I think French people and Europeans in general are just as obsessed with parking as Americans are. Most of the sort of iconic public spaces in Paris, the Place Vondome, the plaza in front of Notre Dame, all these spaces were once parking lots. Now they are beloved public spaces and the parking has been moved underground. I don't think that Europeans have some innate resistance to car culture. It's just that they are presented with a lot more options.
Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute City, a new name for an old idea. Reducing the need for cars cuts emissions and gets autos off of the roads, which is a boon for safety, air quality and the climate. But, as is often the case, good ideas become a lot more difficult when you have to implement them in real places, with real people, who don’t always share the enthusiasm for the idea. What will it take to make compact, walkable cities a reality in the U.S., where the car is king?
Guests:
Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America
David Miller, Former Mayor of Toronto
Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland
Henry Grabar, Author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org
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