Connecting People While Preserving the Planet

"Do you believe you're spending more and more time traveling every day? Do you think that the more traffic-choked roads are, the less useful they are? Do you think it's more and more difficult to enjoy natural surroundings and breathe clean air? All false notions, contends Jean Poulit, one of France's most recognized national and regional planning experts. Based on research and observations over more than 30 years, Poulit contests all our generally accepted ideas on transportation, environment, and quality of life. For example, contrary to popular belief, over the past several decades people generally have been spending an invariable amount of time on daily trips by public or private transportation: about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The number of trips per person has remained relatively stable regardless of efforts by public authorities to improve transportation infrastructures with a corresponding steady increase in travel speeds.^ What has changed is that in the same time span, people have been able to reach new, more far-flung and numerous destinations, allowing them more relevant choices from a wider array of options. So, they have created more and more economic value. Even clogged freeways and packed commuter trains generate nearly half a nation's wealth by connecting people and facilitating exchanges of know-how between them. In addition, increasing access to parks, rivers, beaches, and mountains creates more and more well-being, and negative environmental effects are declining rapidly in cities.^ In Poulit s optimistic view, if even a small part of a nation's wealth is dedicated to combating the greenhouse effect and other negative environmental effects of human activity, it is possible to reach a fine balance between prosperity, well-being, and respect for our living planet." "While his focus is on France and the European Union, Jean Poulit's methodologies and philosophical insights should prove illuminating to futurists, transportation officials, urban planners, government officials, and environmentalists worldwide."--Jacket.

שנה

2007

שפה

English

הוצאה

ESRI Press

מהדורות

2

עמודים

332

ISBN

9781589481923

מקור הנתונים: Wikidata