Transcript Chapter 10
Designing Cities for People John Fitzgerald and Nick Simmons CHAPTER 10 PROBLEMS CITIES FACE “Urbanization is the second dominant demographic trend of our time, after population growth itself.”- Lester Brown Over half the world’s population are living in urban areas as of 2008. Today there are 414 major cities and 20 megacities which contain 20 million or more people. These cities cannot provide or sustain a consistent supply of food, water, and energy that nature can allocate over time. Therefore, they must draw upon distant resources. As a result, local ecosystems are becoming heavily damaged due to continuing pollution. Some of these notable expanding cities are: London, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, and New York City. Tokyo alone has a population of 35 million inhabitants, which accounts for the entire population of Canada. These above mentioned cities are and will face growing scarcity of natural resources and adequate space for their burgeoning population growths. Water shortages, garbage, land clearing, and air pollution are contributors to environmental degradation. THE ECOLOGY OF CITIES Examples: Los Angeles draws water from the Colorado River that is 600 miles away. The majority of Japan’s grain and corn originates from the United States and is shipped by sea. The innovation of the combustible engine was a direct correlation to massive growth in cities. However, the increasing scarcity of natural resources(water) and rising costs of energy for transporting materials (oil) will inevitably force cities to change. URBAN TRANSPORTATION A major problem for urban areas is traffic congestion. Cars have taken so much space that traffic halts the movement of city life. Denver has taken action by building the Light rail to efficiently move people around. “LAKEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 10 - Mass transit systems get tougher to build as cities age and grow, planners say. But as the Denver metropolitan area begins work on one of the most ambitious urban transportation projects in the nation's history - 120 miles on six new rail lines to be built all at once over the next 12 years - that logic has been turned on its head. “Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company FINDING SOLUTIONS Measures have been directly imposed upon citizens, Singapore and London have created fees that charge drivers entering into the city limits. This ensures a lower volume of traffic. In the first year, in London, traffic delays dropped 30% and vehicle speeds increased to 21%. Mayor Delanoe of Paris has reduced carbon emissions by about 40% due to the establishment of a bicycle rental system. Enrique Penalosa- completely changed the city of Bogota. Built a light rail system, planted 100,000 trees, charged parking fees for cars and made the city safer than Washington D.C. Trains, metro-stations, light rails, fees for cars, creation of parks, planting of trees, farming in city gardens, recycle water are all viable solutions. URBAN WATER USAGE Water entering into a city quickly becomes highly toxic and polluted. Draining waste water into local rivers and lakes can cause irreversible damage. “Old fashioned” appliances that use unnecessary amounts of water is wasteful. Dry compost outhouses are being implemented in third world countries to alleviate bad water practices. We can see water affecting us here in Colorado; Denver now has water rights that the state lays claim over. FARMING IN THE CITY Community Gardens Located on rooftops, vacant lots, and yards Some can produce up to 66 pounds of tomatoes per square meter each year even on rooftop gardens Increases food supply for large cities such as Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Farms Adjacent to Cities Idea of Micro-gardens 80 % of fresh produce and vegetables in Hanoi, Vietnam come immediately adjacent to the city Venezuela already has 8,000 and goal of 100,000 Each micro-garden is a plot of a square meter Unrealized Potential for Urban Agriculture Farmer’s Markets Vacant lots not being used 70,000 in Chicago and 30,000 in Philadelphia FARMING IN THE CITY CONT… Transportation Costs Associated with Food Reduce high freight charges Possibly lower the cost for food Especially if Urban Agriculture was practiced UPGRADING SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS Population expected to grow 3 Billion in next 50 years Mainly in developed countries with large cities Lots of growth occurring in squatter settlements Squatter Settlements Very poor people Inadequate housing Seen as a “Social Evil” Rural/Urban Migration Improve conditions in countryside Provide basic social services Health Care and Education for Children UPGRADING SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS CONT… Easy Improvements to Make Safe running tap water Community toilets and bathrooms Regular Bus Services Parks and Common Areas Support from Local Governments Need to integrate them with urban life Failure to meet needs can lead to violence, crime, and more poverty CITIES FOR PEOPLE Urban pollution from Automobiles Emerging health issue in hundreds of cities Causes congestion and rising costs from time and gas “Asphalt Complex” Construction and maintenaince of streets and highways Theodore Roszak – Pyschologist Claims patients in hospitals recover quicker if room faces gardens, trees, parks, flowers, etc.. than patients facing parking lots or streets Public Transportation Rising Risen 2.4 % per year since 1996 Abandoning cars for bikes, subways, and light rails CITIES FOR PEOPLE CONT… China not a believer in Public Transportation Promoting automobile based transport system Doesn’t have the land or infrastructure to do this and feed its people Same problem if India decides to go this route Trouble coming for Atlanta Over 95% of city workers use cars for transportation to and from work Contrast that to Amsterdam where only 40% do Colleges supporting Public Transportation Penn State gave students unlimited rides on public transportation DU does the exact same thing with the RTD pass CITIES FOR PEOPLE CONT… QUESTIONS????