Urban Designer Answers More City Planning Questions | Tech Support | WIRED

City Planning Support Rd. 2 0s

• Alexandros Washburn is a former Chief Urban Designer of New York City. 0s
• He is answering questions from the internet in this segment. 4s
• The segment is titled "City Planning Support" and is hosted by Mary Morris Marti. 5s

How to accommodate electric bikes in cities 15s

• Electric bikes merit their own on-street travel lanes due to their speed and weight, which differentiates them from pedal bicycles 16s.
• Electric bikes are the fastest-growing form of transportation, but their speed and weight also pose a risk to pedestrians, necessitating a separate accommodation 25s.
• A potential solution could be a third level of infrastructure, separate from pedestrian and bike lanes, to allow electric bikes to move at their desired speed 39s.
• Another idea is to create a miniature interstate system with ramps and flyovers, similar to those used for cars, but on a smaller scale for electric bikes 43s.
• The integration of electric bikes into city infrastructure requires thinking outside the box and exploring innovative solutions to stitch the city back together 1m0s.
• The question of how to accommodate electric bikes in cities is raised by Patrick Troger, prompting a discussion on potential solutions 1m2s.

Gentrification 1m5s

• Gentrification is the process in a city where existing residents are displaced by wealthier individuals moving into their neighborhood, a phenomenon that has been occurring for as long as people have lived in cities 1m5s.
• Typically, renters are the ones who get displaced, while homeowners either stay and enjoy the improved neighborhood or sell their property for a profit 1m20s.
• To mitigate the displacement aspect of gentrification, it's essential to build more housing, which often requires increased density, a concept that many people are initially hesitant about 1m46s.
• However, if done correctly, density can be beneficial, as seen in cities like Singapore, where old and new buildings are integrated to maintain street life and promote diversity 1m52s.
• The ideal solution to gentrification involves creating cities with diverse populations, where people of all economic backgrounds can coexist in the same neighborhood 2m9s.
• According to Aaron Lubeck, more than 75% of every city has not solved the gentrification problem, making it a challenging issue to address 2m26s.

Living in the sprawl 2m29s

• A significant portion of urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture programs should focus on sprawl repair, as most people live in suburban sprawl, with the ideal goal of transforming it into the 15-minute city concept, similar to what is seen in Paris 2m29s.
• Sprawl is defined as expansion without thought, and changing this requires retrofitting car-centric environments to make them economically viable and functional, while also incorporating mixed-use spaces 2m42s.
• Old, disused malls can be repurposed into mixed-use areas, featuring housing, streets, and other amenities, as seen in some newer developments, such as the Esplanad at Aventura in Miami 3m0s.
• The Esplanad at Aventura in Miami is an example of a brand-new, pretend street created within a shopping mall, designed to be a pleasant walking space, rather than a functional street for transportation 3m13s.
• However, even in well-designed spaces like the Esplanad, issues such as excessive music from individual stores can detract from the overall experience 3m31s.
• Addressing urban sprawl may also involve finding solutions to related problems, such as excessive noise pollution from music in public spaces 3m35s.

Can urban planning reduce crime? 3m43s

• Urban planning can neither reduce nor prevent crime, as it has been attempted numerous times in the past 3m44s.
• A past approach to preventing urban crime involved removing columns from buildings and replacing them with overhangs to prevent individuals from hiding behind the columns 3m50s.
• Architecture is not considered the cause or solution to urban crime 4m2s.

Booooring 4m8s

• The Boring Company's idea of building single-lane tunnels to solve traffic issues sounds like a money-laundering scheme, as it doesn't seem to be an effective solution to the problem 4m8s.
• The company's tunnels are designed to transport people rapidly from point to point, but this approach is seen as cheating in urban design because it only connects two points, similar to a subway train 4m14s.
• There is speculation that the Boring Company is preparing for a future form of rapid transit, which could be self-driving car trains that combine the speed of electric trains with the ease of cars 4m27s.
• These self-driving car trains would allow users to type in their destination, merge with other cars, and travel quickly along a route before splitting off to reach individual destinations 4m33s.
• This concept combines the speed of electric trains with the convenience of cars, offering a potential future solution for rapid transit 4m48s.

Trees 4m58s

• Trees are considered one of the greatest things that can happen to a city, as every tree provides oxygen for between two and five people 4m59s.
• A tree-lined street can be 10° cooler than a street without trees, making trees wonderful natural machines that improve every aspect of city living 5m9s.
• Trees can be thought of as natural machines that make every aspect of living in a city better, providing benefits such as shade and oxygen 5m15s.
• There are examples of city planning that did not use trees, such as in 18th century Nordic cities, which featured well-planned architecture but lacked trees in the streets 5m25s.
• The lack of trees in these cities can be attributed to the fact that 95% of the population lived in rural areas at the time, and it wasn't until cities grew that the importance of trees was realized 5m36s.
• Cities such as London and New York have since incorporated trees into their planning, with London seeing a significant increase in tree planting over the past 40 years 5m44s.

