also keeps my weight down. My family lives in the burbs..they drive to the Y and walk on the treadmill a few times a week, when they think of it. It's not as good a workout. I think the mental awareness walking in the city is like exercise for the mind.its very stimulating. I particularly like walking in the snow. This hot summer weather is a drain on my energy.

  • @natesirovatka2256
    @natesirovatka22563 жыл бұрын

    "Even our largest cities should totally be based." Truer words have not been spoken.

  • @thetwopointslow
    @thetwopointslow2 жыл бұрын

    “The *quirks and features* of what make this suburban gem….” Cool to see Doug DeMuro talking urban planning!

  • @evanoc

    @evanoc

    2 жыл бұрын

    A car reviewer talking about a car free suburb 😭

  • @lars1588

    @lars1588

    Жыл бұрын

    When I heard him say that, Doug instantly came to mind lol.

  • @SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333

    @SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333

    Жыл бұрын

    @@evanoc This isn’t a car free suburb.

  • @electricvehiclehead

    @electricvehiclehead

    11 ай бұрын

    💀

  • @trashrabbit69
    @trashrabbit693 жыл бұрын

    "I'm slowly convincing you that New Jersey is actually great" You may try... - Baltimore

  • @katjerouac

    @katjerouac

    3 жыл бұрын

    Baltimore needs some work lol

  • @adamt195

    @adamt195

    3 жыл бұрын

    twitter.com/YIMBY_Princeton/status/1395331457414017028 Lots of people talk about how Baltimore, STL and a few other "boring" cities are actually really underrated.

  • @RodoMallard

    @RodoMallard

    3 жыл бұрын

    a new jersey furry here telling you that it's pretty great!

  • @blushdog99

    @blushdog99

    3 жыл бұрын

    Maryland furry here telling you it’s good too lol. But really though Baltimore has a lot of beautiful 19th century rowhouses that no one really see’s.

  • @gars129

    @gars129

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@blushdog99 most of them are either abandoned or part of a Redlined Black neighborhood, hence a lot of white people and tourists don't appreciate them. These old northeast cities are actually the best US cities on average, followed by the Rust Belt and then the Deep South. The worst US cities on average are the areas most recently developed, like Arizona, Florida and the Dakotas. Hawaii also has pretty underwhelming cities and towns since America basically substituted historical Hawaiian villages with half assed main streets, CBDs or hotel districts

  • @deirdreryan7402
    @deirdreryan74023 жыл бұрын

    I live here and the reason you may not see too many walking around is probably based on the time of day. People work and usually come out for walks either very early in the morning or in the evenings. During the weekends when the weather is nice, we get many from out of town taking their boats down to the river, or when we have outdoor events. 2020 and 2021 have not been our usual years, but it’s coming back.

  • @charlesrodriguez7984

    @charlesrodriguez7984

    2 жыл бұрын

    Same here. I live in a “car dependent “ neighborhood but people walk everywhere on nice days. Kids always play in the road and stuff. Just needs improvement but unfortunately the cost is very high to “fix” the problem.

  • @blarneystone38
    @blarneystone38 Жыл бұрын

    As a New Jerseyan this video bring a tear to my eye, one of the best parts of our state is that so many of our towns are old enough that they haven't succumbed to modern sprawl, and many of them have train stations in their center (NOT in a random parking lot)

  • @TuomasLeone
    @TuomasLeone3 жыл бұрын

    I'd love to see some survey data on the people who actually live in these "good suburbs". How do they view daily quality of life vs. those who live in similar yet less walkable areas? Actually, I'd just like to see some interviews with random residents about where they live and what they think of the alternatives, from both those who live in towns like this and those in a cul de sac "paradise".

  • @peachypie2962

    @peachypie2962

    3 жыл бұрын

    That would be really interesting

  • @sneeringsoup

    @sneeringsoup

    3 жыл бұрын

    As a resident of Btown, it is a really cool place. Its probably one of the most interesting and walkable places I've been.

  • @dutchman7623

    @dutchman7623

    3 жыл бұрын

    It is hard to judge what you do not know, especially when a large majority tells you how lucky you are living in a 'paradise' suburb. It is like asking a kid if it wants a hamburger or fresh green beans with rice. What some long for is often not the healthy choice. Only after decades of making wrong choices we realize we could have prevented the belly, heart attack or stroke, if we had been wiser thirty years ago. Most of us are not widely educated dietists nor city planners.

  • @TuomasLeone

    @TuomasLeone

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@dutchman7623 Agreed, but I think with the right questions you might be able to get some interesting answers.

  • @dutchman7623

    @dutchman7623

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@TuomasLeone Possibly, yes.

