A note from J.H. Crawford on 'starting from scratch'

In this context, "starting from scratch" means that thought  

about cities, especially carfree cities, needs to go all the way  

back to the beginning. Not only is the car a mistake, but the  

Renaissance notion of tidy, regular street geometry is an error. The  

use of paper to plan cities, which also originates in the  

Renaissance, is also an error. The notion that architecture is an  

art form, not a craft, is another crucial error in thought about  

urban design.

A great many new cities will be built in the next 50 years. Most of  

them will be in China and India. The first new carfree city is  

already under construction in Abu Dhabi. It's called Masdar. There  

is every reason why new cities (and large additions to existing  

cities) should follow the carfree model. Land take and energy  

requirements lead the list, but there are many other reasons.

I am starting to think about a process for converting existing  

cities to the carfree model. The results will not be as good as for  

purpose-built carfree cities, but I believe we can get pretty close.  

The Lyon Protocol is indeed the basic political method I propose,  

but it is only an outline.

I believe that given the challenges of climate change and peak  

energy we will probably have carfree cities whether we want them or  

not. My objective is to ensure that we get them, along with the  

greatest possible improvement in the quality of life.

Regards,

J.H. Crawford