"Designing Cities for People"

More than just a New Urbanist priority, urban sustainability and livability are issues examined by Lester R. Brown of the Earth Policy Institute in his recent book Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. In this excerpt, Brown compares transportation priorities of the world’s cities – both auto-centric and transit-based - and how transportation planning is affecting the environment and quality of life in those places. Recognizing that a “new urbanism” has emerged to respond to the immobility of automobiles in cities, Brown highlights Bogota as a major city that has successfully revitalized its streets and public spaces for pedestrian-use.