If you build it will they come? 5m51s

• Most cities took centuries to build, and it is rare for a city to be built before people start living there in a particular manner 5m51s.
• China has attempted to build cities before they are populated, resulting in the creation of "ghost cities," which has led to a collapse in the country's real estate industry 5m58s.
• China experienced the greatest urbanization spurt the world has ever seen over the last generation, which may have led to an overshoot in city development 6m2s.
• The fundamental answer to whether a city can be built in anticipation of its citizens is no, as citizens play a crucial role in building and shaping a city 6m13s.
• Cities are not static entities, but rather living organisms that change and grow over time, with the best cities being shaped by the people who want to make them better 6m30s.
• The growth and development of a city are often driven by the vision and efforts of its citizens, who work to make their city a better place 6m38s.

The future of public transportation 6m42s

• The distinction between public transportation, such as a public train, and private transportation, like a private car, is expected to change in the future 6m43s.
• Cars will likely be shared, come in different forms, and be smaller, with a focus on self-parking rather than self-driving capabilities 6m54s.
• The immediate future of transportation may involve self-driving cars that can park themselves, allowing users to enjoy their destination without worrying about parking 7m1s.
• This shift in transportation technology could significantly impact urban spatial planning, as the need to build parking spaces near popular destinations may be reduced 7m15s.
• The reduced need for parking could allow for more efficient use of space in cities, as cars would be able to park themselves in designated areas 7m20s.
• The Big Dig, a major infrastructure project, is considered worth it 20 years on 7m24s.

The Big Dig was a Big Dub 7m25s

• The Big Dig was a successful urban planning project in Boston that involved putting a highway underground in a tunnel to reduce the negative impact on neighborhoods 7m27s.
• The city of Boston was originally planned in the 17th century, but in the 20th century, transportation planners built giant highways and interstates that cut across the city and disrupted its neighborhoods 7m33s.
• The idea for the Big Dig emerged in the later part of the 20th century, with the goal of taking the highway that was cutting Boston in two and putting it underground 7m46s.
• The Big Dig has been successful in reducing the negative impact of the highway on the city, and has allowed for the creation of new parks, streets, and urban growth in the area 8m2s.
• The project has also enabled the city to heal and repair the damage caused by the original highway, turning what was once a scar into a positive feature of the city 8m11s.
• The success of the Big Dig suggests that similar projects could be beneficial in other cities 8m19s.

Sustainable cities 8m24s

• A sustainable city is about survival, and its concept is viewed through the lens of the risk equation, which is the multiplication of probability and consequences, to assess the likelihood and potential impact of adverse events on the city 8m33s.
• The risk equation considers two main factors: the probability of something bad happening to the city and the consequences of such an event, including the extent of the city that would be affected 8m38s.
• A sustainable city must be a resilient city, capable of surviving before it can thrive, particularly in the face of increasing weather events hitting cities worldwide 8m52s.

Why do taxpayers subsidize stadiums? 8m59s

• Taxpayers subsidize stadiums to increase business in a city, which in turn increases taxes, by attracting large crowds and generating growth in the surrounding area 9m4s.
• A stadium can be an effective investment if it is located in a downtown area that needs an upgrade, allowing it to attract 20-30,000 people 200 nights a year and stimulate local economic growth 9m14s.
• The success of a stadium as an investment depends on its location, with downtown areas being more beneficial than isolated locations surrounded by large parking lots 9m50s.
• A stadium's potential for economic growth is maximized when it is situated in a neighborhood where people can build shops and restaurants, rather than being isolated 9m38s.
• The number of days a stadium is used per year also affects its value as an investment, with stadiums used frequently being more beneficial than those used only a few times a year 9m32s.
• Cities should carefully consider the location and potential economic impact of a stadium before investing taxpayer money in its construction 9m52s.
• Washington DC is cited as an example of a city that successfully used a stadium to revitalize its downtown area and stimulate economic growth 9m25s.

