College Campuses Are Designed at Human-Scale. Our Cities Can Be Too

A central element of the suburban experiment is car-centric design. Since the 1950s, America’s urban planners have built our streets, public spaces and to some degree even our homes to accommodate automobiles, not human beings. This is not the result of ill-will or stupidity; cars are an important part of people’s lives, and they are not going away. Nevertheless, no amount of mechanized transportation can replace the innate desire for human-scale environments. Low levels of social capital in car-centric neighborhoods make this clear.

College campuses, in contrast, are designed for humans. At my own school, Baylor University, students who live in dormitories are able to work, eat and worship all within walking distance of their homes. Off-campus residents have it a little harder, but often even they require no more than a bicycle or scooter on a day-by-day basis. Apartment dwellers actually have an advantage in that they are free to host guests, and when one’s friends live only a block or two away, entertaining becomes a frequent occurrence. Finally, there are a plethora of amenities, from restaurants and gyms to libraries and green spaces, contained within campus borders.

All this is the norm among older universities, not the exception. The long and short of it is that colleges are built to facilitate face-to-face human interaction and an integrated lifestyle. In essence, they are 15-minute neighborhoods owned by a single entity. Meanwhile, most American cities are built to facilitate efficient commercial exchanges and a compartmentalized lifestyle. The latter might be more convenient, but the former make for greater happiness in the long run.

Fortunately, things do not have to be this way. The suburban experiment is not ordained by natural law. It is just that—an experiment—and it is subject to revision. Before the 20th century, Americans thought of their towns and cities in much the same way that we continue to think of our college campuses. They were built to be integrated communities, constructed to be navigable by foot, and most importantly made to serve human beings, with all their diverse social and physiological needs. By committing to the traditional development pattern, we can resurrect this vision of civic life.

from Hacker News https://ift.tt/3hRaeAh