We really have to admit that over the past 100 years we have been building cities much more for mobil-ity than for people�s well-being. Every year thousands of children are killed by cars. Isn�t it time we build cities that are more child-friendly? Over the last 30 years, we�ve been able to magnify environmental consciousness all over the world. As a result, we know a lot about the ideal environment for a happy whale or a happy mountain gorilla. We�re far less clear about what constitutes an ideal environment for a happy human being. One common measure of how clean a mountain stream is is to look for trout. If you find the trout, the habitat is healthy. It�s the same way with children in a city. Children are a kind of indicator species. If we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for all people.
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We began to experiment by instituting a car-free day on a weekday. In a city of about 7 million people, just about everybody managed to get to work by walking, bicycling, bus, even on horseback�and everybody was better off. There was less air pollution, less time sitting in traffic, more time for people to be productive and enjoy themselves. Every Sunday we close 120 kilometers of roads to motor vehicles for seven hours. A million and a half people of all ages and incomes come out to ride bicycles, jog, and simply gather with others in community.
Enrique Pe�alosa(mayor of Bogot�)/Susan Iveslink from Undernews
YES! A Journal of Positive Futures
