![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JabRXQmGCZZ23FpskzplCU3Y2N9wKON1zw44TnL8ja_uw2FtCaEa39dkC9Ua0q3vQvxyG7yxPmhtlmX0S260Du_HzP0YE2HPy0Y2A41kk39ci3KJEWKa-qmgvBIEiD3po8qoKN13ZnU/s320/car-ad-war-3%5B1%5D.jpg)
I found this article ironic when a city planner confesses how much they love to drive:
Almost daily, I promote smart growth - alternative transportation choices,reduced greenhouse gases, increased housing densities. It's my business to help Canadians understand and adapt to a future that is different from the past. I am a 21st-century city planner.Along with fellow futurists, I advocate less vehicle travel, more cycling and transit use, smaller cars and sensible energy consumption. The terms "eco-density," "high-occupancy vehicles" and "environmental footprint" are common currency. By day I'm committed to radical societal change. But my lifestyle is suspect because I really like to drive. Mostly by myself. Pedal to the metal. Wide-open spaces. No boundaries. Zoom, zoom, zoom.
And an unsustainable future:
I understand the disconnect between the extravagant past and our frugal future. My lifestyle is unsustainable and I need to change my patterns. But I subtly resist the shift. Perhaps it's the curse of the baby boomers. For our generation, driving has been a lifelong love affair, one that isn't easily surrendered.
Don't get me wrong, cars are always going to be a part of our lives. What I promote is a balance of options so that people have the opportunity to walk,bus, rail, or even bike to a destination. My concern is that when we have streets that are designed with one thing in mind (moving cars through as quickly as possible) as a planner and community development director, it is my duty to show people a different way of thinking about these spaces.
No comments:
Post a Comment