The world is becoming a denser place. Not only is the global population growing, but the population is concentrating itself in bigger and denser cities. 1 in 5 people today live in a city with over 1 million people, predicted to rise to 1 in 3 by 2030. In the United States today, 3 in 4 live in a city.
And if humans are going to continue living on this planet, that density is probably a good thing. As Oscar Boyson summarizes in his discussion-starter video The Future of Cities,
"When density is done right, it's the best if not the only solution to our growing climate crisis."
-Oscar Boyson
So how do we build dense urban centers in a sustainable way, while also maintaining or even improving quality of life for those who live there? There are plenty of problem areas to focus on, like education, employment, or renewable energy, but the two issues I'm hoping to examine first in this blog are transportation and housing. Here are some pithy thoughts of mine to start with:
Transportation
Biking is super fun. Cars killed the city (everyone hates walking under a freeway). Biking and walking make people healthier. Public transportation evens the playing field. A University of Waterloo Study (among others) finds a direct link between commute time and overall satisfaction in life. Not to mention the environmental benefits of limiting car use, and the decreased wear and tear on infrastructure.
Lastly, car traffic just sucks. (And more roads don't fix the problem.)
Housing
Affordability. Gentrification. Displacement. Homelessness. Loss of green-space. Eviction. Rent control. NIMBY, YIMBY, PHIMBY?? How do we increase residential density without destroying existing communities? Some solutions I do like the sound of: mixed-use development, residential infill, eliminating parking requirements.
Overall, my goal here is primarily to educate myself on these topics, and hopefully make those learnings accessible to anyone else who wants to follow along. I'll begin with the articles and media that have gotten me interested over the past few years, and then branch out into new material, maybe eventually even doing some of my own data analysis 😮 Cities are the future. Let's do them right.
