> I don't know if it has anything to do with construction but doubt it. If you actually walk everywhere shoes don't last very long these days, especially shoes under $100.
By construction, I mean the material and design of shoes people tend to wear. I can't say I've ever met someone who takes sneakers or running shoes to a cobbler and these shoes are more common nowadays.
Those kinds of shoes you mention tend not to last very long at all and are not resoleable. If you walk a lot, you find yourself throwing away the $80 shoe after just 6 months.
These kinds of shoes are most of the market because most people don't walk much in the USA. If you walk a lot, you might still not change anything and keep buying the disposable sneakers, throwing away $160 a year.
But if you walk a lot AND are disposed to think critically about the situation, you find that if you pay a bit more for shoes you can make them last many years as long as you resole them periodically. And as I recall, a good $50 sole on a good $150 shoe costs half as much and lasts three times as long as a disposable $80 sneaker.
Not only do you save money (not really a ton) but it actually is more convenient, since even counting resolings, you get more miles between having to go repair or replace your shoe. And you don't have to wear in your leather uppers again. It is truly a luxurious feeling when you come back from the cobbler and have shoes that are worn in and fit your foot just perfectly like a glove... yet the soles are brand new and strong and comfortable and ready for another thousand miles.
Why do you think there's a stereotype of leather boots being popular in NYC? I'm sure the resoleability and longevity in the face of large amounts of daily walking have a lot to do with it.
By construction, I mean the material and design of shoes people tend to wear. I can't say I've ever met someone who takes sneakers or running shoes to a cobbler and these shoes are more common nowadays.