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The suburbs are often sold to us as the perfect place to live. Neatly arranged cookie-cutter houses, bright green freshly cut lawns, quiet streets. On paper, it sounds like a great and safe option. But when that sameness stretches out for miles in every direction, it stops looking charming and starts looking bleak.
We’ve rounded up some posts from the Suburban Hell subreddit that show just how depressing these places can get. Scroll down to see them and share what you think in the comments.
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#1
Paranoid Neighbors And Prehistoric Rituals
RELATED:
#2
We’ll Have Suburbia 🤡
#3
Sadly Not Wrong Here
Earthquake903 18 hours ago
That's one thing among millions of things wrong with America. I f'ing hate it here.
#4
POV: You Head Into Town To Go Out To A Restaurant
#5
Sad But True
#6
An American Ram Truck Designed For Suburbs Trying To Fit Into A Typical European Parking Space, Showing Just How Ridiculously Large They Are
UpupaEpops 16 hours ago (edited)
This is a hill I'm ready to d*e on. American cars of this size should be banned in Europe.
#7
Dystopian Playtime
#8
One Of The Most Depressing Suburbs I've Ever Seen. Texas, USA. This Is Real
#9
Visualization Of Space Dedicated To Cars
David 10 hours ago
thats bc many areas have min parking requirements, that are on average more than stores actually need. And since large outdoor lots are cheaper, this is what you get. I know of areas where they encouraged the stores to be in a row cluster shaped U, and designed the roof tops for parking with only in the center of the U there is parking on ground level. Creates a much better feel, less wasted space, etc
#10
Both Of These Places Are The Same Size. One Is Scaled For Cars While The Other Is Scaled For Humans
Nicola Roberts 10 hours ago
On the right that could be anywhere in the UK - Actually to be fair I can't speak of 'anywhere' my contribution was to say there is not enough parking. 50 years ago it was less than one car per household. Now it's at least one per adult.
#11
You Will Live In The Pod
Fellfromthemoon 13 hours ago (edited)
Upper pic: so many people live in each of these houses, that it is very much worth to build a shop, a pharmacy and a bus stop at almost every corner. The supermarket is less than 10 min on foot. Probably there is a park nearby. Second: the entire settlement has one shop that only sells candy and chips.
#12
Part Of My Ongoing Efforts To Rebrand Urbanist Ideas As Patriotic And Pro-Freedom (Which They Unironically Are)
#13
Thought You All Might Appreciate This Thread/Discussion As Well
#15
No Greenery Is Affecting My Mental Health Very Badly
nicholas nolan 11 hours ago
lol. Now take the pic from the FRONT of the houses, and not the alley. I'm soory, we got a LOT of problems, but lack of old growth trees in the BACK of new built condos really ain't it, babe.
#16
Americans Sure Do Love Their Strip Malls And Suburban Sprawl
Roman Arendt 17 hours ago
Because in the first pic are too much places where people could hide. And that wouldn't be fair to active shooters, would it?
#17
Did It Reach The Bottom?
UpupaEpops 16 hours ago
We had this for a while in my town. So many people ignored it (including K9 officers), they had no choice but to change it. We're still fighting to be allowed to use public transportation though.
#18
We Could Have Healthy, Sustainable Cities, But Instead We Choose To Have This
#20
I'm A Traffic Engineer And I Just Finished Installing Our Town's First Bike Lane 🥰 What Do Y'all Think?
#21
10 Points To Whoever Can Guess What State This Is
#22
Suburbanites/Car Brains “We Don’t Want To Be Packed In Like Sardines”
Also their daily lives.
#23
Las Vegas
#24
Suburbia: Expectation vs. Reality
Cat Palmer 14 hours ago
Bibury in the Cotswolds, UK, apparently. Beautiful area but very expensive.
#25
Dine With A View Of A Giant Parking Lot!
#26
This Used To Be A Forest
#27
Suburbs Don't Have To Suck
nottheactualphoto 10 hours ago
The student is invited to review the definition of a Ponzi scheme.
#29
Maga Suburbanites Be Like: We Love Living In The Pod
#30
Always The Same
#32
North American "Town Squares" vs. Town Squares In Walkable Communities
#33
Found This Weird Arrangement Of Cul-De-Sacs In North Fort Myers, FL. Imagine Living In One Of The Middle Houses 👀👀👀👀
#34
Building A Picturesque Traditional City Like This Is Illegal Today Due To Modern Zoning Laws
Dragon Ashes 10 hours ago
You can live like this. I know lots of places that look exactly like this.
#35
A Large Astroid Impact Sounds Better And Better . .
#36
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things In The Us
#37
Suburbs Are Ableist
#38
Oh My God, Just Build Apartments…
#39
Prioritizing Cars Leads To Creating Hellscapes Like This
#40
Because Of The Layout Of This Subdivision, The Two Marked Houses On This Map Are An 8 Minute Drive Apart Or 51 Minute Walk (Eureka, MO)
#41
New Housing Development Outside Of San Antonio
Most homes under 700 square feet. Anything to not build apartments.
#43
Defend Your Neighborhood Character
#45
Suburb Life Requires More Driving But Also More Walking
#46
I Actually Live Next To This Picture Lmao
#49
Let’s Be Real, Suburban Downtowns Are Pretty Depressing, Aren’t They?
#50
He Is Literally Crying Over A Few Trees
Norm Gilmore 17 hours ago
Soooo.. What you get without a HOA is something that's a lot more pleasant to live in? And no sanctimonious busy bodies? And somewhere where bugs and birds can live?
#51
I Raise You The True Suburban Hell Final Boss
#52
Can’t Imagine A Worse Place To Live. A Cul-De-Sac Inside Of A Golf Course
#53
Malls Are A Waste Of Space And Are Depressing Places
Geoffrey Scott 13 hours ago
Now that Amazon has decimated the shopping experience, they are useful for walking in, in winter.
