TED2017
Peter Calthorpe: 7 principles for building better cities
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More than half of the world's population already lives in cities, and another 2.5 billion people are projected to move to urban areas by 2050. The way we build new cities will be at the heart of so much that matters, from climate change to economic vitality to our very well-being and sense of connectedness. Peter Calthorpe is already at work planning the cities of the future and advocating for community design that's focused on human interaction. He shares seven universal principles for solving sprawl and building smarter, more sustainable cities.
Peter Calthorpe - Urban designer
Through his writing and his realized projects, Peter Calthorpe has spread the vision of New Urbanism, a framework for creating sustainable, human-scaled places. Full bio
Through his writing and his realized projects, Peter Calthorpe has spread the vision of New Urbanism, a framework for creating sustainable, human-scaled places. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
So, let me add to the complexity
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of the situation we find ourselves in.
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At the same time that we're solving
for climate change,
for climate change,
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we're going to be building cities
for three billion people.
for three billion people.
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That's a doubling
of the urban environment.
of the urban environment.
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If we don't get that right,
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I'm not sure all the climate solutions
in the world will save mankind,
in the world will save mankind,
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because so much depends
on how we shape our cities:
on how we shape our cities:
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not just environmental impacts,
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but our social well-being,
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our economic vitality,
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our sense of community and connectedness.
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Fundamentally, the way we shape cities
is a manifestation
is a manifestation
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of the kind of humanity we bring to bear.
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And so getting it right is, I think,
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the order of the day.
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And to a certain degree, getting it right
can help us solve climate change,
can help us solve climate change,
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because in the end,
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it's our behavior that seems
to be driving the problem.
to be driving the problem.
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The problem isn't free-floating,
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and it isn't just ExxonMobil
and oil companies.
and oil companies.
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It's us; how we live.
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How we live.
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There's a villain in this story.
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It's called sprawl,
and I'll be upfront about that.
and I'll be upfront about that.
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But it's not just the kind of sprawl
you think of, or many people think of,
you think of, or many people think of,
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as low-density development
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out at the periphery
of the metropolitan area.
of the metropolitan area.
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Actually, I think sprawl can happen
anywhere, at any density.
anywhere, at any density.
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The key attribute
is that it isolates people.
is that it isolates people.
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It segregates people
into economic enclaves
into economic enclaves
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and land-use enclaves.
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It separates them from nature.
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It doesn't allow the cross-fertilization,
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the interaction,
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that make cities great places
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and that make society thrive.
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So the antidote to sprawl is really
what we all need to be thinking about,
what we all need to be thinking about,
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especially when we're taking on
this massive construction project.
this massive construction project.
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So let me take you through one exercise.
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We developed the model
for the state of California
for the state of California
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so they could get on
with reducing carbon emissions.
with reducing carbon emissions.
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We did a whole series of scenarios
for how the state could grow,
for how the state could grow,
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and this is just one
overly simplified one.
overly simplified one.
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We mixed different development prototypes
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and said they're going to carry us
through the year 2050,
through the year 2050,
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10 million new crew
in our state of California.
in our state of California.
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And one was sprawl.
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It's just more of the same:
shopping malls, subdivisions,
shopping malls, subdivisions,
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office parks.
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The other one was dominated by,
not everybody moving to the city,
not everybody moving to the city,
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but just compact development,
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what we used to think of
as streetcar suburbs,
as streetcar suburbs,
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walkable neighborhoods,
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low-rise, but integrated,
mixed-used environments.
mixed-used environments.
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And the results are astounding.
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They're astounding not just
for the scale of the difference
for the scale of the difference
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of this one shift
in our city-making habit
in our city-making habit
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but also because each one represents
a special interest group,
a special interest group,
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a special interest group
that used to advocate for their concerns
that used to advocate for their concerns
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one at a time.
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They did not see the, what I call,
"co-benefits" of urban form
"co-benefits" of urban form
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that allows them to join with others.
