Looking back, Henry Ford’s words “We shall solve the city problem by leaving the city” are not without at least drop or two of irony. The man whose goals included ensuring his factory workers could afford the cars they built apparently didn’t realize how much of “the city problem” those very cars would one day become.
The High Cost of Transportation
While transportation was only one part of Tuesday’s “Leadership at the Local Level: A Systems Approach to Greening” session, Scott Bernstein (Center for Neighborhood Technology) made it clear that our cars and trucks have become not only major energy users and sources of emissions and congestion, but also major living expenses that often go overlooked—a point exemplified by the Urban Land Institute’s “Bay Area Burden”:
Bay area households spend an average of more than $28,000 annually on housing—about 39 percent of the area median income. In addition to the high cost of housing, bay area households spend nearly $13,400 annually on transportation. Combined, this cost burden of $41,420 per year represents 59 percent of the median household income in the bay area.
For more information the relationship between housing and transportation costs, visit the The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index.
Solutions: Alternative Transportation
Paolo Massari highlighted Milan, Italy’s, approaches to dealing with transportation issues: a bike sharing program which has successfully reduced traffic congestion and emissions throughout the city.
Expanding bike routes can be a challenge in an established city with fewer options for layout changes, so instead of putting all it’s eggs in one basket, Milan is considering expanding the sharing concept to electric vehicles—a technology that the city is already playing with in other areas.
Solutions: Water and Refrigeration
City problems are not the same everywhere. While Sãu Paulo plays host to over six million cars, it faces additional challenges including food preservation, access to hot water, and safe housing—all issues with energy-related solutions, as noted by José Luiz Cavaretti (AES Eletropaulo Brazil).
Sao Paolo’s CFL and refrigerator replacement programs reduce energy use and ensure that food last weeks instead of days; rewiring programs reduce the incidence of home fires from poor wiring; and solar water generators and water preheat systems help make sure citizens have access to hot showers.
The Unique Position of Cities
Cities are in a unique position to act now and act fast when it comes to reducing energy use. Bob Foster pointed out the leadership of the City of Long Beach, which include bike-friendliness, a fuel-efficient city fleet, and a revamped port. He went as far as to suggest that the peripheral benefits of energy efficiency provide a unique opportunity to put philosophical differences about carbon and climate aside and improving quality of life in urban and suburban areas.
While Henry Ford may not have held much hope for solving the city problem, the panelists clearly do, noting the hard—often unnoticed—work that is going on today to make the cities of tomorrow clean, health, safe and livable.
Tags: consumer behavior, Transportation