"The Dirt" Interviews Peter Calthorpe

One of the founders of New Urbanism discusses everything from transit-oriented development -- a term he coined -- to the role of the city in fighting climate change in the 21st century.

Calthorpe talks about "New Green Urbanism" and stresses:

"The urban solution involves both technology and design. For example, we will need to dramatically reduce the number of miles we drive as well as develop less carbon intensive vehicles. It will mean living and working in buildings that demand significantly less energy as well as powering them with renewable sources. It will involve the kinds of food we eat, the kinds of homes we build, the ways we travel, and the kinds of communities we inhabit. It will certainly involve giving up the idea of any single "silver bullet" solution (whether solar or nuclear, conservation or carbon capture, adaptation or mitigation) and understand that such a transformation will involve all of the above–and, perhaps most important, that they are all interdependent."