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Planning for People A Guide to Prosperous, Low-Carbon The world’s next generation of cities will need to Chinese officials have already taken the first step by overcome extreme challenges posed by population prioritizing low-carbon and eco cities. To succeed, growth, congestion, and energy insecurity. is these efforts must be guided by sustainable urban experiencing the greatest urban population boom . This report synthesizes the best practices in , and the for its cities will in from around the world into eight determine whether they feature easy mobility or quantifiable principles. These principles should be are plagued by ; whether they use refined and adapted to Chinese conditions, but when energy and other resources efficiently or lock in high that is done, they can help ensure that Chinese cities energy consumption for decades; and even whether will grow to be the most prosperous and energy- they are friendly and welcoming or alienate their efficient cities in the world. residents. The right standards can make all the dif- ference — and that difference will last for decades. China’s urban opportunity China’s leaders have a limited window of opportunity to for prosperous, livable, low-carbon cities. These cities must make public , , and bicycling their top priorities.

As China continues its impressive economic growth, livable, low-carbon cities. These cities must make public Chinese decision makers must leapfrog over the rest of The eight principles unprecedented numbers of its citizens are migrating to transport, walking, and bicycling their top priorities. the world’s urban planning mistakes and establish a new Develop neighborhoods that promote walking cities, seeking greater job opportunities, income, and Without this planning, these burgeoning cities will not paradigm for the cities of the future. The following is a 1 quality of life. Car ownership is on the rise, and China has reach their full potential. They will be gridlocked and guide to get started. Compiled by a world-renowned Prioritize bicycle networks already passed the United States as the largest car market polluted. The commutes of millions of people will become team of urban planning experts with years of experience 2 in the world. Similar to U.S. cities in the 1950s and ’60s, a daily misery, countless square kilometers of arable working in China, this booklet summarizes international best Create dense networks of and paths Chinese cities are working to accommodate the explosive will be needlessly lost, and China’s powerful economic practices. When applied together, we believe the following 3 growth of automobile travel by highways, ring engine will stall as goods and people become mired in principles will help China create beautiful, thriving cities Support high-quality transit , and parking lots. However, due to China’s high congestion. Chinese cities will struggle to attract the that will be models of smart urban development for the 4 population density, the problems of private-car-oriented high-tech and top-notch talent that are crucial rest of the world. Zone for mixed-use neighborhoods transportation are much more acute than in the lower- to maintaining economic growth. 5 density cities of the West. Despite the incredible pace These principles depend on and reinforce each other. Match density to transit capacity of , traffic in is frequently at a Benefits of sustainable urban planning Together, they are a recipe for success. We hope this 6 standstill. And in , projections show that car use guide will serve as the basis for effective urban planning Improve mobility Create compact regions with short commutes will need to be restricted and transit, bike, and pedestrian that suits China’s specific needs. 7 Reduce carbon emissions mode share increased to improve mobility and bring Increase mobility by regulating parking and road use congestion back to a manageable level. Attract economic activity 8 Improve air quality The reality is that high-density cities cannot be designed

around the car. It simply won’t work. China’s leaders have Preserve arable land a limited window of opportunity to plan for prosperous, Support a harmonious and prosperous society 1 Shorten crossings and emphasize pedestrian Develop neighborhoods safety and convenience. Ground-floor retail and services and car-free streets encourage walking. Limit street width to 45 meters for through traffic and that promote walking 25 meters for local access. Limit traffic speeds on local streets to 25 km per hour or less. streets with traffic-calming features to help Walkable streets and neighborhoods are the foundation enforce speed limits. of every great . Walking reduces auto dependence, Encourage ground-level activity and create places to supports public transit, improves health, and promotes relax along primary pedestrian routes. community. Simple measures — such as limiting road To encourage sidewalk activity, visibility, and safety, width, block lengths, and setbacks between residential developments should have multiple access and sidewalks — encourage walking. Sidewalks that feature points, and perimeter walls should be eliminated or replaced with see-through fences. amenities like shade, benches, and street lighting also Design features in Hong Kong slow Encourage sidewalk activity by for varied uses; traffic and keep pedestrians safe. encourage foot traffic. Designing streets that are safe to limit the distance between buildings and the sidewalk to cross and providing comfortable, interesting places to the following averages: walk should be the first priorities for establishing livable, • Retail uses: 1 meter low-carbon cities. • Offices and businesses: 3 meters • Homes and : 5 meters

Create direct routes and permeable blocks to shorten Pedestrian activity, as shown here in Chongqing, walking distance. China, creates community and supports businesses. Limit average block length to 150 meters. Create public paths to allow pedestrian access through existing superblock developments.

