This 3-minute video asks the question “What’s the greatest threat to our planet?” and explains how sustainability is embedded in the way a city is built.
A city that has an urban form that is sprawled, auto-centric, low- density and is not friendly to pedestrian (very much like the typical model of a number of Indian cities ) could in fact be the elementary reason for a crisis in the future.
Think about it – Cities contribute to 80 % of the world’s GHG gases. Almost 50% of the city’s carbon footprint is owed to its transport. Urban sprawl makes public transit systems inefficient and creates auto dependent communities thus increasing reliance on fossil fuels.
There is also a study that indicates that crime rate per capita is highest in sprawl-type communities. Most people in sprawled, single-use, low-density communities hardly interact with their community and they live in isolation and need to use their car even to get a carton of milk ( Think Atlanta . or think Gurgaon or Navi Mumbai.). A citizen of a dense city on the other hand has to constantly interact with fellow citizens in public transit / public spaces and walks and uses mass-transit to run his/ her daily chores ( Think Barcelona ..Think Old Mumbai to a certain) . So a good urban form with engaging public spaces will also aid interaction among its citizens and will drive socially inclusive communities.
Urban sprawl also incessantly consumes thousands of acres of forests and farmland, woodlands, wetlands; reduces groundwater levels and destroys wildlife habitat. Studies also indicate that compact high density cities make use of half as much energy and generate half as much air-pollution per capita vis-à-vis a sprawling city. According to estimates, the resident of a high-density Dutch city produces 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution a year, compared with 20 tonnes produced by a Canadian counterpart in a standard low-density city.
Therefore, a city that is high-density, Mixed-use , walkable ,mass-transit driven is clearly the way to go to save our planet. And the exact opposite (auto-centric , low-density , sprawled communities) is the greatest threat to our planet!
“Built to Last” won the 2009 video contest hosted by The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the leading international organization promoting walkable, neighborhood-based development as an alternative to sprawl based auto centric communities.
