Cultivating Civic Life and Social Interaction
To build the new urban communities of the 21st century - communities that are livable, sustainable and environmentally conscious - builders, planners and government officials are realizing that it’s necessary to move beyond yesterday’s principles that previously guided development.
Development professionals and communities realize that it’s no longer productive or desirable to base design around the automobile. The suburban sprawl that resulted from automobile-centric planning and development resulted in hours-long commutes to work to say nothing of having to jump in the car just to pick up a quart of milk or get the kids to school. The time spent in the car stole away time that could have been spent with family or community activities. Clogged streets and freeways led to demands for the construction of more streets and freeways, eating up public funds that might have been spent on education or other priorities.
But now a new philosophy is beginning to guide the way we plan and build our communities. The goal is to create livable communities on a human scale, full of opportunities for social interaction.
One of the hallmarks of a livable community is that human-scaled activities, like walking, bicycling, gathering in public places for entertainment and civic events is given priority over automobile-scaled activities, like driving and parking. Most people will not get rid of their cars, but their number of vehicle miles traveled, with the attendant emissions of smog-forming and greenhouse gases, can be significantly reduced by livable communities. Concentrating housing in mixed use not only provides opportunities to work, shop and play within walking distance of home, it also creates excellent destinations for mass transit.
This blog examines the advantages of transit-centric, livable communities for the 21st Century.
