Toward a livable city
Toward a Livable City
by Adam Ferrari
The title of the seminal essay Vers une architecture by French architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris (a.k.a. Le Corbusier) evokes a sense of momentum, purpose and hope for the future. Now 84 years later suppose we replace “architecture” with “livable city.” This new title is a rally cry of many people yearning for relief from the economic struggles and environmental deterioration that exists today. Progress in Rochester and many other American cities now has a goal and a direction, and it is toward a livable city.
I am enlivened by this statement not because of my affinity for all things related to urban design, but because of the serendipitous nature of the title in relation to the current state of our economic and financial woes. It seems as though one can’t read more than a page of the newspaper or go one commercial break on the nightly news without being inundated with facts about the rising oil prices or the housing market crisis. Beyond the obvious fact that the media deftly preys on Americans’ fascination with the macabre, they overshadow the most interesting byproduct: the resultant effect of this “bad news” is that it consciously shifts our society into changing its habits by shaking off years of spending fatigue.
Today’s “on demand” culture of instant gratification has rapidly brought us to the brink of a mandatory modification of our daily lives. After years of being accustomed to getting whatever we want instantly and without repercussion, Rochester, as well as other cities, appears to be at the tipping point toward more sound living practices. People are realizing that we do not live in a world with infinite resources either natural or economic. This impending physical and psychological paradigm shift is a result of many sources. Two in particular are the rocketing price of oil which trickles down through almost every economic sector, and the downturn of the housing market due to sub-prime mortgage fallouts. Now that we are dusting ourselves off and can see the full magnitude of these recent occurrences, the needs of our communities and health and welfare of the citizens are once again becoming the priority.
Suspend for a moment the notion that it is terrible how gasoline has increased 200% in little over three years. Now consider this statement, higher gas prices make citizens healthier. The price hike at the gas pump has two major advantages. The first is the desire to either drive less or drive more efficiently. The second is the complete rejection of personal automotive transportation in search of cheaper methods—chiefly bicycling, walking or mass transit. In the suburbs of Chicago where gas prices are averaging $4.08 per gallon (a), the amount of bicycle traffic has increased dramatically since this time last year. This universally experienced phenomenon is tantamount to a correlation: “The more bicyclists you see, the more vibrant and livable that community is. More bicyclists mean reduced traffic demands, improved air quality and greater physical fitness.” (b) Both improving the health of its citizens and reducing the reliance on oil, this trend should be embraced and encouraged in our community.
On a different but not altogether unrelated note, the recent housing crisis that has garnered so much media attention has also had disastrous effects on many citizens’ lives. However, the housing bubble that burst—along with individuals’ balloon mortgages—has to be understood in the context of recent history. As home prices increased to record levels in the first half of the 2000’s, very little limit was placed on the escalation. Real estate brokers could charge whatever exorbitant prices they wished while banks offered unbelievable loans to entice even the most meager middle class. Meanwhile, first-time home buyers and the lower working class were excluded from the market entirely. Therefore, most of the effects that we are feeling today are a matter of perspective. We have a hangover this morning because of how much we drank last night.
The interesting thing about the mortgage market collapse is not how many people are left without places to live, it is how people are reverting back to a “new” concept: save enough money and then buy a house. This practice which your parents or grandparents may bring up as a punch line to “back in my day…” is not only common, it is expected. For too long, the general public reaped the benefits of too-good-to-be-true deals that offered them a chance at everything they ever wanted, even if they could not normally afford it. As callous as it may sound, the mortgage crisis and real estate downfall is primarily the fault of our greed and ignorance more so than it is malicious acts by lending agencies. Don’t misunderstand my statements, there are real people left without homes because of shady real estate transactions, but those victims are the minority. The truth is that days of getting more than you could have expected for less than you expected are gone and we are given the wonderful opportunity to rebuild, on a more solid foundation of sound principles, fiscal responsibility and reasonable home prices that can make our society more livable.
What does all of this mean? It means that our society is beginning to regain its balance. Like a purging fire in the prairie, these economic pitfalls have served as a lesson in how we can let our imagination exceed our reality. It means that we are left to begin a new era of smart growth and better living. We can reach a more livable city with the collection of all our efforts. Imagine safe, walkable neighborhoods with a diverse selection of affordable housing options. Imagine more frequent city bus trips to downtown, shopping centers and the Olmsted County Fair. Imagine unifying our vision of land use to account for the full diversity of our human needs. Imagine relying on a walk to the Saturday Downtown Farmer’s Market in lieu of the multiple mile drives to big box retail stores. These dreams are not unreachable. They are merely the wants and desires of the citizens of Rochester who realize that we are accountable for our actions and must do a better job of stewarding this environment. Otherwise, this great evolution will not be toward a livable city, it will be towards a hedonistic wasteland.
(a) http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/ILmetro.asp
[ii] Brookstein, Pamela. “Demand for bike plans increasing in communities.” Bike Traffic vol. 11 Issue 1. Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. 2008.