Looking into 2022
Is the transport sector doing enough to address climate change? The usual way has been to “green” mobility. Yet in 2021, the pandemic revealed that many were all too eager to purchase cars and abandon transit. I think we need to be more proactive. In addition to greening the transport sector, let’s green the places we live.
—Michael King
Greening the transport sector is insufficient
The typical way to address driving dependance has been to “green” the transport sector. If we use unleaded gas, we pollute less. If we ride a bike once a week, our carbon footprint is lowered by 20%. If we drive electric vehicles, there will be less exhaust.
It is not enough. The pandemic has revealed that we are all too ready to purchase cars and abandon transit. Driving was up in 2021, congestion was up, and traffic violence was up. It is as if all our previous efforts have been negated.
I think we need to be more proactive. In addition to greening the transport sector, let’s green the places we live.
Street score sheets
Street score sheets are illustrative of how greening the transport sector is insufficient. Ever since the rise of the automobile, streets have been classified according to how many cars they processed, aka average annual daily traffic. Highways scored well. Alleys did not.
In the last 20 or so years, “place” has been introduced into the classification mix. A street with lots of shops or parks would receive a high place score. Traffic sewers scored poorly. The upshot is link and place.
Link and place is a fine approach, but it fails to really consider transit, pedestrian promenades, laneways, and the like. For example, should “link” be classified as per the number of vehicles or the number of people or the number of deliveries? Should “place” be based on land use, built form, density, or some other variable? How does link and place account for accessibility, traffic violence, and child mobility? How do we not turn this into a 48-piece bingo card?
Let’s green the places we live
It is oft repeated that the best transport plan is a good land use plan. If we live near the places we work/study/shop/play, then we can walk/cycle to them. In other words, if the place we live is “green”, then we do not need much transport, green or otherwise. Think campus living.
Recipe
1. Begin with a 10-minute walk district (1/2 mile / 800m radius) centered around offices, shopping, restaurants, library, and a secondary school. The district could also be a 10-minute bike district (1-2/3 mi / 2500m radius).
2. Sub-divide the district into 5-minute neighborhoods, each centered around a primary school with a playground and community center.
3. Organize the districts along a high-speed and frequency transit line which connects to employment, civic, cultural, and travel opportunities.
4. Interweave a continuous bicycle network – apart from the street network. Link to a large park, promenade, river, or other place to ride.
5. Organize a network of low speed corridors for service vehicles and accessible transport. Deliveries would be via cargo bike.
6. Locate a few streets and parking on the periphery for activities that require cars and trucks.
7. Mix and bake.
Places to emulate
Large cities with low driving rates
Private car mode share in these large cities is 20% or less (based on journey to work or daily trips). They employ a combination of strong public transport, support for walking and cycling, and restrictions on private automobile use and storage. Density does not seem to be a prevailing factor. Hong Kong has 26,000 people per square kilometer, while Havana has only 3,000. Most importantly, they take advantage of geography and maintain their pre-automobile, walkable street network.
· Bogotá, Colombia
· Buenos Aires, Argentina
· Cairo, Egypt
· Havana, Cuba
· Hong Kong, China
· Minsk, Belorussia
· Paris, France
· Tokyo, Japan
Small cities that continue to be car-free
These smaller locations are (mostly) car-free. While they are products of geography and history, we can study them to learn about how people continue to live without a personal two-ton shopping cart that it stored 95% of the day.
· Catalina Island, California, USA – an island without cars
· Dubrovnik, Croatia – a walled city from the 7th Century
· Khumbu Valley, Nepal – a mountain valley with a series of villages
· La Cumbrecita, Córdoba, Argentina – an eco-tourism mountain town from the 1930’s
· Lamu, Kenya – an island town from the 14th Century
· Medina of Fez, Morocco – reportedly the most populated car-free district in the world
New no/low car developments and policies
These initiatives share a commitment to co-locating people together and can show the way towards new forms of green places to live. The urban design allows people to live their lives with minimal travel. The pandemic has taught us this is not only possible but desirable.
· Vision 2026 in Jharkhand, India calls for locating 60% of its populations in a transit-oriented catchment area and 80% of all trips by public transport and cycling/walking.
· Heidelberg-Bahnstadt in Germany is reportedly the world’s largest passive house settlement. Located on a 116 Ha former army base, there will be about 12,000 residents and workers for a density of 10k per km2. Open in 2008, it is walking distance to main train station, has three new tram stops, two bus routes, and 3.5 km of cycle paths.
· Vienna-Seestadt in Austria is located on a 240 Ha former airfield. There will be about 20,000 residents and workers for a density of 17k per km2. Open in 2012, it has a target mode share of 40% public transport and 40% cycling/walking. There are seven bus lines, rail and tram stations, and parking fees fund the e-cargo bike system. My favorite is that the Metro opened during construction so that construction workers could use it (instead of driving unnecessarily gigantic pickup trucks)!
· Culdesac in Tempe, Arizona, USA is opening in 2022. It will house 1000 residents on 16 ac (15K/km2). There will be free Metro rides, 1000 bike parking spots, discounted car and scooter sharing, shared courtyards and hammocks, and guest suites and maker-spaces.