  • @Secretlyalittleworm
    @Secretlyalittleworm3 жыл бұрын

    The crossover we needed

  • @tommysalami28

    @tommysalami28

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thomas Paine and a hat

  • @zoom3184
    @zoom31842 жыл бұрын

    Living in a pre-war NJ suburb similar to, but smaller than Pitman and Bordentown, I never realized how lucky I was to be a kid here. My high school was a 5 minute bike ride away, and nothing in town took more than 15 minutes of biking to get to. This enabled me to have so much more independence than kids that grew up in car-dependent neighborhoods because I didn’t have to get a ride any time I wanted to go somewhere. We have a pretty small downtown that’s built around our town’s old Atlantic City Railroad station, which is now just for freight cars. It’s doing okay, but there’s very little growth and restaurants and shops there are never really able to thrive, and sometimes I wonder how the area would look if that station was still in use today.

  • @josephgreble5

    @josephgreble5

    Жыл бұрын

    Bro

  • @lavaentity9621
    @lavaentity96212 жыл бұрын

    I live in a town that was settled in 1642 I feel like New England and other nearby areas have some of the best town layouts. Mostly because they were designed around forming a new and strong community out in an unknown frontier - and that shows. These towns keep people close together, not only because it was inefficient to walk, but because sprawl emphasized the feeling of isolation that the people already felt. Having a tight, small, and dense town helped people stay close, form community, and emphasize the feeling of safety Eventually, as settlements became more established, and technology progressed, it feels like it no longer seemed necessary to to this - and then we got endless suburbs with no real center. but that’s just me

  • @fluxuous6907

    @fluxuous6907

    2 жыл бұрын

    that basically goes for all colonial and early American towns...

  • @sofiabravo1994

    @sofiabravo1994

    2 жыл бұрын

    Suburbs have no sense of community back in colonial times we had a town square…

  • @jmfoerst
    @jmfoerst3 жыл бұрын

    The center of my hometown was established in 1724 and is really walkable but leave the center and then walkability dies Edit BTW it’s Westfield NJ

  • @jmfoerst

    @jmfoerst

    3 жыл бұрын

    It’s an ex trolley car and a colony and had a modern train station but that is all right in the center there are no busses or anything outside of the main drag

  • @recordkeepingandinformatio8206

    @recordkeepingandinformatio8206

    3 жыл бұрын

    Summit is in the same situation as well...dense center filled with shops and then sprawl for miles around

  • @jmfoerst

    @jmfoerst

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@recordkeepingandinformatio8206 yeah true lmao At least you guys get more than 1tph

  • @BassandoForte

    @BassandoForte

    3 жыл бұрын

    I've lived in houses older than that... Any towns less than 400 years old are still "wet behind the ears"... 🤣🤣

  • @evannibbe9375

    @evannibbe9375

    3 жыл бұрын

    Sounds like you needed to do more to stop Wanda Maximoff from taking over

  • @jayski9410
    @jayski94103 жыл бұрын

    In the 1990's, I had the opportunity to live in downtown Seattle. Very walkable, even in the rain. I not only walked to work, but restaurants, stores, dentist, doctor, movies, library, the Space Needle, and the waterfront where you could walk-on a ferry and go to Bainbridge or Bremerton. The only time I used my car was on weekends to go to the suburban supermarkets. I was in the best shape of my life and I also found my happiness level increased just by not spending hours everyday in commuting traffic. Alas I live in L.A. now and all that is a distant memory.

  • @gars129
    @gars1293 жыл бұрын

    Honestly New Jersey has much potential it's unreal. Cities like Patterson and Newark are dismissed by suburbanites and rich New Yorkers as "ghetto", but very much represent the spirit of Jane Jacobs, and are working class places filled with diversity.

  • @NicLaue
    @NicLaue3 жыл бұрын

    Houses in this town are surprisingly affordable...

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    South jersey baby 😎

  • @NicLaue

    @NicLaue

    3 жыл бұрын

    I showed the Zillow prices to my Boomer parents and they were like, yes... But don't forget the high NJ Taxes. 🤦‍♂️

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@NicLaue Well with higher-ish taxes you get the best public schools in the country and a transit system that goes from the top to the bottom of the state. So you decide haha...

  • @danwhite4029

    @danwhite4029

    3 жыл бұрын

    Its NJ taxes, so yes taxes are still bad, but the small lot sizes probably keeps them from crawling too high.

  • @NicLaue

    @NicLaue

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alanthefisher that's fair, and I remember you saying that in the server. But it's always tough to convince boomers. They want the benefits without paying.