#54
No Balls Allowed
#55
Nobody Does Suburban Hell Like North Texas
#56
No Thanks
#57
What
#58
Unfortunate Reality Of Running In The Suburbs
liam newton-harding 11 hours ago
And three seperate karens will call the police on you, because you, "look suspicious".
#59
Nothing Says ‘Vibrant Urban Core’ Like A Half-Empty Parking Lot The Size Of A Football Field
#60
I Still Don’t Get The Appeal Of Suburbs , Even If They Are Quieter And “Safer”
Nicole Weymann 4 hours ago
Yupp quiet and safe. Just like any other cemetary. Just as appealing, too, although I have to admit there are a number of nice park-like cemetaries that are quite a joy to walk (Hamburg Ohlsdorf comes to mind, Highgate Cemetary in London, Wien Zentralfriedhof, or Père Lachaise)
#62
Really?! Can’t Even Connect A Sidewalk
#63
Walkablity? Density? The Horror!
#64
Look, Northern Virginia, If You’re Going To Build These Big Box Stores And Suburban Hell Sprawl Then Fine… Have At It. But Why No Access For Nearby Residents? Why Is Every Single Neighborhood Disjointed? Why No Trails Or Walking Paths? Why??? Answer Me!
#65
And They Call It Town Center
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 14 hours ago
I know I keep saying it, but I just cannot get over how much space is dedicated to car parks in the US. It's utterly mad.
#67
Average Suburban Fear…
#68
Why Do Developers Use Awful Road Layouts?
#69
Is Houston Even Considered A City. Just A Big Suburb With To Many Freeways To Count
#70
Salem, Oregon
Bartlet for world domination 14 hours ago
Paint it colorful and it could be Houten, Netherlands.
#71
Impressive!
#73
Truman Sports Complex, Suburban Kansas City, Mo
lightlywhispereddestruction 17 hours ago
For those of you unfamiliar, this is where an NFL team (the Chiefs) and an MLB team (the Royals) play. They are soon relocating these stadiums.
#74
Eagle Mountain, Utah
#75
Living In This Will Suck The Life Out Of You
#77
Thanks Suburbs!
#78
One Of My Biggest Regrets Is Moving To This Hellscape, No One Needs Houses Like This
#79
"Why Don't Kids Walk To School Anymore?"
1 preschool, 5 elementaries, 3 intermediate schools, 1 highschool in almost one square mile of land.
South Cedar Rapids, IA.
Gingersnap In Iowa 17 hours ago
I'm not defending this but... this area of Cedar Rapids has been developed in the past 10-15 years. It was mostly farmland before that. The area I live in has an elementary and middle school within walking distance and buses are available.
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What do you think ?
Asri 18 hours ago
Recently a neighbor came by to ask if his son could walk through some of my property to get to, I kid you not, his grandmother's house on the other side of the woods. I of course said yes. I appreciate being asked but I couldn't help a surreptitious wink at the kid who had already been doing that.
Doug Moyer 8 hours ago
I had a neighbor drive his truck across his lawn to scream at me (in front of my young son) for walking across his plot instead of walking on the dangerous country road with no visibility (very curvy) and no sidewalks. Now, this wasn''t a nice lawn - this was out in the country. It was a side plot that wasn't even visible from his house because of a large hedge. It was mowed with a large farm tractor with a bush hog mower.
Load More Replies...
DrBronxx 15 hours ago
You need to add "American" in that title. American suburbs do seem awful, but there perfectly pleasant in many countries. Also, Why do so many people have a problem with where other people live? I think there's something I'm missing here.
Fellfromthemoon 12 hours ago
My understanding: Dry land is limited, it can be used for building human dwellings and the associated places (like parking lots, shops, parks, etc.); the same surface can be used for agriculture (incl. wood); last, but not least, it can be left in/close to its natural state. In the latter case, it serves to maintain the biodiversity; however, when the area is reduced to 10% of its original size, only half the species originally inhabiting the land survive. Flora also uses carbon-dioxide, traps heat and produces oxygen, three things concrete parking lots are really bad at.
Load More Replies... Jonas Fisher 12 hours ago
Welcome to BP, where every third post is ragebait about how awful the US is!
Asri 18 hours ago
Recently a neighbor came by to ask if his son could walk through some of my property to get to, I kid you not, his grandmother's house on the other side of the woods. I of course said yes. I appreciate being asked but I couldn't help a surreptitious wink at the kid who had already been doing that.
Doug Moyer 8 hours ago
I had a neighbor drive his truck across his lawn to scream at me (in front of my young son) for walking across his plot instead of walking on the dangerous country road with no visibility (very curvy) and no sidewalks. Now, this wasn''t a nice lawn - this was out in the country. It was a side plot that wasn't even visible from his house because of a large hedge. It was mowed with a large farm tractor with a bush hog mower.
Load More Replies... DrBronxx 15 hours ago
You need to add "American" in that title. American suburbs do seem awful, but there perfectly pleasant in many countries. Also, Why do so many people have a problem with where other people live? I think there's something I'm missing here.
Fellfromthemoon 12 hours ago
My understanding: Dry land is limited, it can be used for building human dwellings and the associated places (like parking lots, shops, parks, etc.); the same surface can be used for agriculture (incl. wood); last, but not least, it can be left in/close to its natural state. In the latter case, it serves to maintain the biodiversity; however, when the area is reduced to 10% of its original size, only half the species originally inhabiting the land survive. Flora also uses carbon-dioxide, traps heat and produces oxygen, three things concrete parking lots are really bad at.
Load More Replies... Jonas Fisher 12 hours ago
Welcome to BP, where every third post is ragebait about how awful the US is!
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