while doing some email housecleaning, this piece has induced me to share with
you all some language i came up with recently for a mediated local air quality
policy discussion.
1. We need regional transportation policies whose goal is access rather
than mobility. People don't really need to be able to drive to the store
or to a mall. Disabled people don't need to be able to ride the bus to any
and all destinations. What people really need is to have access to
standard goods and services (such as food, clothing, medicine) and to
private and public workplaces. There are many possible ways of achieving
access, and mobility is only one of them.
2. We need regional planning policies that support neighborhoods that are
older or more fragile by promoting infill development rather than more
sprawl on the periphery. Development on open or agricultural land should
be required to pay for all its own additional infrastructure. In addition,
each increase to the physical size of a system increases the overall
complexity required to maintain it. This 'efficiency surtax' should be
explicitly discussed.
3. We need regional economic development policies that support sharing as
a way to achieve affordability. Public transit is the most well-known
approach here. Another example are car clubs, a new idea where people can
have access to one of a small fleet when they need one so fewer cars are
needed overall. Another example is road-sharing. Adroit education of all
users (trucks, cars, bikes, skateboards, pedestrians, etc.) can reduce
friction among those who share roads and sidewalks, by helping them
understand others' constraints and perspectives.
4. We need regional public and private security policies that counteract
the alienating effects of isolating ourselves in our cars and of watching
TV news where violent crimes are disproportionately reported. We need to
collectively take responsibility for reweaving the social fabric where it
has been torn by competition and workaholism, so that we feel safe letting
our kids walk or ride their bikes to school and play.
muriel
Geoff Vigar wrote:
> Excuse the blatant trumpet blowing but some list members may be interested
> in the following book which is particularly suitable for undergraduate and
> postgraduate modules connected with transport planning, spatial planning and
> environmental politics. It was published last month by Spon Press. Available
> from Amazon and all the usual sources.
>
> Vigar, Geoff, 2001, 'The Politics of Mobility: transport, the environment
> and public policy', Spon: London. Paperback: ISBN 0-415-25917-7, £19.99:
> H/back: ISBN:0-415-25916-9, £65.
>
> 'Ever increasing mobility for many in western society has focused attention
> on transport's role in the social order and provided a major contemporary
> challenge to improving and maintaining urban quality of life. However, the
> implementation of new approaches to deal with this issue has proved deeply
> problematic as varying combinations of circumstances create an acutely
> contested policy terrain. 'The Politics of Mobility' utilises practice case
> studies and a theoretical framework derived from social and policy sciences
> to shed light on the realpolitik of one of western society's key
> contemporary challenges and to suggest practical ways of addressing it'.
>
> Dr Geoff Vigar
> Centre for Research on European Urban Environments
> School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
> University of Newcastle
> Claremont Tower, Newcastle NE1 7RU
> Tel: +44 (0)191 222 8338 Fax: +44 (0)191 222 8811
> EMail: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.apl.ncl.ac.uk
--
The political-economic challenge facing California is real.
Every Californian needs to contact their elected representatives
to solve this problem.
Any resemblance of any of the above opinions to anybody's official position is
completely coincidental.
******************************************************************
The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian
needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For
a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy
cost, see our web site at http://www.arb.ca.gov
Muriel Strand, P.E.
Air Resources Engineer
CA Air Resources Board
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-324-9661
916-327-0640 (fax)
www.arb.ca.gov
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