  • @1crafter176
    @1crafter1763 жыл бұрын

    Great video! As a Brit, these videos (and the ones made by NJB) have helped me to understand how different US suburbs are compared to the UK. For us, walkability is just the standard design here, in urban, suburban and rural areas, but if an area isn't walkable (such as an industrial estate, or a big box store area) there's usually a bus or (sometimes) a train or tram that you can take instead (which isn't great, but is better than nothing). For us, walkability is just engraved into how we build our towns and cities, roads follow a simple grid (or grid-like) pattern, but if they don't there's usually paths between different roads that are quite far away. This could be from history (with how many of our towns and villages were built when the horse and your legs was the only options for getting around) or could be down to how we do local planning, I'm not too sure. But it's definatley interesting to see how urban planning (and also public transport) differs between the UK and North America. The UK is nowhere near a perfect planning paradise, it's alright. Though saldy we do have some car dependent towns built from the 50s-80s, although those are the exception, not the rule. Anyways! Great video! Absolutley loved it!

  • @Dave01611

    @Dave01611

    2 жыл бұрын

    if you ever want to experience an American style town without actually going to America visit Milton Keynes- there's a reason it's so widely hated

  • @queeny5613

    @queeny5613

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Dave01611 I agree it's horrific

  • @ummdustry5718
    @ummdustry57183 жыл бұрын

    Pretty BASED on walkability

  • @houstonplanespotter

    @houstonplanespotter

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@KA-vs7nl socialism is when walking to the grocery store

  • @paddy6358

    @paddy6358

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@KA-vs7nl Oh those walking socialists are out walking to places again rather than taking cars like patriots, someone has to stop them or we'll end up like Venezuela!

  • @hydrolifetech7911

    @hydrolifetech7911

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@KA-vs7nl sad life you live dude

  • @ilcubo32

    @ilcubo32

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@KA-vs7nl walkability isn’t part of socialism. In fact if we do fully free market capitalism we would likely also get some town like this. (At least that’s my speculation)

  • @zuresei

    @zuresei

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ilcubo32 well, no, because the automotive industry is the reason we're even like this in the first place-- companies took the power they had and abused it (general motors streetcars, for one). to prevent a business from just buying out part of the country and turning it into a profit mill, you're gonna have to regulate that business!

  • @briantschiegg4691
    @briantschiegg46913 жыл бұрын

    When he said “I’ll show you the quirks and features,” I had to check that I wasn’t watching a Doug Demuro video

  • @c0ccaldera

    @c0ccaldera

    3 жыл бұрын

    I knew I wasn't the only one who thought that!

  • @Conclusius68
    @Conclusius683 жыл бұрын

    Why is this lovely town being called a suburb? It looks like a town in its own right. It's even old enough to have European style city rights. Or has it been swallowed by an expanding neighboring city?

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    It's a suburb of Trenton, NJ and also technically a suburb of Philly

  • @kirkrotger9208

    @kirkrotger9208

    3 жыл бұрын

    This town is like the quintessential prewar suburb. You have to think about it in a context greater than just the current idea of a suburb that's shitty and car-dependent. You've gotta remember, the country's first suburb was Brooklyn Heights, right across the river from what is now Manhattan's Financial district.

  • @TheSpecialJ11

    @TheSpecialJ11

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@kirkrotger9208 Yeah, the fact that many of the buildings are single family homes (built to the lot line and touching neighboring houses, foreign to our modern eyes) makes it a suburb. Some wealthy residents might have even had detached homes on what are by today's standards, very small lots.

  • @coastaku1954

    @coastaku1954

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@TheSpecialJ11 People just want space though, I know many people who don't want to live right next to their neighbour, especially with fears of hearing them all the time

  • @Joesolo13

    @Joesolo13

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@coastaku1954 they're free to live in the sticks, forcing that idea on surrounding regions of cities is just daft

  • @kju-8449
    @kju-84492 жыл бұрын

    Honestly, I think a lot of the towns with river line stops are very underrated in this part of New Jersey. I live within 10 mins walking distance of a river line stop and take it for granted that I can go from my bedroom to my dorm room at college completely on public transit - being able to just walk and ride to bordentown is also a plus. It’s so nice there :)

  • @katiesays

    @katiesays

    Жыл бұрын

    We took it to the aquarium when my kids were younger. They loved having that experience.

  • @RTDice11
    @RTDice113 жыл бұрын

    Jersey is full of these historic, walkable towns. Went to the Watergap just yesterday, Stockton, Lambertvile, and Frenchtown are all beautiful places to live, way better than the boring, garbage suburb my parents moved us to when we left Newark.

  • @jlevans1985
    @jlevans1985 Жыл бұрын

    finally someone who actually knows who Thomas Paine was. The other founders really tried to sweep him under the rug after he criticized organized religion and washington for acting as his friend in his company but knowing he was in a French prison made no efforts to help him. he was looked upon as too much of a commoner. Even Thomas Jefferson who he was most acquainted with did not attend his funeral. Out of the two I think Rights of Man is a better book than Common Sense and I agree that Paine was one of if not the most exemplary of the values we claim to hold.

