Green Metropolis

Green Metropolis touts New York as a great environmental success story. In spite of many large structures, New Yorkers use far less energy per capita than residents of any other American city. In environmental discussions, much time and effort is spend on small programs, like LEED building standards and improving gas mileage. However, a far larger bang for the buck can be achieved simply by increasing density. The irony is that many people would love to live in these more dense cities, yet policies actively counteract these desires. Zoning regulations and car requirements make walk-ability difficult to achieve. Even attempts at "new urbanism" still keep car availability as primary focus.

This is a must read for any environmentalist. While "going back to nature" may make a person feel good, they are not doing much to help out the overall environment. Going back to the city is the true way to sustainability. Then those suburban tracts could be used for good viable farmland.

Reading this again in 2018 reminds me that things have not improved. Seattle has one of the few growing bus systems in the US. However, they have spent countless dollars to move cars a little faster on Mercer - at the expense of pedestrians. Getting "upzones" is a huge challenge. People love their single family homes. They would like to have the benefits of a city with everything close. But, they would also like easy access to cars and a large lawn. Cities are beneficial almost entirely because of the challenges. They are not easy, but it does make things better for everyone.