By Corey Foster, February 28, 2014
In his book, “Overcoming Automobile Dependence”, environmental scientist Peter Newman makes a very interesting point. He points out
that developed economies; especially countries like the United States,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand have developed a kind of “addiction”
to the use of automobiles to commute. This has given rise to an increase
in the number of cars on road today. The call for wider roads and an
infrastructure that can support faster travel has meant there is a
gradual shift towards roads that do not have impediments like
pedestrians and cyclists.
Newman calls for
drastic changes to the urban living systems and a smarter growth
methodology to beat autombile dependence. This does not necessarily
imply a move from cars to bicycles. The urban landscape today is vastly
different from what it was a hundred years back. People have a genuine
reason to travel several miles every single day that a bicycle or
pedestrian driven landscape is no longer realistic.
In
some parts of the world, there is a sustained emphasis on using
fuel-friendly cars. One of the biggest polluters of the world is the
United States where the use of gas guzzling large cars carrying a sole
passenger is not uncommon. Today, there is a movement to
encourage car pooling and the use of public transport for commute by
several state governments in North America. According to the United
States Environmental Protection Agency, the country could save close to
800 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year for every worker who
avoids the car once a week. Similarly, an average car can save close to
1000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year simply by having a fuel
efficiency that is 1 mpg better.
These
environmental considerations are also a reason why electric cars are
now increasing in popularity. Electric cars in general are known to
deliver a vastly higher mileage (nearly 6.7 times higher)
compared to gasoline-driven vehicles. Electric vehicles could also save
as much as 75000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year compared to fuel
driven cars of the same size.
Besides emphasis on
electric driven vehicles and public transportation systems, a
sustainable city also needs to accomodate living spaces that are green.
New York City is one of the best examples for this. Despite being one of
the most populated cities of the modern world, the NYC is still home to
more than 28,000 acres of park land. More than 82% of Manhattan residents do not use cars
for commuting to work. Sustainable living is a broad concept that
extends right from sustainable transportation to green buildings,
sustainable accomodations and sophisticated recycling of waste.