  • @unknownPLfan
    @unknownPLfan3 жыл бұрын

    This so so many New England towns as well, especially eastern MA. Unfortunately even in MA the colonial layout and architecture is an aesthetic to be superficially imitated in our more spread out suburbs rather than something to draw from in order to promote density for the sake of walkability.

  • @troy02627

    @troy02627

    2 жыл бұрын

    yeah being from southern new hampshire its always depressing to drive in andover which was around during the witch trials and then go to my aunts house which is on a cul de sac off of another cul de sac

  • @unknownPLfan

    @unknownPLfan

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@troy02627 You still get way more of the real deal in Massachusetts than anywhere else at least. I'm from Lowell, which over 100,000 people and is almost entirely either mid to low rise urban or dense 19th century suburban. The towns with the cul de sacs are all formally really rural towns where the farm land was redeveloped in the mid 20th century.

  • @CrazyGamer109
    @CrazyGamer1092 жыл бұрын

    NJ is full of these small town gems, something most people are not aware of.

  • @Piterdeveirs333
    @Piterdeveirs3333 жыл бұрын

    I love all the positive attention NJ keeps getting

  • @StarcrossTV
    @StarcrossTV3 жыл бұрын

    This town reminds me of Branford, Connecticut! The center of this town has fairly good walkability, many small shops, and has been featured on a Hallmark Channel Movie!

  • @computerfan1079
    @computerfan10793 жыл бұрын

    This channel combines 3 things that I like: Vulfpeck, Urbanism and collaborations with other great channels. Keep it going!

  • @noneofmynameswork1

    @noneofmynameswork1

    3 жыл бұрын

    It was Cosmic Sans at the beginning. Do you know what the other song is (2:38)?

  • @affensterbenjung

    @affensterbenjung

    Жыл бұрын

    @@noneofmynameswork1 Might be a bit late, but its soft parade

  • @25usd94
    @25usd942 жыл бұрын

    The combination of Not Just Bikes' low rolling resistance and Alan Fisher's electrifyingly comfy vibe is a match made in walkable heaven.

  • @greenwolf52
    @greenwolf523 жыл бұрын

    Not Just Bikes: Releases trailer for train video Alan Fisher: Releases Suburbs that don't Suck video Did I just jump into an alternate universe?

  • @DrearyTV
    @DrearyTV2 жыл бұрын

    I honestly hate how nothing is really within walking distance in my city.

  • @gabrielbrunoparreira5670
    @gabrielbrunoparreira56702 жыл бұрын

    a few of the suburbs around Boston are also pretty "walkable." I lived in Somerville for 6 years and never needed a car to get anywhere, and even some of the further suburbs are still fairly well connected by the tram/subway line (the green line is some weird subway) or by buses. But, public transport there can be pretty bad though. There are a lot of delays, but it is fairly accessible and in recent times they have been making improvements to make the public transport better and reduce space for cars on the streets in and around Boston and increase space for bikes and buses.

  • @CyanideCarrot
    @CyanideCarrot2 жыл бұрын

    Been here many times, thanks for highlighting this place! It's how we should build all our suburbs, you shouldn't need to live in a dense noisy urban core to have walkability

  • @w4fer
    @w4fer3 жыл бұрын

    great vid; grew up in NJ but its a treat learning about these towns I've never seen.

  • @OwenRULESSS
    @OwenRULESSS3 жыл бұрын

    Providence has some great walkable suburbs, with lively main streets and small lots because it’s so old

  • @RMTransit
    @RMTransit3 жыл бұрын

    A little DMU accessible community in North America? Color me intrigued . . .

  • @sandracoates5445
    @sandracoates54453 жыл бұрын

    I live in Bordentown, I love it , exactly for the reasons you pointed out.

  • @SusanJMT
    @SusanJMT Жыл бұрын

    Love Bordentown which I stumbled across in the early 1980's and have visited many times a year since. I also live in a colonial subrub of NYC, and haven't been able to figure out how to re-locate my life to B'town. My own hometown of Rahway has grown from a collection of small villages, each surrounded by farmland with barns and stables, into a two-square mile city, and now is becoming a densely-populated "Transit Village," and I am all for that. We still have our sidewalks which I walk from the edge of town to the town center in fifteen minutes to visit our many restaurants and whole-town events. We still have some colonial-era and federal-era buildings though many have been lost to age. I love living where I can touch History. See you on Hilltop Park, soon.

