Many smaller cities often have public transport, some towns nearby too use their systems. Not just anything close to New York, way below that. In a extremely limited extent many regular towns do too, but far too limited to be useful except for employing impoverished people.
Towns do have pavements/sidewalks, though its spotty, saying they don't is just wrong.
Smaller towns do have houses near shops, but things aren't mixed together so in larger suburbia obviously it becomes impractical to walk fast.
You can operate a business in residential areas you just can't use the buildings, like if a customer would come into your house not ok, but nobodies gonna stop you from operating a business from home
b e a r d
@hideki where I live this isn't the case at all. I have two grocery stores within 1 mile of me, another 4 within 3 miles, three hardware stores, two movie theaters, a shit load of restaurants and other shops, and it's all pretty much intertwined with the rest of the suburbs. It's really nice. Plus, the public transit is available pretty much everywhere, including an Uber clone that works off the same fee as the bus/train so you can pay $5 and go from the outside of your neighborhood all the way downtown if you want.
I still ride Uber just because I'm not a huge fan of public transit and I'm willing to pay the premium, but the option is totally there.
@hideki also there are sidewalks everywhere. I could literally walk all the way downtown if I REALLY wanted to.
