Book Reviews
Walkable
City
HOW DOWNTOWN CAN SAVE AMERICA, ONE STEP AT A TIME
by Jeff Speck
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Prologue
Walkability is refered as both an end and means as well as a measure because of its contribution to urban vitality which is tied to the several physical and social rewards.
The problem of cities is noted to be none other than the complete disconnect between awareness and the actions of those responsible for the physical form of our communities​.
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“This book is not about why cities work or how cities work, but about what works in cities. And what works best in the best cities is walkability.”- Jeff Speck
The 10 Steps of Walkability
Epilogue
Jeff Speck wants to make cities more walkable for three reasons:
1. Economic
2. Health
3. Environmental
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He states how automobiles which were once a symbol of freedom has nothing other than a bulky, expensive and dangerous prosthetic device. Therefore, Speck addresses these rules to be first readily applied in downtowns.
Main Takeaways
Younger people today, such as millennials and Gen Z, no longer view the car as a necessary expense of a source of personal freedom. It is now the opposite, where not owning a house or a car is seen more as a path to greater flexibility, choice, and personal autonomy.
Working families now spend more on transport than housing because they travel further to find cheaper houses. They are now spending around 20% of their income on transport.
1) Put Cars in Their Place.
For about sixty years, automobiles have become the dominant factor so we need to reclaim our cities
4) Let Transit Work.
The success or failure of a designing a city is heavily dependent on the role and public support of public transportation.
7) Shape the Spaces.
People enjoy not only open spaces and the outdoors but a sense of feeling comfortable
10) Pick Your Winners.
Cities must make a conscious choice about the size and location of their walkable cores.
2) Mix the Uses.
The goal is to place proper balance of activities within walking distance of each other
5) Protect the Pedestrian.
Every factor that determines a car's speed and chances of a pedestrian getting hit
8) Plant Trees.
Putting value into planting trees into a city is essential in developing a more well invested city atmosphere.
3) Get the Parking Right.
Parking requirements and pricing determines the disposition of the American urban land
6) Welcome Bikes.
Bicycles thrive in environments that support pedestrians
9) Make Friendly & Unique Faces.
Recently city design codes have begun focusing on active facades that invite walking
1 in 3 Americans are obese. The current generation is expected to live a shorter life than its predecessor. Clear correlations between how walkable a region is and the obesity of its residents.
Urban beautification programs, such as the famous “Five B’s” of the eighties-bricks, banners, bandstands, bollards and berms.
“We must understand that the walkable city is not just a nice, idealistic notion. Rather, it is a simple, practical-minded solution to a host of complex problems that we face as a society, problems that daily undermine our nation’s economic competitiveness, public welfare, and environmental sustainability.” -Jeff Speck
TWO BILLION CARS
DRIVING TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY
by Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon
Foreward
"Cars provide mobility and personal freedom while trucks carry the goods that keep our economy humming. But all these vehicles and near-total dependence on gasoline to fuel them contribute to global warming, deplete our natural resources, and undermine our national security..."
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“Two Billion Cars is a refreshingly optimistic book that spells out what is possible when we all work together- local, state, national, and international governments;business and industry;consumers and citizens;and experts like the two authors of this book." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Surviving Two Billion Cars
Cars are arguably the greatest man made threat to human society.
As our nation continues to revolve around car-centric world, a key question comes into play: where will oil supply come from when we reach two billion+ cars on the road?
Consequences are bound to arise, such as the lack of fuel efficiency with new and advanced cars and increasing oil consumption.
In order to make sustainable change possible, automakers and policy-makers must meet eye-to-eye with energy efficient alternatives. Oil companies must invest in low-carbon alternatives instead of using their money to purchase stocks. New, transformative forms of transportation will help bust our car-centric culture.
We need to encourage innovative solutions for a sustainable future, such as more options, enhanced services, expansive public transportation, lower costs, and better incentives.
Main Takeaways
Chapter 1: Surviving Two Billion Cars
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Cars are arguably one of the greatest man made threats to human society, to implement change in transportation automakers must meet eye to eye with policy makers
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Through unsustainable means of transportation congestion and oil tension will rise with no means of creating new modes of transportation
Chapter 2: Beyond the Gas-Guzzler Monoculture
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We must understand that mature industries are resistant to innovation but new forms of mobility will bust the transportation monoculture
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A better transportation system means more choices, enhancing services, lowering individual cost, and making options sustainable
Chapter 3: Detroit's Hold on Energy and Climate Policy
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The Detroit Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) were leading the opposition towards greenhouse gas standards by enlisting the the U.S. Congress and a series of U.S. Presidents, while the rise of Japanese brands (Honda and Toyota) were ​leading investments and taking risks to transform vehicle tech in response to environmental and energy concerns.
Chapter 4: In Search of Low-Carbon Fuels
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Sperling/Gordon discuss the costs and benefits of the most prominent long-term alternative fuels, such as low-carbon biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen, compared to the current investments of petroleum and internal combustion engines.
Chapter 5: Aligning Big Oil with the Public Interest
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There's oil that can be made from conventional fossil sources
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Problems:
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conventional oil being concentrated in just a few locations in the world
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Unconventional oil being abundant but causing huge environmental impacts​
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Chapter 6: The Motivated Consumer
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Three strategies dominate discussion about curbing greenhouse gas emissions and oil use
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vehicle efficiency
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low-carbon fuels
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motivating better behavior
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Consumers have the power to motivate market shifts and technological innovation
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Chapter 7: California's Pioneering Role
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The California Air Resources Board established by Governor Reagan in 1967 is responsible for much of California's progression in clean air.
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The consumer market in California is the most greenest and interested in innovative comparable to their state counterparts.
Chapter 8: Stimulating Chinese Innovation
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The Chinese government's capability of effective government intervention can greatly influcence the future of consumer interest in cars both in China and the rest of the World.
Chapter 9: Driving Toward Sustainability
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Having economic incentives towards electric/hybrid ​can influence the social behavior of consumers.
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Policies aligning with consumer and industry interest with the public and developing and advancing a broad portfolio of efficient, low-carbon technologies to transform transportation are two most important principles in overcoming our dependency on fossil fuel gas.
"Two Billion Cars is an urgent wake-up call, and like the policies we have advanced in California, it’s not just a wake-up call for the United States."
Key Figures
figure 1.1 cumulative global oil production, 1950-2030
figure 1.2 historical and projected increases in global motor vehicle population, 1950-2030
Our Reviews
Ronald Duarte
Both, Walkable Cities, and 2 Billion Cars, layout extensive evidence based cases for where we should head towards with transportation. It is great to know that there are ways we can improve the way we get around today, but it starts by changing our car centric culture. We must not resist innovative change, but embrace the different modes of transportation to pave a path to sustainability.
Melissa Sagun
After reading Walkable City and Two Billion Cars, I learned a tremendous amount of material regarding the dynamics of walkability and car culture. Both authors emphasize the need for innovative changes, which is a key factor to the success of smart transportation. Moving forward, I think we should take some ideas from the books and utilize them to create better policies and practices in the Inland Empire.
Jennifer Valle
Highly recommend the insightful works written by such intellectual authors. Both of these text do an excellent job incorporating the balance of several elements into the read which creates great learning tool for the overall general audience. I personally can say my knowledge and understanding has increased after reading these informative books and sustainability issues.
Natalie Zoma
Both of these books are great introductions to transportation. When reading Walkable City, I had a better understanding that the development of a city is heavily dependent base of role their transportation. In Two Billion Cars, I realized the need to change consumer culture starts with government intervention and building structural policy implementations.