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So, land consumption:
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environmentalists are really
concerned about this,
concerned about this,
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so are farmers;
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there's a whole range of people,
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and, of course, neighborhood groups
that want open space nearby.
that want open space nearby.
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The sprawl version of California
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almost doubles the urban
physical footprint.
physical footprint.
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Greenhouse gas: tremendous savings,
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because in California, our biggest
carbon emission comes from cars,
carbon emission comes from cars,
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and cities that don't depend
on cars as much
on cars as much
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obviously create huge savings.
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Vehicle miles traveled:
that's what I was just talking about.
that's what I was just talking about.
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Just reducing the average 10,000 miles
per household per year,
per household per year,
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from somewhere
in the mid-26,000 per household,
in the mid-26,000 per household,
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has a huge impact
not just on air quality and carbon
not just on air quality and carbon
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but also on the household pocketbook.
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It's very expensive to drive that much,
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and as we've seen,
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the middle class is struggling to hold on.
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Health care: we were talking about
how do you fix it once we broke it --
how do you fix it once we broke it --
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clean the air.
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Why not just stop polluting?
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Why not just use our feet and bikes more?
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And that's a function of the kinds
of cities that we shape.
of cities that we shape.
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Household costs:
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2008 was a mark in time,
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not of just the financial
industry running amok.
industry running amok.
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It was that we were trying to sell
too many of the wrong kind of housing:
too many of the wrong kind of housing:
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large lot, single family, distant,
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too expensive for the average
middle-class family to afford
middle-class family to afford
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and, quite frankly, not a good fit
to their lifestyle anymore.
to their lifestyle anymore.
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But in order to move inventory,
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you can discount the financing
and get it sold.
and get it sold.
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I think that's a lot of what happened.
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Reducing cost by 10,000 dollars --
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remember, in California
the median is 50,000 --
the median is 50,000 --
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this is a big element.
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That's just cars and utility costs.
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So the affordable housing advocates,
who often sit off in their silos
who often sit off in their silos
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separate from the environmentalists,
separate from the politicians,
separate from the politicians,
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everybody fighting with everyone,
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now begin to see common cause,
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and I think the common cause
is what really brings about the change.
is what really brings about the change.
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Los Angeles, as a result of these efforts,
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has now decided to transform itself
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into a more transit-oriented environment.
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As a matter of fact, since '08,
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they've voted in 400 billion dollars
of bonds for transit
of bonds for transit
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and zero dollars for new highways.
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What a transformation:
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LA becomes a city of walkers and transit,
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not a city of cars.
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(Applause)
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How does it happen?
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You take the least
desirable land, the strip,
desirable land, the strip,
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you add where there's space, transit
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and then you infill mixed-use development,
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you satisfy new housing demands
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and you make the existing neighborhoods
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all around it more complex,
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more interesting, more walkable.
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Here's another kind of sprawl:
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China, high-density sprawl,
what you think of as an oxymoron,
what you think of as an oxymoron,
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but the same problems,
everything isolated in superblocks,
everything isolated in superblocks,
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and of course this amazing smog
that was just spoken to.
that was just spoken to.
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Twelve percent of GDP
in China now is spent
in China now is spent
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on the health impacts of that.
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The history, of course,
of Chinese cities is robust.
of Chinese cities is robust.
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It's like any other place.
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Community was all about small, local shops
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and local services and walking,
interacting with your neighbors.
interacting with your neighbors.
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It may sound utopian, but it's not.
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It's actually what people really want.
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The new superblocks --
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these are blocks that would have
5,000 units in them,
5,000 units in them,
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and they're gated as well,
because nobody knows anybody else.
because nobody knows anybody else.
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And of course, there isn't even
a sidewalk, no ground floor shops --
a sidewalk, no ground floor shops --
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a very sterile environment.
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I found this one case
here in one of the superblocks
here in one of the superblocks
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where people had illicitly set up
shops in their garages
shops in their garages
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so that they could have that kind
of local service economy.
of local service economy.
