I came across this on Air Canada Jazz’s magazine:
Its adherents believe that cities can become engines not just of economic growth. But of happiness. The charge is being led by some of the world’s toughest towns,
places like Bogotá, where happiness theory led one mayor to transform
roads into parks and pedestrian “freeways,” and Mexico City, whose
mayor is investing in urban beaches and bikeways in order to change the
citizens’ gloomy outlook. Now the movement is spilling over to
wealthier cities too. Seoul has ripped out a downtown freeway to make
room for parks and streams. London has put the squeeze on cars with its
now famous congestion charge … Now you might think that Paris had long ago
figured out the art of urban joy. But in recent years, residents have
become so sick of noise, pollution and congestion that they have thrown
their support behind a radical plan by Mayor Bertrand Delanoë to
reclaim their streets. By 2012, suburban cars will be banned entirely
from the city’s core.
I have much more to say on this in Who’s Your City ... coming soon.
February 6th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
The war against cars has been going on for decades. People were discussing these same ideas back in architecture school in the 70s. The fact is, if I can’t drive downtown I won’t go downtown… What about people who are handicapped or mothers with several children, strollers, and gear, or people who need to transport large or fragile packages? How are these people supposed to pack themselves onto public transportation? Car friendly environments such as Los Angeles or Silicon Valley offer plenty of urban happiness.
February 6th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Los Angeles?? Urban happiness??? Southern California is the capital of sprawl. I would get rid of my car in a heartbeat if I could. I walk from my office to court (a little more than a mile) in less time than it takes me to drive there and park; and, when I get there, I’m in a much clearer frame of mind.
We cannot eliminate motorized transportation completely but we would do very well to limit it to the greatest extent possible and look at new models. Considering out-of-the-ordinary models, I think someone ought to look at urban gondolas.