“Maybe the future is bad. But there’s a future beyond that, right?” Yuno Gasa.
First there is the city that we have constructed.
Next is the city of the present, a quiet city, a city of stillness, anxiety and waiting.
As we are confining ourselves indoors, we ask ourselves about life in our present cities. Does density harm us? Can we retake our streets for walkers and bikes? Can my café or corner store move outdoors somehow? Do I have to go into the office? How can I get negotiate mobility?
And then there is the city we can soon begin to shape, a city of equity and justice, a city of resilience and durability, a 15 minute city of health and walkability, a city prepared to face the rapidly changing environment and all of its challenges.
Not this city:
Not this city:
Not this city:
But perhaps derived from something like this:
A city where most of anyone’s needs can be met within a 15 minute walk.
Some cities have already begun to work in this way:
Others are planning to remake themselves:
We have only just begun to imagine this kind of future for our truly car-dominated city. Our work lies before us!
Onward.
A Town Square 