The Urban Network

Abstract

Along with a new approach to land use, a new circulation system is needed: one whose goal is access rather than mobility. For too long, traffic analysis and street design have reduced transportation to moving as many cars as fast as possible, rather than the broader goal of providing accessibility for people. Access includes optimizing many forms of transportation—walk, bike, transit, as well as auto—and reducing travel before movement. Just as conservation precedes alternative energy systems in buildings, reducing the need for vehicle trips must precede all alternative forms of travel. Mixed-use community design can reduce the need for trips at the same time that it reinforces transit and pedestrian access. But it requires a new planning approach and a new design pattern for our streets and regional circulation systems.

At one time, development and transit were co-evolving partners in city building; the urban center and its streetcar suburbs defined a uniquely American form of metropolis.