What Makes Fast Food Drive-Thrus Bad for Cities: Investigating Heinous Land Uses, Episode 2

In this second episode this series on terrible land uses and everything that makes them bad for cities, your intrepid host makes a tour of fast food drive-thrus. We'll look at the history of this marvelous technological innovation dating from 1948, how the format has evolved to become more popular than ever during the COVID pandemic, look into our crystal ball to see what the future holds, and talk about what some cities are doing to combat the drive-thru's worst aspects.

Today's video focuses on the establishments that are driving the most traffic in 2022 -- at least in Las Vegas: Chick-Fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, Raising Cane's, and, yes, STILL McDonald's. We'll look at all the ways these places are using technology to maximize profits, taking advantage of mobile ordering and technology, and how they manage drive-thru operations to meet daily targets.

Most importantly, we'll break down all the deleterious aspects of drive-thrus: increased traffic conflicts, idling, bad land use, pedestrian unfriendliness, litter, and impacts on the American diet and overall public health.

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Twitter: @nerd4cities
Instagram: @nerd4cities

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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- The Stroad Ecosystem:    • The Stroad: A Case Study // Intended ...  
- When Stroads Collide:    • Stroad vs. Stroad: Land Use, Traffic ...  
- Seattle's Aurora Avenue (Highway 99): A Stroad Case Study:    • To Improve a STROAD: How One City Is ...  
- The 10 Most Enormous Parking Lots in the US:    • Enormous Parking Lots of the US: The ...  
- Power Centers:    • What Makes POWER CENTERS Bad for Citi...  

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Resources:
- Monrovia Chick-Fil-A traffic study: https://files.ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2694...
- Henry Grabar Slate article: https://slate.com/business/2022/09/fa...
- https://www.fastcompany.com/90546526/...
- https://www.wbrz.com/news/video-popey...
- https://www.brookings.edu/research/a-...
- https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-fro...
- https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/busine...
- https://www.portland.gov/sites/defaul...
- https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/05/30...

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Images
- https://www.casino.org/news/changing-...

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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)

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