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Cities for Smart Environmental and Energy Futures pp 199–213Cite as

The Rebirth of Distance in the Context of Urban Sustainability

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Part of the book series: Energy Systems ((ENERGY))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the interaction between mobility policies and spatial planning practice, and aims to contribute to a better understanding on this complex relationship. Our focus is on daily travel patterns of people (leaving freight out of the picture). We discuss the importance of spatial proximity related to the oil dependence of an urban system. We find that the debate regarding the promotion of compact development is far from finished, but that our reasoning leads to the conclusion that a further increase of residential density and land use mix in urban areas is perhaps the best guarantee for curbing excessive mobility and preparing for the end of cheap oil.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Although the correlation varies with the speed: in steady-flow traffic at medium speed, an average car operates in the most efficient mode. At high speeds, but also in stop-and-go traffic, fuel consumption and emissions per kilometre go up quickly (Deakin 2007).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography Department, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8 9000, Gent, Belgium

    Kobe Boussauw

  2. Geography Department, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000, Gent, Belgium

    Frank Witlox

  3. New York City College of Technology, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, USA

    Richard Hanley

Authors
  1. Kobe Boussauw
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  2. Richard Hanley
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  3. Frank Witlox
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kobe Boussauw .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department Architektur, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Stamatina Th. Rassia

  2. Department of Industrial and Systems Eng, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Panos M. Pardalos

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Boussauw, K., Hanley, R., Witlox, F. (2014). The Rebirth of Distance in the Context of Urban Sustainability. In: Rassia, S., Pardalos, P. (eds) Cities for Smart Environmental and Energy Futures. Energy Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37661-0_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37661-0_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-37660-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-37661-0

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