Scholar looks at urban sprawl

In an effort to spread the word about the "massive revitalization" crucial to the development of modern cities, visiting City Planning Professor Peter Newman, director of the Institute for Science and Technology at Australia's Murdoch University, addressed a diverse group of more than 40 people Wednesday night. The speech, in the Veranda at 3615 Locust Walk, focused on the topic of sustainable cities and ways of increasing urban livability in modern society. Newman's discussion was not only an effort to raise awareness of these issues but also to promote his new book, Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence, which he co-authored with Jeffrey Kenworthy. He explained that cities worldwide are facing the challenges that car-dependence poses to urban development. Yesterday's event, part of the "Smart Growth" awareness program sponsored by the Clean Air Council and the Penn Environmental Group, drew attention to the importance of reducing urban sprawl and managing the growth of cities by finding a transportation alternative to automobiles. Newman emphasized the need to curb the increasing expansion of cities into surrounding suburbs and to revamp existing urban areas in order to create a more convenient, efficient and livable society. The goal of a sustainable city, he said, is to reduce resource inputs while reducing waste outputs. "Smart growth" refers to a process in which these cities grow economically and socially while reducing their environmental impact. "That whole issue is related to transportation priorities," Newman said. He pointed out that there needs to be a move toward a less car-dependent society. In order to combat the pollution and congestion in city streets as a result of automobiles, Newman suggested that cities build less freeways and be more accessible for walking and biking. "I'm not saying we've got to get rid of all the cars," he said. "[But] we've got to have another option." Newman's data showed that the cities that have been most effective at stopping sprawl -- such as Zurich, Switzerland -- have invested in transit growth and he stressed the implementation of an efficient mass transit system as one way to get people to rely less on cars. He highlighted Europe's light rail lines as a model for reshaping America's system, saying a good rail system to compete with the automobile and provide access to regions with jobs and shopping is critical to the success of a city. "[U.S.] history? has been to invest in very large roads and to spread the cities out, and that era is reaching a conclusion? because public political response is projecting that the U.S. is wanting less sprawl," he said. The problem, though, Newman continued, is that rail stations are not always available for many of the people that need them. Some of the students present said they wished that Philadelphia could make it happen. "I hope that Philadelphia can take some of these measures," said Kristina Rencic, a College sophomore and an intern for the Clean Air Council. "I think the east coast has to take action."