Six Lanes

I was very interested in our class discussion today about accessibility to space through public transportation and the cultural developments after WWII that lead America to be defined by widespread suburbia. It is especially interesting in light of a conversation about urbanism and urban attitudes that I recently had with my mother, a true Baby-boomer. 

The conversation began with me telling my mother about my weekend trip to Columbia, South Carolina. My boyfriend and I stayed at a hotel in the Vista with the intentions of walking to restaurants and the museum. I heard that the Vista was growing into a bustling downtown with a small city vibe like Greenville. I expected to see people out on the street, enjoying public space, and walking just for the sake of walking. Instead I found the opposite. The secondary streets were totally deserted. There were people on Gervais, the main avenue, but walking around or crossing the street was difficult. Gervais is a six lane road, and although the speed limit is low, drivers seem comfortable doing 45. We found that several of the crosswalk lights did not work properly, and even when they did I feared a driver running the light or turning on a red light. 

I lamented to my mother about the hostile pedestrian environment, explaining my belief that the city would never be successful as long as it was defined by the six lane thoroughfare. The street could be narrowed to one lane in each direction. A bike lane, on street parking, a large tree buffer, and wider sidewalks could be added. This would create a pleasant space to walk, and force the vehicular traffic to slow down, a safer option for everyone. 

Her response was dismissive. She said that the traffic in Columbia was horrible and they could not possibly afford to lose a lane. They probably need more. 

My mother was born in 1952. She is a true baby boomer. As such, she is fully immersed in American car culture. She got her drivers’ license at 14 and has had access to a vehicle ever since. She has always preferred a truly rural environment and dislikes cities because they are crowded and are difficult to navigate by car. She prefers to venture into suburbia for her shopping where wide roads and parking abound. Her views on this align with much of the American population. 

This attitude leads to city centers with six lane roads where everyone drives in to work in the morning and back out every evening. How can we as designers work with this attitude to create a more accessible urban space? I saw one building on the trip that looked residential. Everyone else was driving in from the suburbs. Do people want to live downtown? Would they like it more if they didn’t have to cross a six lane road? Would public transportation help alleviate the traffic? I saw a few bus stops on the trip, but I never saw an actual bus. Would people use the public transit? Or would driving their own car be easier? I think the attitudes of American Car Culture are an important issue that designers will have to work with as our cities grow to ensure that the space remains accessible to all.