11.1 The sustainable city  (Page 4/20)

In the past humans have been one of the beasts of burden and workers have been needed to produce and move goods. Modern factories reduce human labour needs and artificial intelligence will soon carry most of the load in our partnership with machines. In the Information Age humans should no longer have to live and work near the factories and centers of commerce and jobs will move from the production of goods to the provision of services. People may choose to live in exciting urban centers, but if one wants a bucolic life style telework will offer an alternative.

Shrinking cities

Many American cities have declined in population from highs immediately following World War II, even as the host metropolitan area has continued to grow. While populations have declined poverty and other social problems have been concentrated. ^{2005-2007 American Community Survey three-year estimates} In the United States, nearly 5,000,000 acres of vacant property (including brownfields) exist. This is equivalent to the combined land area of the nation’s 60 largest cities.

Joe Dufficy, USEPA, http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/30/Brownfield_Conference/docs/Joe%20Dufficy-Brooks%20Furio.pdf accessed 4/25/11

The traditional planning approach has been to focus on managing growth and new development through time-honored tools such as comprehensive planning, zoning, subdivision regulations, and urban growth boundaries.

Dawkins, Casey J., and Arthur C. Nelson. (2003). “State Growth Management Programs and

Central City Revitalization.” Journal of the American Planning Association, 69(4), 381-

396.

This growth-oriented approach to addressing the shrinking city is now criticized.

Oswalt, Philipp. 2006. Shrinking Cities Volume 2: Interventions. Ostfildern, Germany: Hatje

Cantz Verlag

Some commentators postulate that green infrastructure offers a better model for improving these cities health.

Joseph Schilling, Blueprint Buffalo—Using Green Infrastructure to Reclaim America’s Shrinking Cities, http://metrostudies.berkeley.edu/pubs/proceedings/Shrinking/18Schilling_PA_final.pdf , accessed 4/25/11

How could these factors manifest themselves in our sustainable city? They will influence its design and our settlement patterns will influence our lifestyles. You are not only what you eat but also where you live. For instance:

Transportation

Most agree that walkability    is a key component of any sustainable neighborhood. Walkability not only reduces energy use, but also increases public health. How can we measure walkability? Walkscore.com identifies and measures nearby amenities and provides a rating for specific locations and neighborhoods. Try it for where you live.

Sustainable cities could consist of walkable neighborhoods that separate pedestrian, bike and vehicular traffic and are connected to each other through multiple transportation modes, with biking and mass transit choices in addition to the automobile. Instead of averaging 10 (auto) trips per unit per day

based upon Institute of Traffic Engineers Trip Generation Manual, 1997 from http://www.maine.gov/mdot/planning-process-programs/trips.php accessed 4/25/11

most residents would not use an automobile daily and instead walk or bike or order online. Trip generation would be reduced through telework and ecommerce. Goods would be brought to residents in bulk delivery trucks using services like UPS, Fedex and Peapod. Under telework many would only visit an office to attend meetings once or twice a week (or less). Streets and intersections would be made less daunting to pedestrians through traffic calming techniques.