Building Cities for People, not Cars

European cities are so much more compact than North American cities. England, despite its enormous population, still has green areas. In northern France, cities like Lille and Amiens had pedestrianized downtown shopping areas with parking lots around the periphery. People shop and work and walk their children to school in downtown Cordoba. In contrast, most North American cities sprawl for miles in every direction, and you need a car to go almost anywhere.

So I really enjoyed this 3-minute video, which was the winning entry in the 2009 Congress for the New Urbanism video contest. It’s fun and positive and does a great job of promoting the idea that the greatest threat to our planet is not aliens or nuclear warfare – it’s cul de sacs and urban sprawl.

(courtesy of Presentation Zen)


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