7 principles for building better cities | Peter Calthorpe

Roads instead of a single end provide many types of streets instead of just one type. Mobility. We have to invest more in public transportation. There is no magic solution. Autonomous vehicles will not give us the solution. In fact, it will increase flight miles and congestion more than the available alternatives. Finally, focus. We have a hierarchical urban system based on public transportation rather than highways. It's a big paradigm shift, but these two things must be reconnected through means that evolve the shape of the city. So I have hope. In California, the United States and China these changes are well accepted.

I am optimistic for two reasons. First, most people already know this. They fundamentally understand what a great city should be like. The second is that this type of analysis that we can apply now allows people to understand and connect the dots, and allows them to form political alliances that did not exist in the past. Which allows them to create the types of societies we all need. Thank you all. (Applause) Chris Anderson: Well, a lot of people here are excited about self-driving cars. What are your concerns about her? Peter Calthorpe: Well, I think there's a lot of confusion about that.

First, everyone says we are going to get rid of a lot of cars. What they don't say is that we will travel many kilometers away. You will find many cars moving on the streets. There will be more crowding. Chris: Because it's so attractive... you'll be able to sleep or read while you drive. Peter: Well, there are these reasons. First: if they were private cars, people would travel greater distances. It will be a new reason for random crawling. If you can work while commuting, then you can live far away. This will revitalize urban sprawl in a way that scares me.

Taxis: About 50 percent of surveys say people won't share rides, and if they don't, we'll see about a 90 percent increase in miles. traveled. If you travel together, there will still be a 30 percent increase in the number of distances traveled. Chris: Does your participation mean that several people travel at the same time on one of the smart shared transport modes? Peter: Yeah, like carpooling without a steering wheel, like Uber. In fact, the effectiveness of vehicles depends on the presence or absence of a steering wheel, it doesn't matter. They claim that they will be the only ones with efficient electric cars, but that is not true.

But in fact,

cities

and communities thrive on foot, bike, and public transportation. Putting people in their own bubbles, whether they have a wheel or not, is the wrong direction. And honestly, the image of a self-driving car on its way to McDonald's to pick up an order without its owner present, just sending these vehicles on these kinds of random errands really terrifies me. Chris: Well, thank you for that and I have to say that the photographs you showed of the mixed-use streets are really inspiring and beautiful. Peter: Thank you Chris: Thank you for your efforts. (applause)