We do not drink diesel gas and we do not wear hubcaps. We are humans, made with legs, arms, and a beating heart. Yet, the way most towns in New Jersey are laid out seems to believe the opposite. Genuinely think about it, when was the last time you walked to your favorite restaurant in this town? When was the last time you got to a friend’s house across town without a car? I’d reckon the majority of those reading answer “a long time ago” or “never” to these questions.
The fact that our township is not only unwalkable, but also basically makes it mandatory to have a car to get anywhere is a gigantic problem. There are a plethora of reasons why, and one of the most important is the fact that our health, one of the most basic quality of life indicators, is shown to be improved in walkable towns and cities.
People generally move around more in walkable areas. After all, you can actually walk to get your groceries, or get a haircut, or buy a prescription. According to a Stanford Study, people who moved to more walkable cities would on average walk an extra 1,100 steps per day. The BMI scores of people in walkable areas have also been observed to be substantially lower than people in lower walkability areas. Complications like heart disease are some of the biggest killers in the country, and increased physical activity is generally agreed to be a good way to combat things like it.
Physical health is not the only thing benefitted by walkable communities. Mental health is also helped significantly. Humans are social creatures that thrive off interaction with others, and walkable communities make it a lot easier to fulfill this interaction that we all need. Studies show that the promotion of social interaction in walkable neighborhoods can stave off loneliness, which can be a serious health issue. Loneliness and isolation can seriously increase risks of heart disease, strokes, dementia, and overall premature death. This kind of isolation causing early death is especially prevalent in rural areas, and while suburban communities may not face as severe of a loneliness issue as rural areas, they’re still inferior to walkable downtowns and urban centers when it comes to the promotion of social cohesion and interaction.
Walkable communities would also be extremely convenient, which explains why so many people clamor to live in many of them. All of your basic amenities can be within a 15 minute radius, with “15 minute” cities being extremely common in places like Europe. The ability for people to get things done quickly without paying for gas (a resource with a price seemingly constantly thrown out of whack these days), would help relieve pressure from lower and middle class citizens. Childcare would also be made easier as there would not be as much of a need to chauffeur them everywhere until they got a driver’s license. I know for certain that my parents have wasted weeks worth of their lives on driving me places, and I reckon the same is true for any SBHS students currently reading this.
Now, there are flaws that these towns and cities have, primarily the fact that dense housing necessitates smaller housing. In a walkable city, you may get a property that is half the size of a suburban property for the same price. Using Zillow’s average home value calculator, we can see just how expensive it is to live in a dense, walkable town. Montclair, a town with several walkable downtowns, and one that is similar in size to South Brunswick, has an average home price of above $1.2 million. For comparison, South Brunswick has an average price of around $550,000. Prices being significantly higher for walkable towns remains true for Maplewood and Haddonfield, two other walkable towns in the state. Additionally, because many of these towns are full of small businesses, boutique shops, and corner stores, buying practically anything can be a lot more expensive. You don’t have to be an economics expert to know that shopping at a Walmart is a lot cheaper than buying something from a small business.
When I went to Montclair for the first time, I was initially confused as to why anyone would choose a suburb like South Brunswick over Montclair. Unlike South Brunswick, Montclair felt like a proper American city with beautiful buildings, bustling streets, and several walkable nodes. The second I walked into a store and heard the prices, I understood everything. All I’ll say is: I’ve never seen socks that expensive in my life before.
There are always going to be drawbacks, and there will never be a living situation that suits everyone. Regardless, walkable cities offer convenience, health benefits, community, and fun, which just don’t meaningfully exist in most suburbs. South Brunswick may be a township, but walkability would make it a shining beacon in Central New Jersey.
