Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change

by Peter Calthorpe

“Cities are green” is becoming a common refrain.  But Calthorpe argues that a more comprehensive understanding of urbanism at the regional scale provides a better platform to address climate change.  In this groundbreaking new work, he shows how such regionally scaled urbanism can be combined with green technology to achieve not only needed reductions in carbon emissions but other critical economies and lifestyle benefits.  Rather than just providing another checklist of new energy sources or one dimensional land use alternatives, he combines them into comprehensive national growth scenarios for 2050 and documents their potential impacts.  In so doing he powerfully demonstrates that it will take an integrated approach of land use transformation, policy changes, and innovative technology to transition to a low carbon economy. 
 
To accomplish this Calthorpe synthesizes thirty years of experience, starting with his ground breaking work in sustainable community design in the 1980s following through to his current leadership in transit-oriented design, regional planning, and land use policy. Peter Calthorpe shows us what is possible using real world examples of innovative design strategies and forward-thinking policies that are already changing the way we live.
 
This provocative and engaging work emerges from Calthorpe’s belief that, just as the last fifty years produced massive changes in our culture, economy and environment, the next fifty will generate changes of an even more profound nature. The book, enhanced by its superb four-color graphics, is a call to action and a road map for moving forward.

Genres: Urbanism, Urban Planning, Nonfiction, Urban Studies, Architecture, Urban, Urban Design

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 20, 2010

About the author

Peter Calthorpe is a San Francisco–based architect, urban designer, and urban planner. He is a founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism, a Chicago-based advocacy group formed in 1992 that promotes sustainable building practices. For his works on redefining the models of urban and suburban growth in America Calthorpe has been named one of twenty-five ‘innovators on the cutting edge’ by Newsweek magazine. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

One key to reducing our greenhouse gas generation is greening our urban areas. Worldwide, people are moving from the countryside into cities. Energy efficient housing, walkable cities with mass transit, multiuse zoning are some of the tools used by planners towards this goal. California went on a big planning spree about the time this book was written, they are currently being executed by some cities, others are still ruled by their NIMBYs. One local newspaper pointed out that Mountain View approved more infill housing in one Tuesday afternoon than the adjacent city of Palo Alto had approved in five years. It will be interesting to see what kind of whip California will use on noncomplying cities.

Also, while some progressive states are working on this, the federal government has been blocked for 10+ years thanks to the new Republican/Stupiditas party. Ironically, California's Clean Air Board and CalEPA were championed and signed into law by Republican governors.

Overall an excellent introduction to modern urban design heavily focused on California and the rest of the USA. The only flaw is its age, this is a rapidly evolving field.

[Clay Daneker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is a victim of its age, what was some top shelf bleeding edge thinking a decade+ ago has become a lot more main stream, and unanticipated technological advancements have changed some specific trajectories discussed. The fundamental principles laid out are still strong however.

[Pasang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was written in 2011, however as a reader in 2023, almost 12 years into the future, much of what Peter has written holds true today. Peter draws from 30+ years of experience as a urban designer and planner, and provides well-researched infographics that really help illustrate the scale of work that cities need to embark on to decarbonize and prepare for the effects of climate change.

In the beginning of the book Peter sets an immediate intention for his book - which is look at the "whole system" as the solution to climate change. We need green urbanism, more thoughtful regional planning and neighborhood revitalization that is people and community-centric. The future will be dictated not by specialization, but by our ability to work in more interconnected environments - city planning requires a multidisciplinary approach focused on transportation, green infrastructure, and community/place-making.

My only critique would have been for Peter to expand on the final chapter, and really speak to some of the challenges within the four constituencies - environmentalists, developers, business community, and affordable housing - and also to touch on urbanism internationally, what are some overall trends that may be worthy of understanding.

[Witek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather concise and a bit too enthusiastic book concerning the future of America's cities. Even though I completely agree with its content and conclusions I must say that the book itself doesn't feel very convincing, as if the the author tried a bit too hard to show he's right. Still, worth reading if you think that the future of cities lies in automobiles.

[Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff - strong graphics especially. His in-person presentation is better than the book, but maybe that's to be expected...

[Brian Lindawson]

Another urban design book that just wasn't quite catching my interest. I wasn't ever excited to sit down and read it so I just moved on to something else.