Urban Planners Can Help Save the Planet
Ok, well maybe not save the planet, but how they plan cities will certainly combat climate change, which just might buy us some time…
So, we here at Bike Pittsburgh just caught wind of this report (hey give us a break, there’s only two of us), but in September the Urban Land Institute published a book called Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. The research in the report clearly shows that technology alone (clean fuels and fuel efficient cars) won’t reduce the CO2 from cars and light trucks enough to achieve climate stabilization given the constant increase in vehicle miles traveled. In order to get to where we need to be, people also need to drive less. However, given that many of our communities were designed to only accommodate cars, driving less is not an option. This book details how important it is that we invest in compact developments (walkable/bikeable/transit-oriented) and soon.