Develop safe, well-marked, and direct pedestrian routes, at New York City has pedestrian friendly least 3 meters wide, to transit, shopping, and job centers. streets throughout . 3 4 Superblock configuration Suggested configuration

Single-use, superblock neighborhoods discourage pedestrians by Dense, mixed-use development and small block sizes encourage spacing intersections far apart and creating wide, dangerous street pedestrian activity. Smaller blocks shorten walking distances, Single-use, superblock neighborhood. crossings. Pedestrians must walk long distances to reach destinations. Neighborhood of small blocks and mixed uses in Hong Kong and narrow street crossings help keep pedestrians safe.

5 6 2 The Hongzhou bike-sharing system is the largest in the world. Prioritize bicycle Bike lanes should be protected from car traffic.

networks Bicycling is a key, low-cost component of any city’s transportation network. Where possible, bike parking should be included at transit stations. In the 1980s, millions of Chinese people depended Design streets that emphasize bike safety on bicycling as their primary mode of transportation. and convenience. Bicycling is no longer safe or convenient in many Create dedicated bike lanes, at least 3 meters wide in each direction, on all streets except Chinese cities. In recent years, cities across the low-speed local streets. globe have been working to reintroduce bicycles Provide secure bike parking in buildings, on as an integral part of city life because they are a streets, and at transit stations.

simple, inexpensive, and low-carbon way for city Create auto-free streets and greenways to residents to travel between destinations, including encourage non-motorized travel. transit stations. To ease congestion, Chinese cities Establish car-free corridors across the city grid, must once again encourage cyclists by providing no more than 800 meters apart. safe conditions, including bike lanes and secure bicycle parking.

7 8 Discouraged: Arterial-dominant Recommended: Dense networks street network of streets and paths Prioritizes people over cars Prioritizes cars over people Supports pedestrian and economic activity 3 Discourages pedestrian activity Create dense networks of streets and paths

It is a common misconception that wide streets are Create dense street networks that enhance more efficient and improve traffic flow. In fact, gated walking, bicycling, and vehicle traffic flow. superblocks divided by wide roads actually contribute Plan for a minimum of 50 intersections per square kilometer. to China’s traffic congestion. Case studies show that a Arterial-dominant Preferred street Vary block size and street design to provide street network network denser network of narrower streets better optimizes multiple options for all types of traffic. traffic flow while creating more direct routes and Disperse high traffic volumes over narrow, improving safety for pedestrians. Road design should parallel routes rather than concentrating maximize human mobility rather than vehicle throughput. on fewer major arterials. Narrow streets that allow one-way motor traffic as Incorporate through roads that connect well as bicycles and pedestrians will significantly surrounding neighborhoods at least every 300 meters. reduce congestion — and fuel use — in Chinese cities by Replace major arterials wider than 45 meters with minimizing traffic signal delays. efficient one-way couplets (in other words, divide wide arterials into two one-way thoroughfares Network of arterials Network of varying street handling traffic in opposite directions). and superblocks widths and block sizes

9 10 4 Before: Guangzhou before BRT Support high-quality transit After: The Guangzhou BRT system which opened in February 2010, moves almost 27,000 passengers per hour per direction during peak commute hours, and integrates with bike lanes, metro, and other bus systems. Hong Kong, New York City, , and other Ensure frequent and direct transit service. affluent cities have the densest public transit Establish at least one high-capacity, high-speed networks in the world. While metro can be an transit corridor every 800 to 1,000 meters with dedicated transit lanes. integral part of a transit network, a growing number Minimize the number of transfers needed of cities are turning to bus rapid transit for its low for most passengers. Provide an integrated cost, quick implementation, and flexible routes. Each multi modal system and ensure seamless Modern BRT systems, like this one in Jinan, China, transfers to all available transit options. Chinese city will need to determine the appropriate feature all the conveniences of metro systems. mix of transit solutions for its conditions, but cities Locate transit stations within walking distance can guarantee the overall success of their transit by of homes, jobs, and services. providing frequent, fast, and direct service in easily All housing and job centers should be within 400 meters of a local transit station and accessible locations. 800 meters of regional transit service.