  • @kyedankurz2783
    @kyedankurz27833 жыл бұрын

    The crossover we never knew we needed! :D

  • @dawntreader1247
    @dawntreader12472 жыл бұрын

    My area’s urban planners don’t seem to understand how to do this. Developers just plonk unit blocks tall enough to be called skyscrapers in the middle of our suburbs, and the planners just have to figure out how to compensate (read: road widening). Then the developers make low quality duplexes, fitting entire households on half a block with no garden space or a substantial wall in between

  • @MegaUMU
    @MegaUMU3 жыл бұрын

    Moar collabs, more exposure, more spread of increased quality of life

  • @joebob3719
    @joebob3719 Жыл бұрын

    Goddamnit this channel is doing a damn good job at convincing me, to my shock and horror, into moving to New Jersey

  • @cartermoberg3092
    @cartermoberg30923 жыл бұрын

    Love the Doug DeMero hint with the quirks and features saying in the into😂

  • @mememan9890
    @mememan98903 жыл бұрын

    These videos make me wanna move to the east coast.

  • @sachemofboston3649

    @sachemofboston3649

    2 жыл бұрын

    Check out the Boston area, we have tons of suburbs like this

  • @mememan9890

    @mememan9890

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@sachemofboston3649 I've been to the area, it's really nice. But those prices though ☠️☠️☠️

  • @RedStarXD

    @RedStarXD

    Жыл бұрын

    You should

  • @mememan9890

    @mememan9890

    Жыл бұрын

    @@RedStarXD Too expensive.

  • @Ad-rien
    @Ad-rien3 жыл бұрын

    It never ceases to amaze me how many flags you can see in the US, for me to find half of those in France I would need to search in a city with at least 200k inhabitants and even then I wouldn't know where to start

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    we're getting close to 4th of July, so theres more than usual, but yes theres still alot

  • @Ad-rien

    @Ad-rien

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alanthefisher Oh i didn't think about that!

  • @Micg51

    @Micg51

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Ad-rien also these little colonial towns often have flags on most homes. Just something I’ve observed walking through many towns in Virginia, Maryland, and Mass

  • @AbortedWalrusFoetus
    @AbortedWalrusFoetus3 жыл бұрын

    Enjoyed the video. There are a lot of great suburbs in the Greater Philadelphia Metro Area. On the NJ side, I particularly like Collingswood and Haddonfield due to their proximity to the city. Pitman and Bordentown are a bit too far out, but still wonderful suburbs. On the other side of the Delaware, places like Jenkintown, Narberth, Phoenixville*, Ardmore, Media, and Swarthmore are decent examples too, to name a few. They all have the same characteristics you've highlighted here about Bordentown. Some of the main line suburbs unfortunately have Lancaster Ave cutting them in half, and it's really not pedestrian friendly due to the traffic speeds, but they are still better than most suburbs. I know it doesn't "count" as a suburb, because it's within city limits, but Chestnut Hill is practically paradisiac, and probably the quintessential example of suburbs that don't suck. * Phoenixville is sadly no longer rail connected. They are working on fixing that though.

  • @francosamericanmusings1560

    @francosamericanmusings1560

    Жыл бұрын

    *me living in philly and writing this down*

  • @funky6399
    @funky63992 жыл бұрын

    I actually live in an old walkable farm town in rural metro Detroit, historically my town was just a regular farm town, but now that the metro Detroit sub sprawl has begun to reach the town to the south of mine it’s great to see my city still hold onto it’s walkable past. (It’s Memphis MI, the only bad thing about my towns walkability is that the sidewalks are in poor shape and the town is such low in land value that’s taxable. The city to the south is Richmond MI, it’s historic downtown and many of the residential parts are still walkable)

  • @DavidJamesHenry
    @DavidJamesHenry2 жыл бұрын

    "I didn't pick any suburb in particular" PASADENA

  • @danku-chan
    @danku-chan2 жыл бұрын

    what the fuck? i didn't realize suburbs used to be little towns independent of their host city with their own downtowns and such. for all my life suburbs have just been a massive radius of strip malls and single family homes surrounding the mythical downtown.

  • @trainsbusesandmore5136
    @trainsbusesandmore51362 жыл бұрын

    I love your choice of background music! It makes me wanna come back!

  • @geraldobrien7323
    @geraldobrien73233 жыл бұрын

    Summit was planned out nicely. The center of town has the main business district, a central park, the train station and Overlook Hospital. And this area is within walking distance from most parts of town. I also must add that around the park there are different community centers; churches, the YMCA, the public library among others. I think you can find similar layouts in towns across the state that are on the old railroad lines. People figured (before the proliferation of autos) that commuters need to go to and from NYC, and they need to be able to walk to and from their homes and the train station.