Hyperloop/Maglev 9m59s

• The concept of the Hyperloop is not new, but rather the current incarnation of magnetic levitation transportation, also known as Maglev. 10m2s
• A Hyperloop is a train that travels in a vacuum tube on a magnetic cushion, but its long-term viability is uncertain. 10m9s
• Magnetic levitation can achieve high speeds with smooth rides and low energy consumption per person. 10m24s
• The only functioning Maglev system is in Shanghai, connecting the airport to a downtown subway stop, reaching speeds of 300 km/h with minimal perceived motion. 10m35s
• The combination of local stopping ability and high speeds makes Maglev a powerful tool for linking cities together. 10m52s

Concrete was a poor choice 11m2s

• Many rivers worldwide have been lined with concrete for flood control, but this approach has been criticized as a poor choice 11m3s.
• The idea of using concrete for flood control is a legacy of the 1950s "orgy of hard engineering" that prioritized hard infrastructure over more natural and sustainable solutions 11m17s.
• A project is underway to transform one such river into a more park-like corridor, which is seen as a positive development 11m24s.
• Unfortunately, the design of this river, which features a concrete lining, has been replicated in many other cities around the world, including Athens, Greece, where the Ilissos River was turned into a concrete ditch 11m31s.
• In Athens, a highway was also built on top of the Ilissos River, further degrading the area 11m42s.
• A more effective approach to flood control is to leave room for the water to flood, as seen in the concept of a "sponge city" in China, where parks and green spaces are designed to absorb and manage floodwaters 11m52s.
• This approach is also being explored in Brazil, where recent floods have prompted the development of innovative solutions for managing floodwaters and creating parks that can temporarily flood 11m56s.
• Parks can play a crucial role in flood control by providing a safe space for water to flood, and then draining back down, making them a valuable component of urban design 12m2s.
• Rather than lining rivers with concrete, cities should prioritize creating park systems that can both manage floodwaters and provide recreational spaces for residents 12m11s.

Windmills on every building 12m23s

• Buildings cannot effectively utilize wind gauges or spinning road signs as windmills to generate power, but a combination of these and solar power could be considered 12m23s.
• The idea of using windmills or turbines on top of buildings to generate power was explored, with the goal of changing zoning restrictions and regulations to promote buildings generating their own power 12m35s.
• The concept of urban turbines was investigated, but public outreach revealed that the main issue with placing spinning windmills on top of buildings is the noise they produce, resulting in squeaky sounds 12m51s.
• As a result, there was limited enthusiasm for windmills at the scale of individual buildings 13m0s.

Superblocks/Tartan Grid 13m8s

• Barcelona has implemented "super blocks" where streets are combined to reduce division between blocks, and some streets are turned into housing with bike lanes and pedestrian access 13m9s.
• The concept of "super blocks" in Barcelona is an example of innovative urbanism, where the city has decided to bring blocks together to reduce street divisions 13m22s.
• An alternative idea is the "Tartan grid," a grid system where each street has a different mix of car lanes, bike lanes, and pedestrian paths, similar to the plaid pattern on Scottish kilts 13m42s.
• In the Tartan grid system, one street might have narrow car lanes and large bike lanes and pedestrian paths, while the next street over has a different mix, such as a lane for electric bikes 13m54s.
• The Tartan grid system would allow for different transportation balances, giving users a choice of experience while still benefiting from the network of a grid system 14m15s.
• The benefits of the Tartan grid system include allowing truck drivers to use car-friendly streets, bicyclists to use bike-friendly streets, and pedestrians to use pedestrian-friendly streets, all while generally going to the same place 14m19s.

Looks familiar! 14m40s

• Many countries have buildings that look similar, but this is not due to hiring the same designer, engineer, or architect, as they often follow the same code, known as the International Building Code 14m47s.
• The International Building Code forces buildings to have a similar design, with one example being a code provision that states operable windows are not necessary in commercial or office buildings 14m55s.
• This code provision has led to the widespread construction of glass towers, which is part of a long-standing movement that began with the modernists in the 1920s to impose a single way of building everywhere 15m7s.
• This movement is not favored, as it is believed that places should look different and reflect their unique character, especially as new buildings are constructed and the area grows 15m12s.
• To achieve this, it is necessary to examine and potentially modify the existing codes, rather than simply hiring a new architect 15m25s.

Can a city reach capacity? 15m31s

• A metropolitan city reaching a reasonable capacity can be considered an acceptable thing, a question that humanity has been trying to answer since the beginning of civilization 15m38s.
• Historical examples of large cities include Rome, which had a population of one million people and still wanted to grow, and Tokyo, which is currently the world's largest city with 30 million people 15m47s.
• Despite the large sizes of cities like Tokyo, there may be limits to a city's growth, but these limits are more related to the neighborhood scale rather than the city scale 15m54s.
• The key to creating a great city is determining the largest size that a neighborhood can be while remaining viable and pleasant, and then combining these neighborhoods effectively 16m6s.
• The concept of a city's capacity is also related to how neighborhoods can be "stitched" together to form a cohesive and functional urban environment 16m10s.

