This month’s article has a bit of a different structure. I have been travelling this past month and have conducted less research than usual. Instead, I share my thoughts on the future of our cities and our streets.
Often frustrated by how our streets are dominated by cars, I explore a few ideas on how we can make cities more people focused, less car focused.
The Future Of Our Streets
Our streets are built for cars. Whilst this made sense when cities were initially built, it does not anymore. Times have changed and so is it time for our streets to change. Cars pollute, are noisy, occupy disproportionate space, leave little room for other activities and often make other forms of transport unpleasant. pedestrian paths are narrow whilst cycling is dangerous in the presence of cars. The dominance of cars is one reason professionals and young families opt to live in quieter, people-friendly suburbs.
With its many negatives, Covid has had its positives. It has forced policymakers to be creative in introducing cycling lanes and car-free days. It has shown us the potential of our cities if we shift our mindset. Removing cars entirely is impractical (for resident and emergency access), but we can start by eliminating unnecessary journeys, single-car ownership and adding regulations. Outright banning is not the solution, but providing alternatives is a good starting point.
Uber ride-sharing. They are cheap and transport several passengers at a time.
Shirut service. Similar to ride-sharing, the Shirut is another great middle between private and public transport. These are minibuses widely available in cities such as Tel Aviv which have pre-determined routes where passengers can jump on and off.
Autonomous cars. For this one we will need to wait for the technology to arrive. This could bring huge benefits such as when a car owner arrives at work or on holiday, they send out their car to be used as a taxi.
Removing excess parking space. I discuss here how we can introduce measures to remove excess parking space.
Car leasing. A new trend where people lease cars for weeks or months at a premium price rather than outright ownership (where they are less incentivised to use the car).
Micro-mobility. Pushing this concept forward with e-scooters and e-bikes, whether shared or private. I share my thoughts on how these have had a positive impact on London here.
If we are successful in removing cars from our streets, we are sure to reap the benefits. These include more public transport, more extensive pedestrian paths and more cycle lanes. More space for creative work, pop-up stores, bike repair workshops, weekend street parties, and flower markets. And finally, more green and open spaces make our cities more attractive to live and work in.
Even though a lot of people are against the idea of removing cars, once the changes are implemented, they realise there is no going back. For that, we need brave policymakers to keep on making radical urban mobility decisions. Cities such as Ghent, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen have proven this is possible. A couple of people I strongly recommend following are @LiorSteinberg and @_dmoser who are leading the way in urban mobility changes. Have a look at this video from Fareed Zakaria with Janette Sadik-Khan.
Final thoughts
Covid has woken us up to the fact that our cities and streets need change. We have moved in the right direction, but we can’t stop here. We need to keep on going. We need to focus our cities on foot traffic not car traffic, prioritising civilians not cars. The more we do that, the more we can enjoy our cities, grow our economies, and build a better society.
A couple of things I have learnt during my travels in Peru and Colombia:
It rarely rains in Lima, Peru. This is due to the “Humboldt Current” which is a cold ocean current and means a lack of rain. The streets and buildings do not have any drainage systems installed.
Buildings in Arequipa, Peru are rarely taller than 2-3 floors, which I assume is due to local planning laws. This means major sun exposure on most streets and fantastic views throughout the city.
Medellin, Colombia is a city to keep an eye on. With its dark past with the narcos and crime, Medellin is quickly becoming the tech capital of South America. Here’s a really interesting article on the Medellin real estate market I read whilst out there.