It’s no secret that our current traffic engineering and residential development approach is failing us. In fact, it’s causing more harm than good. But what can we do about it?
Civil engineers have a unique opportunity to help change this system and build walkable communities that focus on building local wealth. The Strong Towns Movement is leading this discussion, but it’s up to local residents, officials, engineers, and empowered advocates to make change happen!
7 Ways Our Current Traffic Engineering & Development System Is Broken
We all know that our current traffic engineering and development system is broken. It’s evident in the way that we build cities and towns. We’ve become reliant on cars, sprawl, and suburban development. This has led to a disconnect between people and their communities.
There are plenty of problems with this system, but here are five of the most glaring issues:
1. We’ve become too reliant on cars
In many cities, getting around without a car is nearly impossible. This is because we’ve designed our cities for cars, not people. We’ve built wide roads, created sprawling developments, and made it difficult to walk or bike anywhere.
2. Our cities are designed for cars, not people
This car-centric approach has led to a disconnect between people and their communities. When we design cities for cars, we create places that are difficult to navigate on foot and unsafe for pedestrians.
3. Our development patterns are unsustainable
The way we develop our cities is not sustainable. We build sprawling suburbs that require a lot of resources to maintain. This leads to higher taxes, and to make matters worse, our taxed population is more dispersed. In addition, these development patterns cause more traffic and longer commutes.
4. We’re not investing in infrastructure
One of the biggest problems with our current system is that we’re not investing in infrastructure. We’re not maintaining our roads, bridges, and other essential infrastructure. This leads to a decline in the quality of our cities and a decrease in property values.
5. We’re not creating walkable communities
We’re also not creating walkable communities. Walkability is vital for so many reasons. It increases safety, promotes physical activity, and builds a sense of community. But when we design cities for cars, we make it challenging to create walkable places.
6. We’ve created a system that’s dependent on subsidies
Cities and towns have become reliant on subsidies from the state and federal governments to maintain their roads and infrastructure. This is because our current development system is not sustainable in the long term. It costs more to build and maintain roads than we receive in revenue from gas taxes and other sources. The result is that our cities are constantly struggling to keep up with maintenance and repair needs.
7. We continue to make things worse by doing the same things expecting different results
One of the most frustrating things about our current system is that we continue to do the same things expecting different results. We build more roads, widen highways, and allow more development in suburban areas.
But this only leads to more traffic, longer commutes, and less-walkable communities. After all, every time we increase the capacity of our roads, more people move further out, causing commutes to the city to worsen.
This also causes local community wealth and communities to spread out, which at times results in the decline of the towns they leave. This is because a city’s wealth is often based on the wealth of its taxpayers. So when those who are wealthy enough to be able to move further and further away end up leaving their towns, those with less income get left behind in cities where the tax base is declining.
What Can We Do About It?
These are just a few ways our current traffic engineering and development system is broken. But there is hope. The Strong Towns Movement is leading the charge in changing the way we think about development. This movement is based on the principle that we should build cities and towns for people, not cars.
Strong Towns is working to change the way we develop our cities and towns. They advocate for a return to walkable, human-scale development. This type of development is more sustainable and creates enjoyable places to live. It also leads to less traffic, shorter commutes, and safer streets.
While the Strong Towns Movement is leading the way in creating change, it will ultimately be up to all of us to make it happen. And it will take all of us working together to create the change we want to see.
Here are some of the things that we can do:
1. Advocate for walkable communities
We need to advocate for walkable communities. This means working with city officials to create policies and regulations that promote walking, biking, and public transportation. It also means working with developers to create safe and enjoyable places to walk in.
2. Invest in infrastructure
We need to invest in infrastructure. This means repairing and maintaining our roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. It also means investing in public transportation so that people have options for getting around without a car.
3. Create community-oriented development
We must develop with the community in mind. This entails collaborating with urban planners and developers to produce enjoyable and safe spaces for pedestrians. Additionally, it includes investing in local businesses, parks, and other amenities that contribute to the desirability of communities as places to live.
4. Educate others about the benefits of walkable communities
We need to educate others about the benefits of walkable neighborhoods. This means talking to our friends and families about why walkability is important. It also means working with schools and community groups to promote walking and biking.
5. Get involved in the Strong Towns Movement
We need to get involved in the Strong Towns Movement. This means supporting their work by sharing their message and getting involved in local efforts to create change.
Simply put, we need to make a change if we want to create sustainable, livable communities.
The Strong Towns Movement is gaining traction all over the country. This movement is based on the simple idea that we need to start building strong towns if we want to have a strong country. Strong towns are financially resilient and invest in their people and infrastructure. They’re the kind of places where you want to live, work, and raise a family.
You can learn more about the Strong Towns Movement at www.strongtowns.org.
