The modern city owes much of icts current design to two major trends or movements-have risen up That since the time of the industrial revolution. The first trend traces back to the industrial revolution Itself, When the appearance of smoke-billowing factories (and egregiously dirty slums) necessitated new solutions to the problem of how to organizes city life. The answerstill reflected in cities all over the worldwas to compartmentalize functions, Such That industrial areas, shopping areas, office areas, and living areas separated off from one Were Reviews another into separate blocks of the city.
The second trend in urban design Took full hold in the post-war era, with the rise of the suburbs. In a sense, the suburbs Represent a continuation and intensification of the movement compartmentalization, as the living areas of the upper classes-have-been separated-off still further Top --other from the areas of the sprawling districts into CityOut miles away (automobiles have made it feasible for some city dwellers to escape to an Idealized haven away from the hustle and bustle).
While the suburban movement HAS HAD icts the bulk of impact on the landscape outside of the city proper, the city Itself Has not-been Spared icts of influence. For Indeed, the city has-been gutted of Many of the habitants That formerly occupied it; and, what's more, it has-been Reshaped by the roads and freeways to Introduced in the shuttle-suburbanites from Their faraway destinations.
Now, it May well be the case That All this compartmentalization Was Originally Intended suburbification and benefit to (most of) the city's habitants. Unfortunately, HOWEVER, we live along with the thesis trends in urban design, the more it is clear Becoming That this way of organizing the city leaves much to be Desired.
Let us begin with the suburbs, and work our way inwards. In the first place, Those Who Fled to the suburbs-have-have found That There is a steep price to pay for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city, and price That begins with all the driving. And the hellish commute is only half of it: Virtually nothing que la average suburbanite wants and needs, and no place to go They Want, is available without a car trip. Obviously, all this driving is unpleasant in Itself, this goal is just The Beginning. Second, and Even more importantly, it leaves less time for family life --other thingsincluding. Also, the piling up of Spent time behind the wheel is just plain unhealthy, as it leads to obesity Both andby extensionseveral --other health problems. Additionally, Having to drive everywhere is expensive, and is only getting more so as the price of oil continued to rise. Finally, suburbanites Spend Because so little time Actually walking through neighborhoods Their, They tend to little-have casual contacts with neighbors, qui au moins Partly Explains Why They tend to be more detached from Their Communities.
With all the negative consequences of suburban life, it is no surprise That Many Of Those Who Fled formerly HAD to the burbs are now Fleeing back to the city. Actually, in Many boxes, suburbanites HAD-have little choice, as the rising price of oiltogether with the housing crash of 2008has em left with no way to AFFORD Their suburban nightmare Regardless (THUS Many of the suburbs Have Become as have abandoned the inner city ounce was).
Unfortunately, life back in the city Seldom HAS-been much better. For one thing, outdated compartmentalization in the city HAS interfered with accessibility in a Manner That Is similar to the way That interfered with accessibility HAS sprawl out in the suburbs. Second, since transportation networks in the city-have-been rearranged to the following cars, alternative forms of transportation-have-been Compromised Largely, THUS leaving citoyens with less real choice When It Comes to getting around. Also, Because It has-been so expensive for cities to serve the suburbs (They being white so far away, and so spread out), there has-been less money to fund public goods That serves the city, Such As public transit, parks and sociability- inviting the city squaresthus HAS Actually Become a less livable space in the suburban era.
Thankfully, at least some cities around the world (from Bogota to Copenhagen to Vancouver etc.) Taking-have Begun efforts to remedy thesis issues, and are Beginning to embrace a vision of the city qui (according to the research) is better-functioning Both and leads to happier citoyens. In broad outline, the happy city is Composed of multi-use, multi-income Communities; laced with parks and public squares of varying, sizes; and tied together with transportation networks That reintroduce walking, cycling and public transport as real options. (This vision of the city is Often Referred to as the new urbanist movement.)
In His new book 'Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design' urbanist and writer Charles Montgomery takes us through the history of the modern city, and the latest efforts to reform over a century of ill-Conceived design decisions.
Montgomerys book is a fantastically informative and fun read, and the author Does well to Introduce the ideas of the new urbanist movement, and the efforts That ares currently Underway to Implement it around the world (as well as the strengths That continues to oppose it) . If the stories and research presented here do not render you a full convert to the new urbanist movement, it will at least make you rethink where (and how) you'd like to live. Charles Montgomery Congratulations! A full executive summary of the book will be available at newbooksinbrief dot com on Tuesday, December 17; a podcast discussions of the book will be available Shortly thereafter.