  • @TheGreatBigMove
    @TheGreatBigMove2 жыл бұрын

    Shoutout to Dover, NH. Fantastic suburban town. It's beautiful, walkable, has a lot of things to do and places to eat, and has character.

  • @blackopscw7913

    @blackopscw7913

    2 жыл бұрын

    WHA- your an urban planning nut to?

  • @TheGreatBigMove

    @TheGreatBigMove

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@blackopscw7913 nah, I’m interested in it though.

  • @blackopscw7913

    @blackopscw7913

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheGreatBigMove Nice!

  • @jasminewhitehead1752
    @jasminewhitehead17522 жыл бұрын

    Omg NJB is in this video! I’m so excited now to watch this! I just found your channel so now I have two channels to watch about suburbs and trains! ❤️

  • @SnoLeopurrd
    @SnoLeopurrd2 жыл бұрын

    reminds me of my hometown in Bayonne NJ. no suburbs stretching out from a "downtown" area because it's bordered on THREE sides by water, everything is geographically forced to be condensed. Tons of multi use buildings with stores on the bottom and apartments on top. All elementary schools can be easily walked to. connected to NJ transit with the light rail. only problem is the big grocery stores had to be driven to because they were normally on the outskirts (up against the water) where the shipping ports were. maybe not as good as some other cities, but i live in a suburb now and it is the worst not being able to walk to a single thing.

  • @jnyerere
    @jnyerere3 жыл бұрын

    Although not to the same extent, this reminds me of my cousin's family home in Maplewood, NJ and the nearby suburb of South Orange (or "the Oranges" in general). When I first visited him a couple of yrs ago, I was entranced with the beauty of this area. I didn't know a suburban environment could be this beautiful and people-friendly.

  • @creepydoll2872
    @creepydoll28722 жыл бұрын

    This reminds me of Catonsville, MD about 15 minutes outside of Baltimore City. Theres a main street with shops, bars, restaurants, offices. I was able to walk a mile home from school safely on a shaded side street that was a little busy but not too busy that it would be dangerous and loud. I was able to walk to the library and friends houses if I wanted and it would be safe to walk because Catonsville was largely designed for walking. There is also trail where a trolley used to go through that could be used as a shortcut or just for a leisurely walk. Catonsville is still the same now but more restaurants than when I was growing up. I'm grateful to have grown up in this type of suburb now!

  • @JonathanGarneau
    @JonathanGarneau3 жыл бұрын

    Looks very similar to here in Quebec City. Est 1608

  • @AdornamentDesigns
    @AdornamentDesigns2 жыл бұрын

    How do you find walkable suburbs, towns?

  • @AGWittmann
    @AGWittmann3 жыл бұрын

    Would be interesting to see the cores of a megalopolis region and the area between the, once independent, cities. I dont know, if the megalopolis region of Tokio did the same crap like the USA after 1945.

  • @gpulse94
    @gpulse942 жыл бұрын

    As a resident of bordentown this was a great video. Some of the horse stones are still around bordentown.

  • @theurbandoctor787
    @theurbandoctor7873 жыл бұрын

    Man I seriously want to visit New Jersey now. Who needs Europe!! jkjk Netherlands is pretty cool too. Alan - seriously what kind of music is permeating your videos, like at 2:40? You got me a bit hooked on Vulfpeck, but I need more! - UD

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    That song in particular is Soft Parade by Vulfpeck!

  • @xymaryai8283

    @xymaryai8283

    3 жыл бұрын

    is that a typo or an antifascist or just demographic in-joke i don't understand? because i'll give you the benefit of the doubt heh

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@xymaryai8283 ???

  • @rishi-m

    @rishi-m

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alanthefisher I think they're referring to the usage of the phrase jew jersey

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@rishi-m that's def a typo

  • @patrickfringer2666
    @patrickfringer26663 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the video! I love Bordentown it has a ton of old charm. I agree with a lot of your points. I've been curious and haven't had enough time to do a deep dive into NJ Transit and why it sucks, but I do have an understanding that NJ transit consolidated a ton of individual rail lines and essentially attempted to consolidate a system that wasn't built in a cohesive manner. It kind of reminds me of the points you make, how often we rush into a new form of transportation infrastructure without thinking about it. I Have lived in Hoboken, New Brunswick, Asubry Park, Westfield and Lawrence NJ and have been able to observe many different styles of transportation infrastructure. I am interested in River Line towns as I believe it is inevitable in my lifetime Trenton and Camden will become popular again. Bordentown's walkability did intrigue me a lot in my last move, I considered moving here but the housing stock was not adequate for renting.

  • @elizabethdavis1696
    @elizabethdavis16963 жыл бұрын

    More towns videos please I live in nj and am looking for a good place to move Is there a list somewhere of walkable towns?

