Sustainable Urban Growth

Urban Growth Is Currently Unsustainable

Structures are land-use design specific to what type of transportation is used.  The architectural products of automobile centric land-use design produces structures that accommodate cars. Automobile centric land-use design accommodates cars, people are a by-product of its land-use. The automobile is convenient and useful; however, it is totally unsustainable.

Building a society upon an unsustainable foundation is problematic. A few of the consequences of the automobile centric land-use design currently used in nearly all Western Society urban growth:

• Poisoning of the aquafer from road runoff
• Health damage from stress related road traffic
• Environmental damage from oil base roadbeds
• Economic loss of currency from local circulation
• No alternative transportation beyond automobile
• Social isolationism from single occupancy vehicles
• Destruction of prime farmland to sprawl development 

Sustainable urban growth requires:

Social equity

Environmental justice

Economic independence

Moving Towards Sustainable Transportation

·        History

–  For change, history is the rule book to follow. The 1800s brought intellectual increase with the mechanical revolution. People worked hard, entertainment venues were rare, and communications of distance took several days. Horses and trains did the heavy lifting in creating Western society. 

–  The 1900s began with the merge of a brand-new transportation device: the automobile. It brought increase of ease in transportation, it was quicker than everything else, and it was available to everyone. As much as trains built Western society, cars changed everything.

–  The 2000s have brought urban growth based on the car and all its consequences. Technology has increased and with world expansion, the conclusion is that sustainable growth is essential.

·        How to Change the Car Culture

–  Change happens by invention. This could be a very long chapter about all the many aspects of how change occurs in society and delve into philosophical interpretation; however, this book is about transportation. In addressing transportation and making movement towards sustainable urban growth, the only direction to go with existing technology is urban land-use in considering immediate solutions.

–  In searching for immediate answers towards sustainable urban growth, the focus of what is required to make a culture change must set itself upon transit-oriented growth within existing transportation corridors.

·        Where to Begin 

–  Freeways are transportation corridors. Expressways are transportation corridors. For an immediate change, there are new technology transit companies available for system implementation. This allows for new infrastructure and new urban growth that can be sustainable.

·        The “How” for Implementation

–  Install new technology transit systems in the transportation corridors, allowing connectivity of commerce centers, to bridge transit-oriented and automobile-centric land-use design. 

·        Building Sustainable Urban Growth

–  Utilize this new real estate development of existing transportation corridors for sustainable development only. The private sector can be innovative when creativity is allowed.

·        Funding Advanced Transit Technology Infrastructure

–  Real estate development is privately funded. Government involvement in public transit is a necessity. By creating public-private partnerships (PPPs), the private sector sets the mark of building with its own money. 

Prerequisites for Sustainable Development

           The design component for every residential unit:

·        Is in sync with nature.

·        Provides an edible garden porch.

·        Features individual yard privacy. A ziggurat design can accommodate this. 

Further, sound disturbance in one’s living space is an unsustainable nuisance. You can call it sound pollution. In building multistory residential units, the walls and ceiling need z-bar metal studs for sound proofing. The metal z-bar accommodates a double layer of sheetrock in the ceiling with z-bar between the two layers of sheetrock. This creates a sound cushion barrier, eliminating thumping noise from above tenants and creates a closed space of sound for residents. Sound travels by vibration. Sheetrock is normally attached by screws or nails into studs. Sound is amplified in the vibration of sheetrock wall and translated by the screws into the studs which carry this vibration. The same action takes place in ceiling joists carrying sheetrock, attached by nails or screws. The application of z-bar and air space between the two layers of sheetrock provides an adequate allowance for sound separation and privacy, a necessary component for livability of vertical residential dwellings. 

Lifestyle

           Lifestyle is based on individuality, and in a sustainable living environment, it is a prerogative choice to the individual. This is synonymous to a person’s favorite color; there can be no argument made against favorites. Additionally, lifestyle is relative to smoking cigarettes; the people who smoke enjoy it. In a sustainable environment, philosophy extends deeper into planning design accommodation for a free society. 

           In the USA, religious freedom was originally based on Christian principles. For the sake of preserving these principles, legislators were not required to adhere to this theological criterion. Without understanding, arrogance through ignorance reflects as inability in leadership. Those without understanding have little comprehension of philosophical or theological concepts, and often reject its premise with contempt. Addressing and overcoming these aspects of social interaction are a very important development design in building communities. Fung shui is an example of efficient building design. 

 With respect to environmental design, when parameters are assigned by dictate of tyranny in socialist or communist government, the living environment is selected by authoritarianism, and not by freedom of individual choice. Individual choice is a privilege allocated by sacrifice and maintained by dedication. Lifestyle design has two alternatives, confinement or choice. 

Sustainable Transit-Oriented Development Design

Real estate development is the responsibility of the developer. Design is a result of market demand. When invention with innovation becomes the goal of developers, transit-oriented development (TODs) can become solutions to sustainable urban growth. With effective design, a TOD can incorporate the finest quality of life elements available. TODs can offer an advantageous living environment to address social issues with a variety of community activity centers. With the intent of creating a social sense of involvement and belonging, a TOD becomes a neighborhood. Privacy is vital and independence relates to individuality. Building developments have the opportunity to be neighborhoods. Intentional designs of TODs can address quality of life improvements, and with advanced transportation options, these TODs can improve living standards. 

