3 Simple Ways Tech Can Grow Greener Cities



When it comes to technology, however, Calthorpe is a professional cynic. He chides city bosses for relying on technology to fix their environmental ills — providing cosmetic offerings like electric vehicle charging stations, for example, or iPhone apps that identify parking spots — rather than making greater, greener tweaks to the urban organism itself. "You can't put the cart before the horse," he says, "and the horse is the city. You're never going to take away this social animal stuff. Proximity is more important to us than ever. Technology matters, but I don't think it's a substitute for fundamental urban design."

That doesn't mean a city has to make itself into Manhattan — though Calthorpe is well aware that such dense environments are the most eco-friendly human habitations, pound for pound. We don't need to go that far to make our cities much more energy-efficient. Instead, Calthorpe points to a suburb of Oakland called Rockridge as his prime example: dense, leafy streets with plenty of shops, nice houses, mass transit and a high walk score. If we all lived that closely, he says, we'd make a massive dent in the causes of climate change — and we'd be happier, more social and more creative creatures to boot. "Even the high-tech, Internet-connected world wants to be in the same place," Calthorpe says. "They're not interested in living on a mountaintop. They want to crowd into places that are all about exchanges of ideas."

How to Make It Happen

Having sampled the delights of Rockridge — and similar dense walkable suburbs, such as Cobble Hill in Brooklyn — we can't help but agree with Calthorpe and his goals. But we do think there are a few areas where cutting-edge technology can help him reach them. Indeed, Calthorpe admits that as a 60-something, he is not as familiar with the tech world as he could be. So here are a few ideas:

1. Offer Wi-Fi on public transit. Calthorpe knows good public transit is essential to the kind of neighborhoods he wants (Rockridge was built as a "streetcar suburb" and still "has streetcar DNA," he says), and he points to higher ridership rates in cities with high walk scores, like San Francisco. But anyone who spends time riding the MUNI in the Bay Area knows that it is an experience in dire need of improvement, and it isn't attracting all the riders it possibly could. Meanwhile, tech companies like Google and Apple are running dozens of Wi-Fi-enabled shuttles from the city to the Valley every day so employees can noodle on laptops or stream movies on tablets as they ride.

So why not implement a bus-based Wi-Fi system? That's the major advantage transit has always had over driving — you can do other stuff while you're on it. And in today's hectic work world, extra time online during the day is like gold dust. It wouldn't even have to be free. Cities could provide it to riders at cost for a monthly fee, or get companies to sponsor it. They'd reap the rewards in massively increased white-collar ridership and provide an elusive sense that riding the bus is actually something to aspire to.

2. Encourage checkins. So you want to increase your city's walk score? Then give people more reasons to walk around, using the tools they already have in their pockets. Indeed, get them addicted to it. That dovetails nicely with the purpose of location-based checkin services like Foursquare and Gowalla. Merchants could get a small tax break for being active participants on these services, especially if their checkins came with information on where you can walk next. Cities could dot the landscape with checkin posts that offer information on the neighborhood or track and reward you for being on foot. While you're at it, these posts could offer transit details on nearby buses, and inform you how much money you'll save getting to your destination on transit versus using gas, much as Google Maps does now.

3. Install more parking sensors. Yes, parking sensors have primarily been used for those iPhone apps that tell you where to park. But they could just as easily be used to change driving behavior. Calthorpe intentionally reduces parking spots in the cities he designs in order to reduce the number of cars on the road. You could get the same effect by upping the price at peak times and limiting the amount of time you're allowed to park in a given spot before you get a ticket, forcing drivers to use their cars for crucial, timely trips only — and take transit the rest of the time. What's more, parking sensor activity would be your best guide to where new transit services are needed.

How else could new technology help bring about Peter Calthorpe's vision of tight, friendly, walkable suburbs? Let us know your ideas in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, andipantz

Series Supported by BMW i

The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles; it delivers smart mobility services within and beyond the car. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.
