The Daily Valet. - 8/8/23, Tuesday
✔️ Can You Live Car-Free in America?
Tuesday, August 8th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I miss the stamps we used to get in our passports, don't you? The stickers with the QR codes just don't have the same charm.
Today’s Big Story
Living Car-Free in America
More and more Cities are experimenting with more walkable Housing developments and Communities
I forgot who said it, or where I heard it, but it's always stuck with me. Much of why so many people romanticize college is because it's the last time most folks lived in vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. And then I found this piece from 2022 that broke down how most college towns are designed to prioritize pedestrians over cars—specifically because the environment facilitates face-to-face interactions and forces us to really learn our surroundings.It makes a lot of sense, right? Relocating from LA to Tokyo has certainly instilled a whole new appreciation for the ease of walking and public transportation. Things that would seem impossible when you have to face traffic and find parking suddenly are completely frictionless. Look at that rendering above? Doesn't it look ... easy?It's a rendering of Culdesac Tempe, a mostly car-free community in Tempe, Arizona, that just officially opened. According to Jalopnik, it's designed to allow people to live, work and socialize without needing to own a car. In fact, there aren't any parking spots for residents. But with a restaurant already open and a coffee shop, bike repair shop, and grocery store all coming soon, as well as a gym and a coworking space all within walking distance, Culdesac Tempe was developed so you won't feel that pulled to need a car.The project aims to demonstrate that car-free living can be economical, environmentally friendly and actually enjoyable—even in an Arizona summer. Bloomberg reports that it's already become a poster child for the movement to abolish parking minimums, which are rules that many American cities force on housing developers to include space for cars in their plans.And the idea has taken off in several cities across the country, including in traditionally car-dependent areas such as Charlotte and Houston. And while that idea may sound like something only the wealthy could afford, that's not necessarily the case. These neighborhoods are reportedly cheaper to build and therefore have lower rents. According to one estimate cited by Bloomberg, the median cost of building a parking spot in the U.S. is $25,700. So even if the buyer doesn't own a car, a two-bedroom condo could easily be $50,000 more expensive just because it includes parking. And that doesn't even get into the rising costs of car payments and insurance.
FYI:
Ready to forgo four wheels and explore some auto-free destinations? Time Out has compiled the top car-free cities in America for a getaway.
PayPal Launches Its Own Stablecoin
PayPal USD is built on Ethereum and is backed by the U.S. dollar
Payments giant PayPal announced on Monday it has launched its own stablecoin, becoming the first major financial technology firm to embrace digital currencies for payments and transfers. The cryptocurrency token is “fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits” and can be bought or sold on PayPal's app or website at $1.00 per PYUSD.Crypto firm Paxos Trust will issue the stablecoin, which will be available to PayPal customers in the coming weeks. According to Reuters, it reflects a show of confidence in the troubled cryptocurrency industry that has over the last 12 months grappled with regulatory headwinds that were exacerbated by a string of high-profile collapses.Stablecoins take their name from the fact that they're centralized and backed by existing government-supported currencies like the U.S. dollar or the Euro. The government is still hashing out how to regulate stablecoin and other forms of cryptocurrency though. After all, stablecoins aren't always that stable, as we saw with the collapse of Tether and TerraUSD.
FYI:
Roughly $126 billion worth of stablecoins are currently in circulation, with Tether Holdings Ltd.'s USDT being the largest.
Man Visits Every Country on Earth
He hit all 195 countries without flying, But it wasn't easy
It was an epic journey that started back in 2013. Torbjørn “Thor” Pedersen said goodbye to his job, his girlfriend, and his family back in Denmark and set off to visit every country in the world ... without ever getting on a plane.His plan was to spend at least 24 hours in each nation and keep costs low by living off a budget of roughly $20 a day. The record-breaking trip took him nearly a decade, but he did it. Pedersen said he ventured about 260,000 miles via cars, trains, buses, taxis, boats, shipping containers and his own feet, of course. He says he encountered hundreds of challenges—everything from visa problems and malaria to war zones and near-death scares, but he finished with a reformed confidence in himself and in the world.Pedersen told the Washington Post that despite all the differences and wealth disparity, he noticed commonalities among people worldwide. Everyone was discussing “Game of Thrones” when it aired in the 2010s. People played soccer and fiddled with fidget spinners and shared their opinions on Donald Trump in almost every country.
Dig Deeper:
Want to check out photos from his trip? Thor documented it all on his Instagram, so you can relive some of his highlights.
Have You Heard of “Movement Snacks”?
A wellness Trend that Grew out of the parkour community
You've probably heard of “exercise snacks” before. The concept—which includes brief spurts of exertion, spread throughout the day, in order to improve metabolic health and raise endurance—became increasingly popular earlier this year. Well, now the concept has moved to merely movement snacks.Apparently, they're big in the high-flying parkour community. One movement coach who trains her clients to become “360 degrees strong,” told InsideHook that they're great for anyone who has a sore back, or spends too much time in a chair. (So, everyone.) She's got a variety of invaluable, bite-sized movement patterns available via guides and YouTube videos online. For a sample: check out “rocking variations” here. Personally, I'm a newfound fan of “egg rolls”.She says the small, but frequent movements release unconscious tension you didn't know you were carrying and they rebalance your body and reduce your risk of injury. Christopher McDougall, author of the bestseller Born to Run, recently appeared on The Rich Roll Podcast and sang the praises of these snacks. He also shared some practices anyone can weave into their day. So get moving!
FYI:
Hinge Health has over a dozen movement snacks to incorporate into your routine to reduce pain and boost energy.
In Other News
Even Zoom believes a hybrid approach is better for its workers.
Have you heard about ...
Reset Your Sleep
Are you ready to wake up refreshed?
Who doesn’t feel great after a long restful sleep? You awake recharged and ready for anything. But the truth is, that kind of restful night—filled with quality sleep—seems rare these days. Maybe it's because of the pandemic and the wrench it threw into so many of our schedules.Perhaps it is the state of the world or some personal dilemma. Whatever the reason, when our sleep patterns get disturbed, the effects ripple through our waking lives in big ways. We're less productive, less likely to work out and, for lack of a better word, we're grumpy. It doesn't help that sleep deprivation ages your skin, decreases your sex drive and adds fat to your midsection. So what's a rest-deprived guy to do? Reset your personal sleep routine.
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Morning Motto
Just let it go.
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