So fast are transformations sweeping our world forward into
the 21st century that it is difficult to imagine where will be in
five or ten years. What will life be like in 2025? With global communication available everywhere,
why do we crowd into big cities? Will scatter over hill and vale, around remote
lakes and cliffs continue?
For sure, we can expect cars to be smarter and greener. The
new question is -- should you own or share one?
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| Relics of the past? |
Killing Pedestrian
Life
From
1950-2000, it seemed right to universally assume wheeled street traffic got us everywhere.
Zoning guaranteed ample parking. Services and repairs can by vans and trucks.
Ubiquitous traffic crowded out comfortable walking. This shaped the USA into the
obese Interstate Nation we have become.
Cargo
readily switched from rail to trucking, flooding highways and streets with monster
trucks. Life centered around road trips. Getting milk required a car. Walking has
been relegated to parks and trails or protected within malls and special districts
-- especially the isle of Manhattan.
Europe
and the rest of the world are different. In many places, pedestrian flows are
thick and vibrant. But in the USA?
Podcar Futures?
Transit-Oriented
Development (TOD) is hot in transit circles these days. It means concentrating tall
buildings around transit stations. Within TOD districts, much travel will be by
walking, biking, transit and car-sharing. Parking will be provided peripherally. Taxis and carts will be easily available.
Such
visions are bubbling up in the Metropolitan Planning Organizations across the
USA. MPO officials often include TOD elements
in their programs. A few of them see
that podcars can extend the zone of influence of the transit station.
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| Elevated guideways didn't catch n in the 1970s and 1980s. Will podcars fare better? |
The
9th Podcar City conference this fall will explore how PRT and
its derivatives can serve cities, towns and special districts. What are the
economics? What implications for energy and climate? How are MPOs handling such
complexities?
PCC9
will take place in heart of Silicon Valley, November 4-6. Will local interest
be the buzz, or will it come from Greenville SC? Or will excitement be from a surprise
project in Jeddah or Istanbul? Who will lead the shift to car-free living?
Register
today. Visit www.podcarcity.org.
