AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.12.2003, Síða 48

Hrund Skarphéðinsdóttir, Engineer
The
Automobile
City vs. The
Urban City
What defines an attractive city environment? For
many, it is an ease of movement, be it on foot,
cycle, car or via public transport. Many also connect
an attractive city to an urban environment, a city
with navigable streets with short distances between
locales. These two concepts hold the same ideas
about a city as an urban model, which offers a
choice between different modes of travel.
Over the past few decades, cities have developed
towards automotive accessibility, with monotonous
neighbourhoods having been built along their edges.
These neighbourhoods zone the land for different
functions: residential, employment or shopping dis-
tricts. Their road infrastructure has been planned
around the needs of the private car, creating so-
called „islands" of districts that connect with power-
ful road infrastructures. This urban sprawl also cre-
ates an increase in distance between locations and
more traffic.
Changed Society
Society has changed a lot over the past decades,
and the difference between work and private life has
increasingly become vague for many. Today’s
lifestyle increases the demand for an urban environ-
ment; areas with commercial streets where the main
activities, transit and liveable environment, are locat-
ed. A growing group of people, especially those in
the younger generation, see the advantages of living
and working such a liveable environment, in places
that are more pedestrian-friendly and offer various
modes of accessibility, not only requiring visitors to
arrive by private cars. This group, consisting usually
of well-educated people, is the one that companies
and cities are competing for.
This build-up over the last few decades has
increased the demand for properties in the city’s
centre, which is best seen in real estate values.
Large groups of people are attracted to the diversity
in the environment and activities, whether it is
through living, working or enjoying the atmosphere.
This imbalance that is in today’s neighbourhoods
would therefore be best solved with more areas that
use the classical urban forms and have main- and
residents streets, squares and public parks.
Towards more Sustainable Development
lf there is such a demand for property in urban
places, why is there not more building of similar
places today? Is focusing on more sustainable
developments, with a less car-dependent environ-
ment, not realistic? Or is it a lack of will among the
politicians and authorities to build neighbourhoods
that offer more freedom to choose between different
modes of travel, therefore getting closer to the focus
on more sustainable developments?
Most politicians see the advantages of a more sus-
tainable development with a decreased car-depend-
ent environment. What might hinder them in imple-
menting more sustainable development is a fear of
eliminating potential voters and lack of information
regarding these implementations. The decisions that
often are taken by the politicians are short term, and
not in favour of more long-term sustainable
development.
Avoiding traffic congestions with more and bigger
road infrastructure has been criticised in cities
abroad, simply because it does not work. This has
been tried in many cities, and the consequence is
endless traffic congestion. These cities are
composed of highways and large road infrastruc-
tures, as well as streets inaccessible to pedestrians.
There are methods for fighting the traffic congestion
that are long-term and effective, methods recom-
mended for cities that focus on more sustainable
development. They focus on integrated urban plan-
ning with a less car-dependent environment. This
urban planning disperses activities through the city
and lessens the demand for travel. The need for car
travel should become less and public transport
or other modes of travel such as walking or bicy-
cling should become a more attractive alternative. In
urban and dense areas, people generally do not use
their cars for commuting to and from work, except
when their job is outside the city. It is much easier
and more convenient to use public transport when
possible.
Today, the city centre of Reykjavik is planned to
become denser, but for the areas outside the centre
not much is being done except building more and
larger road infrastructures. The city centre will there-
fore become more pedestrian-friendly, with the
sparsely densities part more automobile-dependent.
Residents will then probably spend more time in
their cars, a solution few of them find desirable.
Some wish to live in the suburbs, where distances
between places are long and their private car is
used for all travel. But this demographic is not so
big that it is right to only build for them.
Most view having their services closer or within
walking distance to their home or work as a valuable
feature. ■
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