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The desire of people
to get it right is there.
to get it right is there.
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We just have to get the planners
on board and the politicians.
on board and the politicians.
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All right. Some technical planning stuff.
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Chongqing is a city of 30 million people.
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It's almost as big as California.
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This is a small growth area.
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They wanted us to test
the alternative to sprawl
the alternative to sprawl
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in several cities across China.
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This is for four-and-a-half
million people.
million people.
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What the takeaway from this image is,
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every one of those circles
is a walking radius
is a walking radius
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around a transit station --
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massive investment in metro and BRT,
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and a distribution that allows everybody
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to work within walking distance of that.
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The red area, this is a blow-up.
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All of a sudden, our principles
called for green space
called for green space
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preserving the important
ecological features.
ecological features.
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And then those other streets in there
are auto-free streets.
are auto-free streets.
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So instead of bulldozing,
leveling the site
leveling the site
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and building right up to the river,
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this green edge was something
that really wasn't normative in China
that really wasn't normative in China
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until these set of practices
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began experimentation there.
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The urban fabric, small blocks,
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maybe 500 families per block.
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They know each other.
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The street perimeter has shops
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so there's local destinations.
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And the streets themselves become smaller,
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because there are more of them.
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Very simple,
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straightforward urban design.
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Now, here you have something
I dearly love.
I dearly love.
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Think of the logic.
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If only a third of the people have cars,
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why do we give 100 percent
of our streets to cars?
of our streets to cars?
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What if we gave 70 percent of the streets
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to car-free, to everybody else,
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so that the transit
could move well for them,
could move well for them,
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so that they could walk,
so they could bike?
so they could bike?
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Why not have --
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(Applause)
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geographic equity
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in our circulation system?
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And quite frankly,
cities would function better.
cities would function better.
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No matter what they do,
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no matter how many ring roads
they build in Beijing,
they build in Beijing,
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they just can't overcome
complete gridlock.
complete gridlock.
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So this is an auto-free street,
mixed use along the edge.
mixed use along the edge.
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It has transit running down the middle.
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I'm happy to make that transit
autonomous vehicles,
autonomous vehicles,
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but maybe I'll have a chance
to talk about that later.
to talk about that later.
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So there are seven principles
that have now been adopted
that have now been adopted
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by the highest levels
in the Chinese government,
in the Chinese government,
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and they're moving to implement them.
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And they're simple,
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and they are globally,
I think, universal principles.
I think, universal principles.
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One is to preserve
the natural environment, the history
the natural environment, the history
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and the critical agriculture.
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Second is mix.
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Mixed use is popular,
but when I say mixed,
but when I say mixed,
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I mean mixed incomes, mixed age groups
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as well as mixed-land use.
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Walk.
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There's no great city
that you don't enjoy walking in.
that you don't enjoy walking in.
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You don't go there.
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The places you go on vacation
are places you can walk.
are places you can walk.
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Why not make it everywhere?
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Bike is the most efficient
means of transportation we know.
means of transportation we know.
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China has now adopted policies
that put six meters of bike lane
that put six meters of bike lane
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on every street.
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They're serious about getting back
to their biking history.
to their biking history.
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(Applause)
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Complicated planner-ese here:
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connect.
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It's a street network
that allows many routes
that allows many routes
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instead of singular routes
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and provides many kinds of streets
instead of just one.
instead of just one.
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Ride.
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We have to invest more in transit.
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There's no silver bullet.
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Autonomous vehicles are not
going to solve this for us.
going to solve this for us.
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As a matter of fact, they're going
to generate more traffic, more VMT,
to generate more traffic, more VMT,
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than the alternative.
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And focus.
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We have a hierarchy of the city
based on transit
based on transit
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rather than the old armature of freeways.
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It's a big paradigm shift,
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but those two things
have to get reconnected
have to get reconnected
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in ways that really shape
the structure of the city.
the structure of the city.
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So I'm very hopeful.
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In California, the United States, China --
these changes are well accepted.
these changes are well accepted.
