China is working on building a car-free city, estimated to be completed in about eight years and housing around 80,000 people. Is the a glimpse at
what the future of urban development may be?
While I do think working towards a cleaner urban environment is a good idea, I think that I would really miss having a car to drive around in if I
lived in a city such as this. To many people, especially those like me that live in rural areas, a car gives a feeling a freedom that isn't easily
matched.
Would you want to live in a city like this, and give up your car? I know that many people who live in large cities don't own a car, but to me it's
almost inconcievable to live without one.
www.greendump.net...
Altering most of today’s cities to eliminate cars altogether would be a daunting, if not impossible, proposition – which is why China is
starting from scratch. Great City will be built around a high-rise core housing 80,000 people, entirely walkable, and surrounded by green
space.
Planned for a rural area outside Chengdu, the high-density Great City will give residents access to a ‘buffer area’ of gardens and greenery
making up 60% of the total area of the city. Walking from the center of the city to the green spaces takes just ten minutes, and other nearby urban
centers will be accessible by a mass transit system.
Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture say the city will use 48% less energy and 58% less water than a more
conventional city of the same size; it will also produce 89% less landfill waste and generate 60% less carbon dioxide.
www.dezeen.com...
When completed in about eight years, Great City will be home to about 30,000 families totaling 80,000 people, many of whom will also have
opportunities to work within the development. The distance from any location in the city to any other location will be walkable within about 15
minutes, all but eliminating the need for most automobiles. The city will also be connected to Chengdu and surrounding areas via mass transit to be
accessed at a regional transit hub at the Great City center.