Designing Transit and Walkable Cities
Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael ZisReducing transportation emissions isn’t only about adopting electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. Designing cities for alternative modes of transport is also key.Learn more at www.oerproject.com
2Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael ZisDo you have your driver’s license yet? Your answer may depend on where you live. In some parts of the world, most people don’t drive. In others, getting a driver’s license is almost a rite of passage. Wherever you are, though, have you ever asked an adult who drives how they felt when they got their first driver’s license? They’ll probably tell you they saw it as their ticket to freedom and adulthood. You see, most modern cities were designed for cars. That’s especially true in the United States, but not just there. That’s why it’s often easier, faster, and sometimes even cheaper to drive than to take public transit to get around. In his book The Automobile Shapes the City, Dr. Martin Melosi, director of the Center for Public History at the University of Houston, explains, “It is estimated that as much as one half of a modern American city’s land area is dedicated to streets and roads, parking lots, service stations, driveways, signals and traffic signs, automobile-oriented businesses, car dealerships, and more.” Through public policy and urban planning, we’ve designed our cities with cars in mind. That helps explain why Americans drive so much. It’s also partly why the United States’ largest source of carbon emissions is its transportation sector, and not energy or industry as it is in other parts of the world. Still, to get to net zero, we’ll all need to drive fewer gas-fueled cars—no matter where we live.We already know that this goal requires us to move from gas-fueled cars to electric- and alternative-fuel-powered cars. But a complementary strategy is to design cities to become more walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly. Highways connect our cities and suburbs and towns. Los Angeles, pictured above, is particularly known for its many highways and horrible traffic. © Getty Images.
3Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael ZisLeading solutions in city designDensity is a big part of any potential solution.Urban density refers to the number of people living in a given area. Since 1960, the US Census defines a dense urban area as having at least 1,000 people per square mile. This doesn’t mean people living in skyscrapers. It usually means people living in two- to four-family townhouses, small condominiums buildings, or single-family houses close together. In denser neighborhoods, people tend to live in smaller areas and drive less. They tend to live closer to their jobs, stores, hospitals, parks, and other activities than do people in other communities. They’re also more likely to live in smaller homes that require less energy to heat and cool. In fact, studies show that households in denser neighborhoods close to city centers generate, on average, two- to three-times less greenhouse gases than other households.Bringing people and businesses closer together has other benefits as well. Experts say it boosts productivity and innovation, which, in turn, helps local economies grow. That’s how density both lowers emissions and improves peoples’ lives. Many cities around the world have rapid transit, like the London Underground pictured above, as part of their public transit system. © Getty Images. While building for density is easier in city centers, some farther-out suburbs are embracing it too. For example, Tysons, Virginia, is an “edge city”—it’s about 13 miles from downtown Washington, DC. For years, it struggled with car congestion and had no urban center. But Tyson’s leaders reimagined it as a place with “people at sidewalk cafés, walking or jogging down tree-lined boulevards, enjoying public art, and playing in parks.” So, in 2008, Tysons
4Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael Ziscreated a plan to encourage more mixed-use development near four new DC transit stations and a walkable street grid near green spaces. It was a success. The city grew 40% between 2010 and 2018, three times the regional average, and now has a thriving nightlife and shopping district.Urban planners in cities like Tysons also use other design strategies to lower emissions and improve the quality of life. One such strategy is to expand access to public transit for all. Public transit includes buses, rapid transit (subways), and light rail (surface trains). Low-income residents often rely on public transit because owning a car is so expensive. Expanding access for all means building more stations and transit lines. It also means creating more-affordable, faster, and more-timely service. That increases overall access to jobs, healthy food options, and much more. Expanding access also increases transit ridership, overall. When ridership for buses and rail is up, it’s easier to justify public funding for it.Electrifying bus fleets would also help reduce carbon emissions, especially if the electricity comes from zero-carbon sources. But even buses that don’t use zero-carbon source electricity are more fuel-efficient than cars. That’s because they require less energy to move the same number of people. We could also design spaces to incentivize more people to get around by foot, bike, or scooter. Of course, biking or riding a scooter isn’t for everyone. It’s important, therefore, to build for multimodality. This means allowing people to use different modes of transport, one alongside the other. For example, urban planners can encourage cycling by creating networks of dedicated bike lanes and more bike parking. They can encourage people to walk more by making streets safer through better lighting and frequent crosswalks.Designated bike paths are one way to encourage bike use and make cycling safer. © Getty Images.Some planners have brought these design practices together in the Complete Streets movement. Complete Streets are streets that prioritize safety, comfort, and access for pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists, and motorists of all
5Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael Zisages. They vary by context. But a Complete Street might include sidewalks, bike lanes, sheltered bus stops, and roundabouts. To date, more than 1,140 US agencies at the local, regional, and national level have adopted Complete Streets policies. That includes Saint Paul, Minnesota, which the US Department of Transportation cited as an innovative Compact Streets policy leader.Finally, expanding passenger rail systems between cities would also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Rail transport is the most electrified transport sector. High-speed trains run on electricity, and three fourths of rail passenger trains rely on electricity worldwide. Of course, it matters whether that electricity comes from coal-burning plants or emissions-free wind, solar, and nuclear plants. But because most trains are electric, they areuniquely positioned to take advantage of the rise of renewables in the energy mix. Also, even passenger trains that run on fossil fuels are far more fuel efficient than cars and planes as modes of travel. And they help to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution too.ChallengesWe certainly have a lot of tools for encouraging low- or zero-carbon modes of travel. However, encouraging their adoption is going to be a challenge. Here are some of the obstacles we need to overcome.First, many of these solutions are context-dependent. That means different neighborhoods and communities have different needs. Each city’s unique history, pattern of growth, primary industries, and culture should be considered when we’re improving transit and other mode options. Still, you might be surprised by the broad geographic appeal of bikeable and walkable mixed-use places. For example, included in the 10 US cities where bike commuting is growing fastest are these urban areas: Boise, Idaho; Wichita, Kansas; Atlanta, Georgia; and the motor city itself, Detroit, Michigan.Another challenge is cost. Expanding public transit and redesigning cities are big tasks and cost money. In some communities, it’s cheaper to find and build housing in sprawling higher-emissions communities than in denser lower-emissions ones. So, people and leaders will need to be convinced that these low-carbon urban design practices are worthwhile. It will require strong political will and great financial investment. Despite the challenges, policymakers and planners recognize the demand for more-livable cities tied to local climate goals. What you can doNow you know a bit about how we can design better, more-sustainable cities where the inhabitants are less-dependent on cars to get around.You can help in a few different ways. For example, you could ask your city to submit a proposal for the new $85 million federal “Yes in My Backyard” grant program. These grants are designed to support denser building, especially close to transportation systems like train and bus links. They also encourage cities to eliminate regulatory barriers for building two- to four-family townhouses and small-scale apartment buildings. You could also ask your local officials to support bike-share programs or safer bike lanes. You might even urge them to adopt a transit-first policy that prioritizes public transit over cars in local plans. If designing transit-oriented and walkable cities sounds interesting to you, you could pursue a career with that as a focus. As a city planner, you could help design pedestrian-friendly streets and green corridors that encourage more people to walk. Or you could become a transportation engineer and work with city planners to study how and where to place new bus lines.
6Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael ZisCity climate planners and architects can help promote sustainable development by keeping local climate goals in mind. © Getty Images. City design is an important part of any strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We can ask people to bus, bike, or walk more, but unless we build our cities to make it easier and more convenient to do so, people won’t make the switch. How can you help to plan your community for a better transportation future?
7Designing Transit and Walkable CitiesBy Michael ZisMichael ZisMichael Zis taught at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN from 2003 to 2022, lecturing in both the Political Science and Environmental Studies Departments and representing Macalester at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland. Credit: “Designing Transit and Walkable Cities”, By Michael Zis / OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/Image credits This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0 except for the following: Image creditsCover image: At the intersections of Avendia Jimenez and Carrera Septima, red Transmilenio buses pull into the Museum of Gold station in front of the16th century Iglesia de San Francisco, Bogota’s oldest restored church. © John Coletti / The Image Bank / Getty Images.Highways connect our cities and suburbs and towns. Los Angeles, pictured above, is particularly known for its many highways and horrible traffic. © Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times/ Getty Images.Many cities around the world have rapid transit, like the London Underground pictured above, as part of their public transit system. © Travelpix Ltd / Stone / Getty Images. Designated bike paths are one way to encourage bike use and make cycling safer. © David Papazian / The Image Bank / Getty Images. City climate planners and architects can help promote sustainable development by keeping local climate goals in mind. © Resolution Productions Getty Images.OER Project aims to empower teachers by offering free and fully supported history courses for middle- and high-school students. Your account is the key to accessing our standards-aligned courses that are designed with built-in supports like leveled readings, audio recordings of texts, video transcripts, and more. Offerings include a variety of materials, from full-year, standards-based courses to shorter course extensions, all of which build upon foundational historical thinking skills in preparation for AP, college, and beyond. To learn more about The OER Project, visit www.oerproject.com