Future Transport in Cities

Richards shows that attractive and practical alternatives to a car dependent society are possible. With the growth of car ownership and use reaching crisis proportions in our cities it is imperative to find and implement alternatives if cities are to survive and prosper. He reveals how transport technology is developing, in particular, showing how it can be integrated into the urban environment. The book opens with a look at the "best" of current transportation systems and goes on to explore such advanced technologies as automated highways, covered cities, monorails, new elevated systems, smart cars, guided buses, as well as intelligent highways, and car-free housing. The importance, too, of simple measures such as walking and cycling are covered as being an essential part of any future city as well as that of an "integrated transport" if people are to be encouraged to get out of their cars.

Cities around the world are being wrecked by the ever-increasing burden of traffic. A significant part of the problem is the enduring popularity of the private car - still an attractive and convenient option to many, who turn a blind eye to the environmental and public health impact. Public transport has always seemed to take second place to the car, and yet alternative ways of moving around cities are possible. Measures to improve public transport, as well as initiatives to encourage walking and cycling, have been introduced in many large cities to decrease car use, or at least persuade people to use their cars in different ways.
This book explores many of the measures being tried. It takes the best examples from around the world, and illustrates the work of those architects and urban planners who have produced some of the most significant models of "transport architecture" and city planning. The book examines the ways in which new systems are evolving, and how these are being integrated into the urban environment. It suggests a future where it could be mandatory to provide systems of horizontal movement within large-scale development, using the analogy of the lift, upon which every high-rise building depends. In so doing, future cities could evolve without dependence on the private car.

Preface. The Transport Situation Today. Transport and the Future City. The New Transport Technology. Conclusions.

Brian Richards trained as an architect at Liverpool and Yale. He has taught at the Architectural Association, and worked in Sweden, the United States, France and Morocco. He has worked as a consultant to OECD on pedestrian movement, and with London Transport on station planning and interchanges.