Do You Think Drug Addiction Is Higher in the USA Than in Europe Due to Urban Design?

Question by Pedro Nombre K: Do you think drug addiction is higher in the USA than in Europe due to urban design?
In the USA it’s very common to find people living in houses, instead of buildings. Rich or poor, they all have a house (big ones the rich, little one the poor, of course), and the streets are boring as hell, row after row of identical streets, suburban style, like and endless row of matchboxes. I think I’d be bored living there, so perhaps drugs like coke or meth could be a way out.

Meanwhile in Europe people tend to live in inner city buildings, (rich and poor),the floor ground is full of shops,cinemas an stuff so when you go walking around you see lot’s of different things, cities like Barcelona, London or Oslo are diverse and a walk down the street is a very exciting experience to the senses.

In fact, many streets in the USA don´t even have a sidewalk, because everything is designed to cars, meanwhile in Europe cities are much more pedestrian friendly, so it’s more pleasant to have a stroll and relax.

I wonder if this seemingly minor detail could explain why meth and coke addiction hit harder in America than in Europe?

Best answer:

Answer by snowglobe380
drug addiction can happen in a sketchy innercity area and you can have teens or adults in suburbia harvesting or selling drugs unknown in the community. The correlation of urban design might have something to do with it- the resources in a poorer innercity community may encourage those drug addicted. For example, if there are high incidences if prositution, drugs, crime, abundance of sketchy stores/bars, etc.- lack of strong community- neighbourhood watch and initiatives for a safer neighbourhood by its residences in an area no matter where you go- america or usa.
The sidewalk issue in the usa- it depends which area you are in. There are some areas in the innercity usa where walking around and using the metro is frequent and encouraged. As you go further out into more the suburbian areas you will tend to notice more the lack of walking sidewalks and encouragement for walking. You will also see the lifestyle and use of cars more is encouraged in most of those areas.
In the usa as well- there are the innercity areas in a city- you will see both houses (big and small) and also apartment buildings, townhomes, lofts. Some poor people are homeless and may not have a home. In suburbia, the style of homes are different- there tends to be more lot space for homes and you may even see condo apartments/townhomes as well mixed in the communities. Sometimes, the sense of community and space is different between the inner city and suburbia.
Europe is older- there are areas to walk around. The sense of style of buildings are usually different there than the usa. Although, there are are older buildings in america as well. Ex- some victorian homes/buildings in san francisco and many areas. There are also drug use in Europe as well.
In terms of excitment, it depends on which area of europe you go and what state of mind you are in. When I was in england, some residence there would rather move to other warmer, sunnier climates.

Answer by Jody
Where’s the documentation that drug addiction is higher in the US than in Europe?

Britain has the highest rate of addiction in Europe, and the 2d highest rate of drug related deaths. Around a quarter of 26-30 year olds have tried Class A drugs including heroin and cocaine, around 45% of young people have used cannabis according to the UK Drug Policy commission (UKDPC).

I disagree with your theory since people in America can live where and how they choose, and can move freely from state to state with no interference from police or state or government authorities. Entertainment, shops, city life, apartments and sidewalks are plentiful in America.

The most common drug addictions and treatment costs are to legal substances such as nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and sugar addiction so of course “drug addiction” rates appear higher in America by some statistics.

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