Live Car-Free In the Sun Belt Challenge: Accepted // Successes, Failures, and Utter Travesties

When people call out urbanists for not living in urban places, I immediately think of the “We should improve society somewhat” meme.

Car-free in Las Vegas, eh? You're a brave man! I appreciate the simple living message. I have lived most of my adult life without a car, and I definitely prefer not owning one. The extra cash in my pocket is great, of course, but I also like not having to worry about it, too. I've had lots of problems with my cars when I did own them, from breakdowns to break-ins, and I'm pretty glad not to have that stress in my life anymore. I'm a lot healthier, too. Las Vegas definitely is playing the urbanism game on hard mode, but you'll absolutely benefit from the cheaper property costs. I can't fault you for that.

I live car free in Vegas. And completely agree with the freedom it gives you, financially especially. The worst part is running to catch a second bus because your first bus was late and the next one doesn't come for another hour. I admire your dedication to it. I get told by coworkers to get a car, all the time. They just don't get it. This video makes me feel proud to be car free.

Car-free is the only option for many poor people in inconvenient places in the USA. I grew up poor in suburban Orlando and never had the option to lease/buy a car until I graduated college with a stable job. By that point, I was so used to car-free living that I just committed to never owning a car (or getting a license even). It's good to see that CityNerd is willing to put himself in those uncomfortable situations to experience the car-free reality in suburbia. I can't even reason with my friends about why I settled on the car-free life without some BS jokes or mockery, let alone getting them to experience it.

I tried the same thing in Bradenton, Florida. Worked okay for 2 years riding extremely defensively and doing my best to not get angry at water bottles being thrown at me or diesel trucks smoking me out with their exhaust. I got into great shape and had the kind of thunder thighs that AC/DC would sing about. However, the breaking point finally hit. I was riding down a very wide shoulder on a 55 mph road where I had no alternative route. A Dodge Challenger approached! There was a long line of cars, and this guy decided it wasn't worth waiting 20 extra seconds and pulled into the shoulder to start passing people. I saw him, figured he realized he was stuck behind me, and I kept pedaling on. Next I know this guy accelerated past me within about an inch or two of my handlebars. I nearly wrecked just from the shock of what happened. He managed to skip about 12 cars before merging back into the drive lane and I didn't ride my bike for a year after that. Riding my bike everywhere made me feel both like a superhero and a second-class citizen. That day it felt like more like a warzone. I've decided I was fighting a losing battle and moved to a city somewhat friendlier to humans. Anyway, thank you for all your work on these. I can't imagine putting in this much work getting B-roll shots and writing scripts on such a regular cadence. Can't wait for your sub count to reach the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

I still believe CityNerd moving to Las Vegas was prank and a way to get some "great" material for horrible urban design. He is definitely living Urbanist on hard mode in Vegas and it's awesome to see his successes (and failures) in the Sun Belt. Stay hydrated!

i've always laughed at the whole "yeah but riding a bus takes longer" argument. yeah in theory it sucks that you're spending that time, but a fixed-length, consistent amount of time where basically no thinking/attention is required is so important as a transitional period between your place of living and your place of working. i spent that whole hour just "waking up" on my commutes to college and i was way better-off for it. besides, it's a great opportunity for people to try to practice meditation, or hell, eating in a way that doesn't endanger every other person around you

That comment about the awkward interaction at Trader Joe's rings so true to me lol. I'm living in KCMO, an extremely car centric place, and my manager always seems so sorry for me every time I talk about my commute to work. I don't think she understands how free I feel when I cycle, how much money im saving, or (surprisingly) how I'm the most in shape I've ever been in my life. People just can't seem to comprehend how you can be happy without a car.

I don't need notifications, your Wednesday afternoon releases have become a part of my Circadian rhythm

Urbanist in Vegas is just a different style of pioneer. Keep it up, man. Hell, I live in suburban sprawl and I'll be damned if I'll be bullied into a car.

Growing up in suburbia and experiencing its consequences is what turned me into an urbanist. I imagine that's not uncommon. Discovering that there's an alternative to suburbs, cars, and isolation was legitimately one of the best experiences of my life. I have never felt more vindicated and comforted. I might be a little uncomfortable with living somewhere more dense, but I intend to do it.

Calling car ownership learned helplessness gives a description to how I've felt about cars for years, but have never put into words. I've been car free for a couple years, but I'm in Vancouver, so it's basically car free with cheat codes

I've just relocated to a rural place from the capitol of Norway. In the capitol it's difficult to own a car and car free living is the norm. After I moved here, people (friends, neighbours, even store clerks where I do my grocery shopping) have made it clear to me that they expect me to get a car. So today I took delivery of my new electric bike ;)

this is gonna be a fun one, i live car-free in phoenix so this hits close to home.

My partner and I did the opposite. We grew up in the Inland Empire and moved to Portland. Bike commuting the whole time. We've still had several long commutes here, but they just don't have the misery factor or the intense daily risk. Much more than the grocery checker, nearly everyone considers you to have some deficiency if you don't drive. For example, it is used as a major discriminator for jobs and dating. Some things are really unexpected, like not being allowed to wear a backpack in a store. It was a good place to leave. While we vote for infrastructure and may be able to help better choices come about in places like Sunbelt cities, we also pay taxes into building and supporting the infrastructure these cities support. Essentially, we are supporting the project, the values, that the city/state/country we live in supports. We do it through taxes, and we do it by engaging in their economy. ...but CityNerd is in a better position to instigate change than we ever were, so thank you for that! Good luck! (Btw, a big trick for the heat is to travel at the ends of the day and nap in the middle. Mornings and evenings are usually pretty nice weather.)

16:22 ray, you are probably the only person in existence that has ever biked to a cheesecake factory. honestly, a true role model. you're someone i aspire to be. consider your dad joke quota to be lifted

Been living in Vegas car-free for 10+ years now. Love seeing familiar streets in all your videos! :goodvibes:

In my mind this is your best video. Not only is it very relatable to me personally, but it gives hope and motivation to people trying to live car free in areas that are built for cars. Keep up the good work!

I’m in Chicago. Never owned a car. Love the monetary savings, freedom, and exercise. Being on foot (or on public transit) gives me a fuller experience of the city, too. Big downside: I go to the grocery store like everyday, because I can only carry so much stuff.

"If you're waiting for things to be perfect before you try to reduce your own car dependency, there's a good chance it's just never going to happen." This was such a great inspirational takeaway.