CH. 6: DESIGNING CITIES FOR PEOPLE
Curtis Pottle
Julian Franczykhttp://www.google.com/imgres?q=tokyo+intersection&um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&biw=1680&bih=869&tbm=isch&tbnid=Jr9A5aWQ0IoSQM:&imgrefurl=http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/hungyhungyhippo/1/1255541771/okonimiyaki-ish.jpg/tpod.html&docid=T0fWEj6M1u5wNM&w=550&h=413&ei=E7-UTtWCHdLYiAKJrMybBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=197&vpy=326&dur=3775&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=166&ty=144&page=1&tbnh=163&tbnw=217&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0
Megacity Population Change Over Time
The Ecology of Cities Evolution of cities related to advances in transport (combustion engine
and cheap oil mobility of people) The amount of food, water, energy, and materials needed in cities is
far greater than the amount of those resources nature can provide. Today’s cities draw resources from far away places
Los Angeles water from Colorado River 600 miles away Japanese wheat and corn comes from places like Kansas The oil required to move resources comes from far away oil fields
Richard Register: we need to fundamentally rethink the design of cities Design them for people, not cars. Integrate cities into local
ecosystems, not impose on them. San Louis Obispo, CA creek restoration invigorated people, decreased
commercial vacancy along creek When Designing Cities, we can take advantage of the local ecosystem
Natural heating of buildings, urban food production, recycled water, etc
Redesigning Urban Transport Mixture of rail, bus, bike, walking transportation routes provides low-cost
transportation, mobility, and a healthy urban environment Rail is geographically fixed and permanent, can develop around them Buses can take people out of cars and put them into more efficient systems BRT system, like a special HOV lane. Some cities charge cars to enter their city centers
Singapore—Debit card system London—Entrance fee, speed up traffic and cut down on pollution and noise Paris—City Bike Rental Program
USA—Complete Streets Movement (streets are friendly to pedestrians and bikes) It is much cheaper to build-in sidewalks and bike lanes the first time rather than add them later
Movement stressing children walking to school (UK 1994, now in 40 Countries) 40 years ago—40%walked. Now—15% walk Safer, energy efficient, and more healthy
Bogotá BRT System
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/BRT_Bogota.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/10/24/dot-announces-five-bus-rapid-transit-corridors/&h=399&w=500&sz=201&tbnid=2yw07ZvmsQHEJM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=113&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbrt%2Bsystem%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=brt+system&docid=6uJhS_Yg4b6dNM&sa=X&ei=Jb2UTtnsLsfYiAL7__yaBQ&ved=0CDsQ9QEwAg
Return of Bicycles Riding bicycles reduces congestion, lowers pollution, and has health
benefits, also they are easier to park and are affordable 6 Bicycles can fit into the space taken up by one car
Chinese own the greatest number of bikes (increase since economic and social reforms of 1970’s and 80’s.
European ownership rates are higher than those of China United States police departments are employing bike cops Bicycle courier services faster than car delivery Need to promote bicycle friendly transportation systems (trails and street
lanes) Netherlands—27% of trips by bike; USA and UK—1% of trips (More trips by bike than car in
Amsterdam) Netherlands policies make driving expensive and cars hard to buy USA and UK lack such policies, so people drive more
“Attitude that bicycles are backwards and used only by the poor” Connect bicycles and rail commuter systems (parking at rail stops) Electric bikes powered by muscle and battery
Worldwide Production of Bicycles and Passenger Cars
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 20100
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Bicycles
Passenger Cars
Urban Water Use
Today: “Flush and forget” creates a lot of waste water Waste drains into closest bodies of water Creates “dead zones”
In India The average family contaminates 150,000 liters of water
per year Sewer system becomes a “pathogen dispersal system”
In The U.S. Toilets and showers account for half of indoor water use Average toilets use 6 gallons per flush Average Showers use 5 gallons per minute
Redefining Urban Water Use
Composting toilets Low cost, simple, odorless toilets can be connected to a
nearby compost facility Urine can be collected separately and trucked to farms Fecal matter can be converted to a dry, soil-like product
and used as fertilizer
Recycling water Treatment facilities can separate water from sewage This water can be filter, treated for pathogens and reused
as drinking water Creates “closed loop systems” requiring only small
amounts of fresh water for each cycle
Farming in Urban Centers
Urban or peri-urban farms supply food for 700 million urban residents worldwide Originating from small plots or rooftops
In countries like The U.S., Many cities have potential for urban farming Chicago – 70,000 vacant lots Philadelphia – 31,000 vacant lots
Provides a sink for the potential of composting toilets Reduces increased price of produce due to rising oil
prices Also increases intangible benefits such as improved
mental and physical health, as well as higher quality produce
Squatter Settlements Nearly all growth in the upcoming years will
occur in urban centers. In developing nations, this growth will flow into
squatter settlements Favelas in Brazil Barriadas in Peru Gecekondu in Turkey
Life is characterized by a severe lack of services Generally little clean water No health care Small and rudimentary shelters
Reducing or Upgrading Squatter Settlements Encourage rural investment
Industrialization outside of the city reduces density of major cities Reduces population movement into cities to a manageable pace
Create planned squatter settlements In developing cities, set aside plots of land for squatters Remove squatter settlements from high-risk areas such as the
favelas Provide potable water taps Provide bus transportation for workers living in squatter
settlements
Provide micro-crediting options so that squatters can slowly upgrade their situations within the settlement
1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 20350
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Percent of World Population in Urban Areas
Share Urban Percent
Year
%
Predicted 30% Increase over 85 Years
Cities for people
Creating livable cities involves getting people out of cars and into nature
Provide incentives to bike or take public transitSubsidize employees for public transit or bicycles
has reduced automobile use in some firms by 17 percent
Declare car-free areas to make walking and biking safe
Make areas of congregation within public transportation appealing
Two Ways to Deal With the Challenges of a City
Modify existing cities: “PlaNYC”130 initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in the city15% of cabs have been converted to hybrids200,000 trees have been plantedRaising the energy efficiency of buildings
Create entirely new cities91,000 acre Babcock Ranch in FloridaSold 73,000 acres to the state as a permanent
reserveUse the rest for a business and commercial center
as well as a high-density residential development