Favelas 16m14s

• Favelas are areas, such as those found in Brazil, that are haphazardly built and not fully integrated into the city, but they are still a part of the city with their own form of organization 16m18s.
• Many people view favelas as places of crime to be avoided, but this perspective is not entirely accurate 16m26s.
• Favelas can be seen as one end of the urban spectrum, with the other end being a more affluent area, such as a fancy shopping street 16m38s.
• São Paulo is an example of a city with both large and sophisticated favelas and upscale streets, but there is limited interaction between people from these different areas 16m47s.
• Increased interaction between people from favelas and those from more affluent areas could help build social trust and promote a greater understanding that cities can have diverse appearances while still being cohesive 17m2s.

please bro, just one more parking lot 17m12s

• A significant portion of downtown Detroit, approximately a third, is dedicated to parking, which is often seen as a solution to urban problems, but adding just one more parking lot is unlikely to fix the issues 17m12s.
• In the 1950s, many American cities were walkable, but the trend shifted towards tearing down buildings and constructing parking lots, which had a devastating impact on urban landscapes 17m18s.
• The decline of downtown Detroit can be attributed to a combination of factors, including people moving to the suburbs and policies aimed at redeveloping the area, which led to the demolition of buildings and the construction of parking lots 17m35s.
• The government played a role in encouraging the demolition of buildings through tax codes, with the hope of revitalizing the area, but this effort was largely unsuccessful, as seen in the case of the Renaissance Center in Detroit 17m46s.
• Despite its challenges, Detroit has made significant progress in recent years, but its success is not due to the presence of parking lots, rather it is attributed to the influx of young people with a vision for the city's future 18m5s.
• The story of Detroit's resilience serves as an example of the ability of cities to recover and thrive, even in the face of significant challenges 18m15s.

NYC housing costs 18m22s

• New York City has been experiencing a housing crisis for a very long time, with rising costs making it expensive to live there, a problem that has persisted since at least the 1920s 18m28s.
• Various solutions have been attempted to address the issue, including building public housing at a large scale, such as the housing blocks built during Robert Moses' time, and expanding into new neighborhoods 18m38s.
• Despite these efforts, the rent remains too high for each generation, and it seems to be a problem that is part of New York's growth 18m50s.
• Every year, hundreds of thousands of people move to New York City in search of their dreams, while around 100,000 people leave the city, having had enough, which is actually a healthy dynamic for a city if it can continue growing 18m59s.
• New York City has historically had other problems that have been solved, such as the crisis of 1910, which was caused by an excessive amount of horse manure in the city, giving hope that the current housing crisis can also be addressed 19m17s.

Congestion pricing 19m25s

• Congestion pricing was a crucial part of a plan to generate revenue needed to fix the subways and fund various necessary transit projects 19m27s.
• Congestion pricing has been successfully implemented in several Nordic cities and in London, which is the closest example in terms of scale 19m35s.
• The concept of congestion pricing is based on making cars pay a fairer share of the overall transportation costs 19m42s.
• Despite investing in the necessary infrastructure, the congestion pricing plan was ultimately not implemented 19m51s.

Hall of Fame: Brasilia 19m58s

• Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil, is considered a failed experiment in urban planning history, built in the 1950s as a monument to its architects' sense of self, rather than a functional city for its inhabitants 19m59s.
• The city is designed to be seen from the sky and photographed, making it difficult to navigate on foot, with its layout being an impossibility to walk 20m15s.
• Despite being the capital of Brazil, Brasilia has become a wretched city to get around, with its design prioritizing aesthetics over functionality 20m25s.
• Over time, the city has filled up with people, and growth has occurred around it, resulting in the development of edge cities that are vastly different from Brasilia 20m33s.
• The edge cities surrounding Brasilia are built in a way that reflects the kinds of places people would rather live in, highlighting the failed experiment of Brasilia's image-making approach to urban planning 20m42s.
• Brasilia stands as a failed experiment in urban planning, with its design not meeting the needs of its inhabitants, and instead serving as a monument to its architects' vision 20m46s.

Running out of water 20m55s

• A city cannot survive without water, making it the single most important resource for a city to become livable, and authorities must do everything they can to provide a water supply 21m0s.
• New York City has a third water tunnel under construction and an enormous Upstate Network to gather water and provide for it, which has been worked on diligently for over a century 21m11s.
• São Paulo recently faced a difficult choice during a drought when their reservoirs were drained due to using water to create electricity, forcing them to decide between turning off the lights or turning off the tap 21m22s.