11.1 The sustainable city  (Page 5/20)

Most trips to other parts of the city would be made via mass transit. When an individual car is need it would be provided through car sharing, or taxis. Much to the dismay of science fiction fans, flying cars sound nice but it is difficult to see how they can be sustainable until a non-polluting, renewable energy source for air travel is obtained. Traffic congestion would be relieved not through artificial subsidies (overbuilding roads and providing free parking) but through congestion pricing, removal of free street parking, and providing viable bicycle and mass transit alternatives.

Even rural centers could be planned as concentrated walkable neighborhoods with viable transportation options. Telework , e-commerce    and low impact cluster development    would enable residents to enjoy country living without a guilty conscience. Think in terms of a kibbutz (collective farm) where most members do not own their own cars and rarely have to use this type of transportation.

Cities will continue to draw entrepreneurs and foster productivity.

Lincoln institute of Land Policy, April 26, 2100, http://www.lincolninst.edu/news/atlincolnhouse.asp , accessed 4/27/11 quoting Edward Glaeser, author of "The Triumph of Cities,"

Most of the population will reside in mega-regions and linking them through high-speed rail that connects to mass transit will be the key to long-term economic growth.

Lincoln institute of Land Policy, April 26, 2100, http://www.lincolninst.edu/news/atlincolnhouse.asp , accessed 4/27/11 quoting Petra Todorovich,  America 2050 ,

Water

Traditional approaches have sought to rapidly move stormwater away from what we’ve built via gutters, sewers and artificial channels. While this approach on the micro scale is intended to prevent local flooding and undesired ponding, on the macro scale it may actually cause area wide flooding. It also short-circuits the opportunity for water to naturally soak into the ground – to water plants and recharge groundwater resources

Conservation Design Forum from A Guide to Stormwater Best Management Practices, http://www.cdfinc.com/xm_client/client_documents/Chicago_GuideTo_Stormwater_BMPs.pdf , accessed 4/25/11

, and, with traditional planting of lawns and other exotics, necessitates bringing more water in for irrigation.

Best water management practices for sustainable cities would include:

• Green Roofs
• Downspouts, Rain Barrels and Cisterns
• Permeable Paving
• Natural Landscaping
• Filter Strips
• Bioinfiltration using: Rain Gardens
• Drainage Swales
• Naturalized Detention Basins

These features are discussed in more detail in the Module Sustainable Stormwater Management . The sustainable city would recharge its local aquifer and surface water would flow primarily from groundwater and not storm water discharge. Instead of charging a flat tax for storm and sanitary sewer services, technology allows districts to charge usage fees based upon volume, thus providing a financial incentive for sustainable design. Governmental bodies could use these tools to encourage the reorientation and designers could use the techniques outlined above as divert stormwater into the ground rather than directly into surface water. ^{Newport, Robert, USEPA lecture to UPP 594 class 9/7/10}