 These development designs provide:

·        Harmony in nature

·        Green grounds

–  Walkways

–  Community gardens

·        Energy storage

–  Solar arrays on all roof tops

–  Alternative energy generation

·        Water storage

·        Water recycling

·        Negative-ion HVAC structure

·        Subterranean building structures

·        Platinum building structures

·        Other friendly building practices

Components to Build Sustainable Transit-Oriented Urban Growth

·        Advanced Transit Technology

–  Light weight       

–  Low cost

–  Computer operated

–  On-demand service

–  Direct to destination

–  Offline stations               

–  Linear elevator operational design

·        Method of Funding

–  Transit-Oriented Development

§ Convenient

§ Reduces commuting

§ Recession-proof real estate

§ Stimulates economy

§ Raises overall property value

§ Reduces need for road expansions   

·        Last Mile Solution

–  Short distance automobile alternative

§ Easy transit access

§ Door-to-door destination

§ Small electric vehicles

§ Environmentally friendly operations

Details of These Three Components for Sustainable Urban Growth

Advanced Transit System Technology

The first component for sustainability is a business strategy that includes the most advanced new technology transit system available, of which there are many. One of the available technologies is a 20-passenger, ultra-light, steel wheel on the rail transportation system. This technology is known as an Automated Direct Transport System (ADTS). It provides a modern, convenient, and efficient light rail-type transportation system for downtown and surrounding urban areas. Other systems include smaller, vehicle-sized, passive maglev system technologies that also offer computerized direct-to-destination passenger service.

These computer-controlled technologies require no driver, the lightweight designs are quiet, and the on-demand and direct-to-destination capabilities utilize low-passenger count vehicles on small, lightweight elevated structures, providing grade separate safety. This type of operation is analogous to a horizontal elevator. 

Additionally, with smaller vehicle sizes, systemwide support infrastructure is one-tenth the expense. By lowering the traditional expense of transit system infrastructure, it enables private investment to build the entire transit system. 

Method of Funding Through Real Estate Development at the Station Sites

 The second component to a business strategy is the method of funding. Written a few years ago was an excellent essay explaining transit-oriented development. From the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website is a November 2011 publication authored by Jeffery J. Smith and Thomas A. Gihring with Todd Litman, Financing Transit Systems Through Value Capture:

For the land developer, property owner access to a local transit system can raise property values in two ways. First, it gives this location an advantage over another, attracting residential and commercial development near a light rail station that otherwise would occur away from any sort of commerce center. Secondly, transit can increase overall productivity by reducing the area’s total transportation costs. These costs include the expense of transportation to consumers, businesses and governments for normally occurring costs of automobile usage.

Overall, reducing total transportation costs provide a catalyst for more clustered developmental patterns, providing economies of agglomeration, which will reduce the costs of providing public services, and increase productivity due to improved accessibility and network effects. An increase of a few percentage points in property values and business productivity in the community, combined with a reduction of a few percentage points in automobile costs, can total hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.

           By building a complete alternative transportation system and linking high-density TODs throughout an area, living at one of these TODs within specific transportation corridors and alternative transportation becomes convenient and advantageous.

           Working in conjunction with local planning departments and economic development agencies, an ongoing and necessary function of these types of real estate projects, these TODs become financially beneficial to developers, residents, and workers at these development sites. This type of development stimulates an additional industry while increasing profitability and regional economic success.

           As a model, MTR Corporation is a privately held company that operates the Hong Kong transit system, one of the only transit entities in the world that operates at a profit. Their company is a very large-scale real estate company that has a transit system which connects the real estate development sites. The system receives no government subsidies, neither for its operations nor capital reimbursement. MTR Corporation relies on its real estate income for the financial success of its operation. This is a financially successful transit model; it uses the security of real property as the funding mechanism to build a transit system. See the MTR website for more information.

           This model consists of transit-oriented developments (TOD) or “neighborhoods” at each station. These neighborhoods include retail, corporate offices, and residential areas. Each TOD can be a city within a city, with shops and entertainment providing individual character. A large percentage of transit ridership can be created by the residential portion of the TODs, the commercial office workers, and the retail shoppers. Leasing commercial office space aspects of the TODs can be marketed to large employers, similar to other large real estate development. 

User Convenience and Non-Light Rail Mobility

The third component is what the transit industry terms “the last mile dilemma.” How do you get from your front door to the transit station, then how do you get to the door of your destination from the transit station?

This third component in a business strategy is in conjunction with the development of a syndication organization using Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) and the electric mini vehicles. These provide local and neighborhood transportation alternatives to the automobile. A transit system is only as good as its ease of access. Just as the Internet is useless to a computer without a home or office network connection, a transportation system is useless when its stations are distant from riders’ homes and destinations. The third component has the ability of getting customers from their front door to the transit station and then from the station to their destination. This syndication business can be set up as a subscription service, similar to the Uber taxi service and other short-term vehicle rental industries. 

           For longer journeys across town or to work, a subscriber can drive the electric mini vehicle to the transit station, ride the transit system to the appropriate station, depart from the station, and access another electric mini vehicle at the designated location to travel to their destination.