The Agile City - Local Ties versus Global Reach
The ambition to travel further and faster has often been held up as a virtue. Not so long ago, there was enthusiasm for the idea that Jet Packs and Flying Cars could represent the future of urban transport. And it wasn't only ambitious architects who were keen to use new technologies. There was widespread public support for the project of improving mobility. These days the outlook on travel is less clear cut. We seem less likely to dream about flying cars, than to express concerns about flying and cars. At a time when local accessibility rather than metropolitan mobility excites policymakers, fast citywide, regional or global connections seem less of a priority than measures to promote cycling and walking(1). Some urban designers advocate car free environments(2).
So how should we view mobility in the post-crash age? It has been argued 'hypermobility'(3) undermines communities and fouls the planet. So is this a good time to think about slowing down and staying put? Are localised urban densities the way to create hyper-efficient social interactions?
Some claim that the dream of the global network will be realised electronically and in the future we will shop and work in electronic cottages. But does this represent a positive desire for remote connection? Or might it result from anxiety over face to face interactions?
Expanding one's geographical range has often been associated with the positive ambition to broaden one's horizons. So is the new maxim of living more simply and more locally likely to prove inspirational enough to city dwellers? Policies that seek to reduce travel through congestion charges and intelligent infrastructure are often viewed as technically ambitious. But how do they rate in terms of social aspiration? For those who are keen to increase their range, what is the best way of arguing for better mobility? Should better infrastructure be linked to securing economic advantage? Or do the social benefits of mobility make it worth defending purely on its own terms?
Speakers
John Adams - Emeritus Professor of Geography at University College London.
Joseph Simpson - The Movement Design Bureau.
Timandra Harkness – Journalist, scriptwriter, Fellow of the RSA.
Steve Melia – Senior Lecturer, University of West of England , founder member Car Free UK.
Chair
Austin Williams – Director, Future Cities Project.
Read on……
Social Consequences of Hypermobility (pdf) – Prof John Adams (21 November 2001)
On Roads: A Hidden History - Joe Moran Profile Books (11 Jun 2009)
On the Road to Sustainability: Transport and Car Free Living in Freiburg – Steve Melia (2006)
Mobility and Space – Prof Marical Echenique in Cities for the New Millennium Eds Marcial Echenique and Andrew Saint Routledge (16 Aug 2001)
Enemies of Progress: Dangers of Sustainability Societas Austin Williams (1 May 2008)
Digital Cities: the transport of tomorrow is already here – Joe Simpson
2. The German town of Freiburg is often cited as a model to follow. See for example In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars (New York Times)
3. John Adams Social Consequences of Hypermobility RSA Lecture