> In an ideal world, the commute would _be_ a walk to the office.
Geometry would like to have a chat...
Most people are living in some form of long term marriage/family relationship, and the other person/people also has a job to get to. Even if we ignore zoning, force everyone into high density apartments, force offices into high rises, and so on: there is only so much space within walking distance and so a populated city will have a lot of people who cannot walk to the best job for them. There are a lot of compromises possible, and we are used to them (I live in the midwest which means I can't take a job in New York city)
next best alternative is efficient public transportation. But when the bus stop is 15 minutes away, runs every hour, and still drops you off an hour from your workplace, you see why that becomes unviable.
And that was for my closest first job, some 15 miles away (so, a 15-20 minute car ride). It legitmately would take me 3 hours to get downtown, with multiple stops to walk to. And even less options to get back home after work.
Geometry would like to have a chat...
Most people are living in some form of long term marriage/family relationship, and the other person/people also has a job to get to. Even if we ignore zoning, force everyone into high density apartments, force offices into high rises, and so on: there is only so much space within walking distance and so a populated city will have a lot of people who cannot walk to the best job for them. There are a lot of compromises possible, and we are used to them (I live in the midwest which means I can't take a job in New York city)