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I'm hopeful for two reasons.
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One is, most people get it.
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They understand intrinsically
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what a great city can and should be.
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The second is that the kind of analysis
we can bring to bear now
we can bring to bear now
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allows people to connect the dots,
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allows people to shape
political coalitions
political coalitions
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that didn't exist in the past.
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That allows them to bring into being
the kinds of communities we all need.
the kinds of communities we all need.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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Chris Anderson: So, OK:
autonomous driving, self-driving cars.
autonomous driving, self-driving cars.
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A lot of people here
are very excited about them.
are very excited about them.
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What are your concerns
or issues about them?
or issues about them?
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Peter Calthorpe: Well, I think
there's almost too much hype here.
there's almost too much hype here.
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First is, everybody says
we're going to get rid of a lot of cars.
we're going to get rid of a lot of cars.
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What they don't say is you're going
to get a lot more vehicle miles.
to get a lot more vehicle miles.
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You're going to get a lot more
cars moving on streets.
cars moving on streets.
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There will be more congestion.
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CA: Because they're so appealing --
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you can drive while reading or sleeping.
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PC: Well, a couple of reasons.
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One is, if they're privately owned,
people will travel greater distances.
people will travel greater distances.
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It'll be a new lease on life to sprawl.
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If you can work on your way to work,
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you can live in more remote locations.
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It'll revitalize sprawl
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in a way that I'm deeply frightened.
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Taxis:
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about 50 percent of the surveys say
that people won't share them.
that people won't share them.
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If they don't share them,
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you can end up with a 90 percent
increase in vehicle miles traveled.
increase in vehicle miles traveled.
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If you share them,
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you're still at around
a 30 percent increase in VMT.
a 30 percent increase in VMT.
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CA: Sharing them, meaning
having multiple people riding at once
having multiple people riding at once
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in some sort of intelligent ride-sharing?
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PC: Yeah, so the Uber share
without a steering wheel.
without a steering wheel.
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The reality is, the efficiency
of vehicles -- you can do it
of vehicles -- you can do it
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with or without a steering wheel,
it doesn't matter.
it doesn't matter.
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They claim they're the only ones
that are going to be efficient electric,
that are going to be efficient electric,
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but that's not true.
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But the real bottom line
is that walking, biking and transit
is that walking, biking and transit
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are the way cities and communities thrive.
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And putting people
in their private bubbles,
in their private bubbles,
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whether they have a steering wheel or not,
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is the wrong direction.
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And quite frankly,
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the image of an AV on its way
to McDonald's to pick up a pack
to McDonald's to pick up a pack
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without its owner,
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just being sent off on these
kind of random errands
kind of random errands
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is really frightening to me.
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CA: Well, thank you for that,
and I have to say, the images you showed
and I have to say, the images you showed
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of those mixed-use streets
were really inspiring, really beautiful.
were really inspiring, really beautiful.
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PC: Thank you.
CA: Thank you for your work.
CA: Thank you for your work.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Peter Calthorpe - Urban designerThrough his writing and his realized projects, Peter Calthorpe has spread the vision of New Urbanism, a framework for creating sustainable, human-scaled places.
Why you should listen
Peter Calthorpe’s 30-year design practice is informed by the idea that successful places -- whether neighborhoods, towns, urban districts or metropolitan regions -- must be diverse in uses and users, must be scaled to the pedestrian and human interaction, and must be environmentally sustainable.
In the early 1990s, Calthorpe developed the concept of Transit Oriented Development (described in his book The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community and the American Dream) -- an idea that is now the foundation of many regional policies and city plans around the world. His 2010 book is Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change. Calthorpe Associates' work in Europe, Asia and the Middle East has demonstrated that community design with a focus on sustainability and scale can be adapted throughout the globe. His current work throughout China is focused on developing standards and examples of Low Carbon Cities in Beijing, Chongqing, Kunming, Zhuhai, Jinan and other major cities.
Peter Calthorpe | Speaker | TED.com