11 12 Ideal travel times from mass transit stations

10 min 10 min

Legend

BRT station BRT corridor

Bike-sharing station Bus line

.5 1 1.5 Metro line

Kilometers

Guangzhou Bus Rapid transit (BRT) corridor and connecting bus and metro lines February 2011

14 5 Zone for mixed-use The Jing’an Metro Station is a good example of transit-oriented, mixed-use development. neighborhoods The station is integrated with a .

, restaurants, and housing Traditional Chinese neighborhoods had lively streets Encourage an optimal balance of housing and are concentrated nearby. services through zoning codes. where children played sports and the elderly played Local historic buildings were retrofitted for modern uses. mah-jongg. These neighborhoods had problems Housing options should accommodate a mix of income levels and age groups. Parks, jobs, housing, shops, restaurants, and the Passengers have easy access too, but it was the lively mix of shops and services Jing’an Temple are all located near the metro station. to the Jing’an Temple. Shops, schools, parks, and services should be near homes and jobs that gave these areas their located within 400 meters of housing. This charm and identity. By trading traditional housing includes age-specific services, such as day care.

for modern apartments, the Chinese people are Provide a variety of accessible parks and losing their communities’ unique sense of place and open space. the efficiency of compact neighborhoods. China’s Neighborhood parks should be located within cities of tomorrow need to combine the benefits of 500 meters of housing; large regional parks within 1 kilometer. modern housing with the best qualities of traditional Unique natural environments and local cultural urban neighborhoods. and historical assets should be preserved and creatively reused. Every city should feature many parks.

Jing’an Metro Station. 15 16 High-density hubs of various sizes Walkable, mixed-use cities are built from A walkable mixed-use neighborhood a variety of street types A walkable neighborhood features a variety of cluster mixed activities across a city uses and locates jobs, shops, and transit stations The density and size of the center corresponds to the level of within walking distance of housing. transit service. City, town, and village centers are located at the crossroads of transit boulevards. Residential neighborhoods are directly accessible to centers. Superblocks with wide Legend arterials before modification.

Residential

Office

Civic

Street level retail

Replace major arterials with one-way street pairs and add transit to remaining arterials.

Add car free streets, some Mixed-use small blocks with dedicated transit lines. replace super blocks

Unfocused density Transit-oriented density

45% of jobs and homes in area are within walking distance of station. 80% of jobs and homes in area are within walking distance of station.

Add narrow local streets with bike lanes and sidewalks.

400M 400M

17 18 6 Match density to transit capacity

High density is crucial to low-carbon cities, but Match density to the maximum peak-hour density alone is not enough. In order to avoid capacity of a transit system. congestion, housing must be located close to public Both residential and commercial density should be designed to match the area’s peak commute transit and jobs. Density also needs to be related transit capacity. to the capacity of all modes of transportation. If Major job centers should only be located where roads are designed as suggested in this guide — high-volume transit services are available.

with bike and pedestrian-friendly corridors, transit In key employment areas, zone for mixed-use priority lanes on major arterials, and one-way arterial districts that combine everyday uses. couplets — activities can be concentrated to make A mix of recreation, services, and retail should walking, cycling, and mass transit more convenient be located in employment areas to provide for In , , high-rise development is workers’ daily needs. focused within 200 meters of mass transit lines. than driving. This will shorten trip distances, save travel time, and preserve millions of square kilometers of arable land.

In Guangzhou, density is focused around the BRT corridor. The system’s capacity matches commute-hour transit demand. 19 20 Kunming Regional Growth The Kunming region an example of compact, transit-oriented growth. Chenggong, the new town to the south, creates several major new employment centers, balances new jobs with housing, connects to the historic center with four new high-capacity transit lines, and preserves valuable agricultural lands in a greenbelt. When completed, Chenggong will be a dense, small- 7 block, mixed-use development with a high level Kunming of transit service. Create compact regions Pop: 3,200,000 with short commutes 20 km 10 km 5 km

Community location has a long-term impact on Reduce sprawl by focusing development in areas . New city centers placed far from adjacent to and within existing cities. existing cities are inconvenient and rarely thrive. Regional development should seek a compact footprint through preservation, reuse, and City planners can avoid this by locating compact of existing areas, balanced with dense areas of new sub-centers within or adjacent to existing cities. new growth. In addition to protecting arable land, this strategy Where possible, new development should avoid significantly decreases the cost of providing transit, agricultural lands and other environmental assets. utilities, and other services to these new locations, Create a jobs / housing balance within a short Legend: Regional transit service while reducing most residents’ daily commute. commute distance. Decentralize job centers and aim to limit BRT commutes to approximately 5 kilometers or Metro line (various colors) 15 minutes. Chenggong High speed rail Lake Dian Create smaller decentralized job centers that Pop: 1,500,000 Railway encourage reverse commutes.

