Kerwin Datu suggests that transit in cities of the future should no longer be organized around a distinct center. "Rather than think of a city as a centre surrounded by suburbs, think of it as a patchwork of specialised districts woven together."
Datu asks "what is the center?" Often it is a historical, commercial or financial district but he pointedly argues that there is no need for either of these to be "at the centre of a large city, nor in the same place, and it would make for better planning if we abandoned the myth of the city centre altogether."
He argues that the importance of the city center around the world is more often than not the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most older city centers have been subject to an upward spiral of infrastructure investment which has fortified their hollow pre-eminence within the metropolis.
Datu states that rather than reduce congestion, increased public transport merely increases a city's commuting capacity, most often with an intense centralizing effect.
"Large cities today need to be planned not in concentric circles, but as tapestries. We still need differing degrees of intensity across urban areas, but these should be planned as an orderly modulation of intensity throughout the metropolis."
FULL STORY: A City Doesn't Need A Center! (But It Does Need Realistic Planning)
Flood Resilience Through Green Infrastructure
Cities like New York and Los Angeles are moving to build green infrastructure as the need for spongier urban spaces becomes more apparent.
Second Anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Seattle Recorded Zero Bike Deaths in 2024, per Early Data
The city halved the number of pedestrian deaths compared to 2021.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
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Spring Spectacle: Thousands of Tulips Bloom at One of LA’s Top Gardens
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research