#notjustbikes

One of the reasons that carbon emissions in North America are so massive is that cities here have been engineered to encourage the use of carbon-emitting vehicles.

This cap from the vid says a lot. Over 45% of all vehicle trips in the US are for distances just 3 miles (4.82 km) or less.

Good public transit and non-motor vehicle options must play a major role in urban planning. Sidewalks are necessary wherever pedestrians need them.

Better urban planning must be part of the mix when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. While low emission vehicles are wonderful, living someplace where you wouldn’t need any vehicle is even better. Even low emission cars require space for streets and parking lots which would be put to better use as recreational and nature-friendly areas featuring carbon reducing trees.

The Canadian-Dutch YouTube user NotJustBikes uses Houston as an example of what’s wrong with the way American cities are designed.

He tells how a walk from his hotel in a Houston suburb to a luggage shop 800 meters (just under half a mile) away turned into a life-threatening pedestrian nightmare.

In all fairness, the Houston area is certainly not the only place in the US designed so dreadfully. But this was a rather traumatic experience which demonstrated how deep-seated the problem is.

Good urban planning doesn’t only reduce emissions, it makes cities safer and improves the general quality of life for residents. The only problem is that planning and implementation of reforms can take years. Lobbyists for fossil fuel companies, road construction companies, and condo developers have deep pockets for campaign contributions and lots of patience to wear out opponents.

To bring about change it’s necessary to take more interest in local government. The local city council and zoning board should become areas of interest.

If you’re in college or soon starting college, consider taking an Introduction to Urban Planning class. If nothing else, it will teach you the sort of language you need to know to communicate more effectively with the people making planning decisions in your city.

Perhaps the best quotation from this vid comes almost halfway through it.

One of the things that really upset me is that the desolate asphalt covered cities I'd visited in the US and Canada weren't always this way. I was told that these cities were like this because they were designed for the car. That's not true. They weren't designed for the car, they were bulldozed for the car.

Is this going to be one of those years when a lot of celebrities kick the bucket in car accidents?

Or just bunches of stupid stuff happening with cars?

Asking for a friend...