Riffing on Jane Jacobs

Suburban sprawl with its emphasis on the automobile has an isolating and alienating effect on those who dwell there. Getting almost anywhere requires transport of one sort or another. For the young that means Mother’s taxi and for the elderly, losing the right to own a drivers license is not only a blow to one’s ego but means the loss of mobility. For the elderly this usually results in forced residence in a senior’s home. With homes built on postage stamp-sized lots young people have no place to play but the street. The few available public spaces become gathering places for teens to ‘hang out’ and boredom and lack of direction tend to lead to delinquency.

Petroleum being a finite resource shortages are inevitable. Whether the present spike in gas prices is opportunism on the part of the industry or the result of the law of supply and demand is immaterial; sooner or later the world is going to run out of oil. Given this inevitability city planners will need to return to a more self-sufficient community model in which residents can walk or bike to the local mall, students can walk to school, and recreational opportunities can be accessed locally. Although alternate sources of energy may become available once necessity forces the automobile industry to actually commit to research and development practical results are decades down the road and alternate fuels are not likely to be either as efficient or economical. Already school bus companies are attempting to renegotiate contracts with school boards as rising fuel prices make their operations unprofitable, taxi drivers agitate for higher fares, and airlines lay off staff, reduce speeds, and cut schedules. Given this scenario the concept of bussing children long distances to schools becomes impractical, hopping in the car at the drop of a hat unaffordable, and commuting to work a luxury.

Whereas the suburbs of the past were an impersonal blob those of the future are going to have to place more emphasis on community. Schools, shopping, and recreational opportunities will need to accessible on foot. As people get out of their automobiles and meet face to face a greater sense of community will naturally result. Regions where residents actually know their neighbours will become safer communities where greater pedestrian traffic will give ownership of the streetscape to those who live there. The opportunity to walk to work or work from home will have a premium attached to it. This essay has emphasized the socio-economic results of an apprehended fuel shortage; the environmental effects of our dependency on fossil fuels are yet another compelling argument for future change.