RECENT THOUGHTS ON COMPACT DEVELOPMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Credit: VerticalCity.org.
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Are the words “compact”, “walkable” and “transit-oriented” becoming the key principles for future urban/community development? The answer recently seems to be positive, for both civil life and military bases.
In New York and Chicago, a city bike-sharing program has lately launched on May 28th and June 28th respectively. Supported by the Department of Transportation in both cities, the program is to provide an alternative quality and environmental friendly transportation option to their residents, businesses and guests. Similar programs can also be found in Washington D.C., Boston, L.A., Oklahoma City, etc. Such a car-free life style is obviously becoming popular in US. Meanwhile, a report showed that the Pentagon is now re-designing the vast amounts of land it controls at its bases to more compact, sustainable and livable communities. The aim is to make the most effective use of limited resources, reduce fossil fuel use and increase the use of alternative fuels, by incorporating principles of compact, transit-oriented, mixed-use infill development into their master plans and area development plans. It’s exciting to see the awareness of sustainability has been taken in many aspects of our life. Efforts are made nationally on lowering the carbon dioxide emission from vehicles, supporting alternative transportation and encouraging bicycling. Such would bring a great improvement to our living environment. Data has shown that transportation sector is the second largest contributor of US greenhouse gas emissions after the Electricity sector. According to the U.S. Environmental protection Agency (EPA), transportation accounted for 28% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2011. Similarly, the compact communities typically consume far less energy for transportation than those located in suburban developments. The per capita energy use of dense cities like New York is significantly lower than elsewhere in the country. Therefore, lessons have been learned. Compact development incorporating pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented features is indeed one of the planning strategies for sustainability. However, there are still questions remain. How compact should the ‘Compact development’ be to achieve the best balance between energy efficiency and life quality? How would it affect urban life style and what would people’s reaction be? |
“紧凑型”，“可步行”以及“公交主导型”会是当今城市建设发展的主导词吗？最近无论是在城市生活还是军事基地的发展规划方向上，似乎都给出了肯定的回答。
在美国，一种“无车环保”的生活方式正日渐兴起。今年5月及6月，一项“自行车分享”计划分别在纽约市及芝加哥正式启动。在各自城市交通部的发起及支持下，该计划为本地居民，商务活动，以及旅游者提供优质且环境友好的城市交通选项。类似项目在美国已经开始普及，在华盛顿特区，波士顿，洛杉矶以及奥克拉河马市等城市都可以找到。 与此同时，一项关于五角大楼的报告指出，他们正计划将他们遍布各地的军事基地改造成更紧凑，可持续发展以及宜居的社区。其目的是提高基地的资源利用，减少化石燃料使用，而增加新能源使用。为了达到这一目标，五角大楼在制定基地规划和改造方案时将遵循紧凑，公交主导，发展多功能社区的原则。 这些消息都在显示可持续发展的认知已经开始渗入到我们生活社会的各个层面。这令人欣慰。我们也看到美国在全国范围内为了降低碳排放而支持公共交通运输，鼓励自行车出行等低碳生活。这对我们的生存环境的改善会有非常重要的帮助。 研究显示，在全美由交通运输产生的温室气体排放量占第二位，仅次于由用电产生的废气。根据美国环境保护署（EPA）资料显示，2011年，由于交通所产生的温室气体占到了全美排放量的28%。 而另有数据表明，相对于城郊地区，城市中的紧凑型社区因交通运输消耗的能源反而要少得多。在人口稠密地区如纽约市，平均每人消耗的能源要大大少于乡镇地区。 有了前车之鉴我们便不难推敲，建设紧凑型，可步行以及公交主导型社区是符合可持续发展建设宗旨的。这当然仍有许多问题有待讨论。在提高能源利用与保证居住品质的平衡中，紧凑行发展体的“度”在哪？理想的人口密度是怎样？这类型城市社区建设对人们的生活方式有何影响？而人们的接受度又如何？ |
This article was archived on December 18, 2015.