  • @peterhenderson5413

    @peterhenderson5413

    2 жыл бұрын

    I have a few. Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn, Montclair, Summit, Hoboken, Jersey City. Unfortunately they tend to be the more expensive towns (not shocking)

  • @JohnMFlores

    @JohnMFlores

    2 жыл бұрын

    Somerville

  • @konajonah
    @konajonah2 жыл бұрын

    Love the background footage in this video! 👍 good stuff :)

  • @MissGlitzify
    @MissGlitzify2 жыл бұрын

    thank you for everything you do ! :)

  • @A_savage
    @A_savage3 жыл бұрын

    What are your thoughts on New Brunswick? Big city amenities with a small town vibe

  • @tankman_tv9332
    @tankman_tv9332 Жыл бұрын

    Kinda stupid question but whats your opinion on fremont, ca?

  • @TrainspotterSPb
    @TrainspotterSPb3 жыл бұрын

    Great video!

  • @Burne222
    @Burne2222 жыл бұрын

    I grew up in Trenton and I also did love the look of Bordentown when I used to picked up my brother from the RiverLine. It kinda reminds me of the historic Hiltonia and Mill Hill neighborhoods in Trenton.

  • @examininglife4338
    @examininglife43382 жыл бұрын

    Loved the quote at the end!

  • @Earcandy73
    @Earcandy732 жыл бұрын

    Great video! I live 10 minutes from Bordentown. My best friend owns a home there and My other best friend’s family has lived there for generations on Prince Street.

  • @UrbaneOracle
    @UrbaneOracle3 жыл бұрын

    The intro killed me. I had tears in my eyes 🤣

  • @kodo1232

    @kodo1232

    3 жыл бұрын

    uh oh

  • @robert9016

    @robert9016

    3 жыл бұрын

    RIP

  • @coastaku1954
    @coastaku19543 жыл бұрын

    I've stayed in Bordentown before, at the Comfort Inn on RTE206, I never knew it had a quaint downtown and never knew it was so historic. I just knew it as a place with a cheap hotel to stay at when I'm going to Six Flags Great Adventure

  • @danielpelc3779
    @danielpelc37792 жыл бұрын

    I just spent some time in Burlington right down the road from here and thought it had a similar thing going on maybe a little bit denser than bordentown. Have you been?

  • @KC-Mitch
    @KC-Mitch2 жыл бұрын

    I remember studying this when trying to get a civil engineering degree, but wide roads with sparse buildings, leads to people naturally wanting to speed down the road. There were alternatives that work quite well, such as widening the sidewalk/adding a dedicated section for trees and grass while shortening the road. Another alternative was converting the asphalt road to a brick road, which naturally forces drivers to drive below 35mph (55kph). A great example of this is Winter Park, FL. While the housing outside the city center isn't the most walkable, it allows drivers to commute through neighborhood artery roads, yet forcing speeders to take alternative methods (since your car will start to lose all traction at faster speeds). It makes it a more liveable, albeit more gentrified, neighborhood.

  • @jsboeve
    @jsboeve Жыл бұрын

    I've always disliked the East Coast, lived in D.C. area (in distant suburbs with a long commute) for a couple years and vowed to never return because everything seemed so crowded and traffic was not just miserable but created a palpable aura of anger seemingly everywhere. Your channel is making me revisit my opinions.

  • @sarahhaulenbeek6301
    @sarahhaulenbeek63012 жыл бұрын

    Love this! Please look into Fieldsboro we are the step child of Bordentown city and trapped at the other end by big warehouse loving Bordentown twp. We have white hill mansion! And a population of about 600! Please!!

  • @PaulNahay
    @PaulNahay Жыл бұрын

    Very inspiring, hopefully future planners will learn from this!

  • @arifakyuz7673
    @arifakyuz76733 жыл бұрын

    I was actually waiting for you to put that hat on the Paine statue in the end.

  • @TheSullie1
    @TheSullie13 жыл бұрын

    Look, you're not saying return to monke. But, I AM! MONKE WAS RIGHT. MONKE IS BASED! RETURN TO MONKE!

  • @A3dprintedman

    @A3dprintedman

    3 жыл бұрын

    "now im not saying we should return to monke" me: but what if we did *vsause theme plays*

  • @JohnMFlores
    @JohnMFlores2 жыл бұрын

    0:40 Randy's Man Cave! One of the things rhat give small towns their character are the small retail shops run by interesting people.

  • @pandasinspace3560
    @pandasinspace35602 жыл бұрын

    I live in a bad suburb but the downtown area is pretty nice, they're doing a lot of work and construction to improve the walkability of it rn

  • @Hungovercheese
    @Hungovercheese2 жыл бұрын

    Alan a video about the the future use of the Camden and Amboy tracks to be used as a passenger line again would be great. I have seen many people on NJ NEC line that were connecting in Newark only to go south on the NJC line. This made me think of this freight line that would shorten that time from Trenton to the shore by a great amount and there is lots of population inbetween. I think it would be a cheap and very beneficial train line for NJ transit to consider assuming they can make the upgrades.

