1. Do you want or expect to live in a city, suburb, small town, or the rural countryside in the future? What has been your experience with urban living?
2. COMMENT?: "What becomes of civilization... will be determined by what happens in urban and suburban environments." 149
3. COMMENT?: "Mayors are more effective than national or provincial leaders..."
4. What do you think of PH's vision of what a regenerative city might look like? Do you hope or expect to live in one someday?
5. Did you know that Socrates spoke of solar energy? 150
6. Is Copenhagen appealing to you? 151
7. Do you support gas bans and rooftop solar?
8. Have you ever lived in a truly "walkable" place?
“Long gone are the days when automobiles expanded possibility and choice for the majority of Americans. Now, thanks to its ever-increasing demands for space, speed, and time, the car has reshaped our landscape and lifestyles around its own needs. It is an instrument of freedom that has enslaved us.”As a fish needs to swim, a bird to fly, a deer to run, we need to walk, not in order to survive, but to be happy.”38 That thought is beautiful, perfectly obvious...”“[...] most American cities have been designed or redesigned principally around the assumption of universal automotive use, resulting in obligatory car ownership, typically one per adult—starting at age sixteen. In these cities, and in most of our nation, the car is no longer an instrument of freedom, but rather a bulky, expensive, and dangerous prosthetic device, a prerequisite to viable citizenship.”
9. Is there any good reason not to embrace LBC? 153
10. Should rooftop gardens be a standard requirement in new urban construction? 157
11. In light of the contribution of cities to culture (159), did Marx have a point when he referred to "the idiocy of rural life"?
12. What can be done to rescue cities (and their young inhabitants) from "environmental generational amnesia"? 160
13. Will the promise of greater neighborliness and a sense of belonging to a community (163) persuade many to join the car-free movement, or at least scale back their dependence on driving?
14. How many amenities and necessities can you reach within 15 minutes on foot or bike? 164
15. In view of the wisdom of carbon architecture and construction from biofibers (168), does it bother you that MTSU is so heavily invested in concrete?
1. Do you want or expect to live in a city, suburb, small town, or the rural countryside in the future? What has been your experience with urban living?
ReplyDeleteI do not really expect to live anywhere, or feel obligated to live in any type of specific arrangement, however I do wish to live near mountains. I do not think I will be a rural countryside resident, but I could definitely imagine myself being in a small town or suburb in a mountainous area. Urban living has not been horrible so far, except for the traffic! That has easily been the worst part. Also, sometimes it just feels and sounds very loud.
2. COMMENT?: "What becomes of civilization... will be determined by what happens in urban and suburban environments." 149
ReplyDeleteI think this quote makes a lot of sense and is pretty spot on. A majority of Americans are in urban and suburban areas, so if we can get the majority of those people to live and follow a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, then you are getting a large population of the country to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle.
3. COMMENT?: "Mayors are more effective than national or provincial leaders..."
ReplyDeleteI agree to an extent. I think that mayors and local leaders have an effect on local communities, and help to shape and build this communities in a much more personal way than a national or provincial leader could. however, in my experience, my hometown mayors did not really do anything. They always ran on tickets promising less traffic, better city planning, and tax cuts, and non of these things ever happened. On the other hand, I can name many things that a national president or provincial leader has done that has directly affected my family's and I's life.
3. COMMENT?: "Mayors are more effective than national or provincial leaders..."
ReplyDeleteCurrently, this is a true statement because a lot of national and provincial leaders are corrupt in some form or fashion due to corporate lobbyists that are not environmentally conscious. At the local level, change can happen quickly and in multiple locations if the city population shares a similar mindset. Once change is implemented city-wide, its much easier to reach state and national levels because there's often less pushback. If a country were to implement a new and strict environmental law, a lot of the general population could pushback because not many people are fans of change. At the local level, you can kind of ease the population into change, making it easier to gain momentum later because everyone is already onboard.
10. Should rooftop gardens be a standard requirement in new urban construction? 157
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea to make rooftop gardens and standard requirement in new urban construction. Not only do they help in maintaining temperature for the building they are on, they also act as a buffer to natural elements such as rain. They also can provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables in areas that are affected by food deserts, and attract pollinators to areas where they are scarce. Lastly, providing accessible green spaces to the community could assist in lowering stress levels, blood pressure, and intense burn out.