If you’re very online, or if you’re involved in local government, you probably know some “urbanists” or some YIMBYs (Yes In My Back Yard). You might have friends or acquaintances who talk endlessly about walkability. You might follow an X account with a name like “Driving Is A Sin.”

The folks who care the most about walkability and “urbanism” tend to be young adults who are unmarried without children. A friend of mine noted once that a huge amount of public policy writing seems expended by 30-year-olds who want to be able to walk to a nice cocktail bar.