21 22 Cities may choose to charge tolls for use of overloaded roads. Road pricing reduces congestion and raises money for local 8 government: Some facts from Singapore and . Increase mobility by Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing system has cut congestion and raised money for public transit and other uses. percent of people entering London when tolls regulating parking 80,000 85are charged now take public transit and road use kilograms of CO2 emissions reduced in Singapore’s traffic congestion zone

Avoiding gridlock requires limiting the use of Limit parking in key employment districts to vehicles to levels that the road network can support. discourage driving during peak traffic periods. Peak commute-hour car trips are often unnecessary Limit parking ratios in employment areas to 0.2 stalls per worker. and should be discouraged. There are many ways to Eliminate long-term street parking to ease discourage driving. London, Hamburg, and Zurich, congestion and reduce street width. for example, restrict parking in popular destinations Remove all parking-space minimums for served by public transit. Singapore and Stockholm residential buildings and establish citywide 37 have implemented road-use charges. Chinese parking-space maximums consistent with percent more Londoners targets for private car use. are riding buses into the cities should consider these strategies — which city during toll times than million yuan in annual revenue raised by Singapore’s traffic percent increase in Singapore commuters Adjust car fees by time of day and destination. before congestion pricing 330congestion zone program using public transit complement the above principles — to help relieve 20 their congestion problems. Institute a congestion- system that limits auto use in key urban and employment districts at peak traffic hours. million yuan percent decrease annual operation Charge tolls for use of overloaded roads and percent decline in congestion since cost for the bridges and use the fees to support transit. in bus delays congestion pricing traffic congestion in London was implemented Vary parking charges by time of day and location zone program in London to insure high turnover. in Singapore 23 65 50 30 24 The plan for Chenggong: The principles have been combined to create a mixed-use, walkable, and livable town.

Mixed uses and small blocks Walkable neighborhoods

Small blocks and mixed uses replace Each neighborhood has a roughly typical superblocks to create a more 500-meter walking radius, centered on walkable community. The greater local parks, schools, and other street density improves pedestrian civic uses. access and disperse traffic.

Rendering of Chenggong

Auto-free streets Accessible parks

A network of car free streets, some Linear greenways, neighborhood with bus access, others for bikes and parks, and larger community parks are pedestrians, are spaced no more located throughout the plan and are than 800 meters apart throughout easily reached by car-free streets and Applying the principles in Chenggong, the town. quiet local roads. a low-carbon new town

Chenggong is a new town planned for ecological design, its urban form for the next stage of Kunming’s next followed typical superblock patterns with generation of growth. It is currently the large single-use areas. Its central district, Paired one-way streets Transit-oriented development administrative center for the greater projected to 230,000 residents and narrow arterials Areas with high levels of transit service, Through traffic is carried on streets such as the crossing of two metro or Kunming region and includes Yunnan and approximately 200,000 jobs, has no wider than 45 meters. Higher- BRT lines, have higher density, more University, a major new center for been redesigned according to the eight volume traffic is diverted onto commercial development, and a one-way street pairs, no more than greater mix of uses. and research. While its original principles described here. 30 meters wide in each direction to allow easy pedestrian crossing. plan embraced many best practices

25 26 The principles introduced here represent what some are unique. Many of these recommendations are not of the world’s leading experts believe to be best prac- consistent with current planning rules and regulations. tices in . Cities are gradually adopting It is time to apply cutting-edge scientific about these measures, but those that have embraced them what makes cities successful and to reexamine our cit- are the most livable and economically secure cities in ies in light of this most recent understanding. China the world. has the resources and vision to leapfrog over the rest of the world and create the best cities of the future. These principles support each other. Blocks with mixed Now is the time to seize this opportunity and lay the uses encourage walking, and walkable cities create foundation for a healthy future. customers for local businesses. Smaller block sizes encourage bike and pedestrian use, which cuts down The ClimateWorks Foundation brought together the on traffic, allowing public transit and automobile traf- represented here. We hope this docu- fic to run better—and so on. Enacting all eight prin- ment will serve as the beginning of a dialogue in which ciples is the key to a sustainable, livable city. we can work together to ensure that the cities of tomorrow are the best possible cities for China — and While these principles are a synthesis of international the world. Soy FSC best practices, China’s challenges and opportunities Ink Rec 27 28 29