Carfree Cities
by J. H. Crawford
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Book Summary Information
Author: J. H. CrawfordEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-11-01
ISBN: 9057270420
Number of pages: 324
Publisher: International Books
Book Reviews of Carfree Cities
Book Review: A dream with feet
Summary: 5 Stars
What I like best about this book is that Crawford supplies sufficient detail to convince you that his is no utopian vision. He has carefully thought out all the inticacies. His plan is doable with current technology. If the devil is in the details then he has exorcised the devil.
The first part of the book argues the case for carfee cities. He outlines all the drawbacks to what he calls the autocentric city. He explains the cost in terms of health, economics and sociology. In my case he was preaching to the choir, but this part was still fun to read.
The second and main part of the book describes how to achieve his vision. He emphasizes current technology although some of the uses are innovative, like the use of subways for delivering freight. Included is an interesting tutorial on containerized shipping, which is a major component of his plan. In reading this I was able to visualize life in the carfree city. At most a five minute walk to public transportation followed by a leisurely ride of at most 25 minutes and then another walk of at most 5 minutes. 35 minutes from any part of a city of up to one million people to any other part. Each stop of the subway or tram is the center of a separate district, which he visualizes in the European style of a piazza with streets radiating out from it. The narrow streets are filled with shops, houses and parks and pedestrians meeting and greeting one another. This is where I want to live!
In the final part of the book he describes how to reach his vision. He understands that before becoming universal the plan must be tested and perfected before people will become convinced. First single districts will have to be tried. Then parts of existing cities will need to be re-engineered. He lists several cities that have sufficient public transportation to become carfree. Surprisingly to me Manhattan was among those listed. Finally, Crawford lists some special cases where carfree cities would be particularly attractive. I especially liked his idea for a carfree retirement community.
If you feel that cities are too noisy, congested and polluted or that sprawling suburbs are less than ideal then I advise you most strongly to purchase this book. You may want to first visit the accompanying Web site at http://www.carfree.com/
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