  • @HassanSazid11
    @HassanSazid113 жыл бұрын

    Hey I am a fan of your videos. But I live in a city where the population density is 70,000 per sq km. So what would be the best approach for a densly populated city like mine?

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well that might be a topic for a future video! The only place that comes close to that here in the US in NYC, and I will be doing more videos there soon.

  • @HassanSazid11

    @HassanSazid11

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alanthefisher well I guess Asian cities are whole different ballgame

  • @SuperMidnightkid
    @SuperMidnightkid3 жыл бұрын

    Great video man keep up the great content If i have anything indifferent to say about it would be the quote you used at 5:38 am i wrong to read that as something ominous?

  • @ashleyhamman
    @ashleyhamman3 жыл бұрын

    I am always ticked by the little touches of car content inspired bits you do. RCR voice, Doug's "quirks and features" and part of the Dirt Rally 2 soundtrack are all recognizable to me.

  • @alanthefisher

    @alanthefisher

    3 жыл бұрын

    eventually I'll do a cars episode :P

  • @icarus1847

    @icarus1847

    2 жыл бұрын

    I thought I was going insane from 200+ hours of DIRT. But nah, it seems that the replay track really is in the video.

  • @pablogaeta3815
    @pablogaeta38153 жыл бұрын

    great vid and great quote from Paine.

  • @margaretwestfield1876
    @margaretwestfield18763 жыл бұрын

    Marvelous video!

  • @njtrainsandairplanes5355
    @njtrainsandairplanes53552 жыл бұрын

    I’m from North Jersey and was lucky to grow up and live in a town thats very walkable. Towns such as Glen Rock, Ridgewood and most Bergen County towns are similar to Bordentown

  • @violet2088
    @violet20883 жыл бұрын

    the collaboration we all needed but none of us knew we wanted

  • @noahmarino
    @noahmarino3 жыл бұрын

    i wonder if there are any walkable gems in south dakota. if it even exists

  • @Brianrockrailfan
    @Brianrockrailfan3 жыл бұрын

    great video

  • @LucasFeijo
    @LucasFeijo3 жыл бұрын

    Overall really good video. Love old towns.

  • @Ninja-The-Red-Shinobi
    @Ninja-The-Red-Shinobi3 жыл бұрын

    Wowie wow! The channels are blending together! For real I love it when you guys work together.

  • @KrishnaDasLessons
    @KrishnaDasLessons3 жыл бұрын

    4:46 As an Indian, Indian cities are like that too, a lot of Indian cities are multiple hundreds of years old and they have incredibly dense and walkable neighborhoods. Also, you should check out some Philadelphia suburbs/small towns as well, some of them are even denser!

  • @Lucius_Chiaraviglio
    @Lucius_Chiaraviglio2 жыл бұрын

    I sure see an awful lot of automobiles in this video. And what is that icon in the lower left corner at around 04:24?

  • @leowagner1366
    @leowagner13663 жыл бұрын

    NJ is a really underrated state. Many of our older towns have very nice, walkable areas, and tons of history. I really don't get why we get such a bad stereotype.

  • @styckykeys2200

    @styckykeys2200

    3 жыл бұрын

    So many people see nothing but I-95, the Turnpike, Newark, and Camden that they assume NJ's all basically pollution and 'hey I'm only here so that I can be close to a city in a different state' and they never notice the rest of NJ

  • @Tom.Bombadil

    @Tom.Bombadil

    3 жыл бұрын

    I used to fight the stereotype, but it’s honestly not worth it. NJ is already too populated anyway, no need to attract more people here

  • @Piterdeveirs333

    @Piterdeveirs333

    3 жыл бұрын

    Jealousy

  • @Ray03595

    @Ray03595

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Tom.Bombadil Agree. I don't mind that ppl don't like NJ. People also think Newark and Camden are the same places they were decades ago when they're definitely getting much better (still a ways to go obviously), and actually have some of the best policing in the country. A big plus considering the tumult going on every other week. And we do need the population decrease as well, so I guess keep it under wraps, haha.

  • @bartholomewdan
    @bartholomewdan3 жыл бұрын

    Wasn't expecting Poly Bridge music, but I'm not complaining.

  • @Ben-jf4ty
    @Ben-jf4ty3 жыл бұрын

    yow Alan, could you puh-lease make a video on the pros and cons of free public transit and also one abt. efficient measures to combat/prevent gentrification of neighbourhoods?