2.What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
“Zhang argues that car-centered design has already been seen to fail, not just in China but also in Western countries. Public transport needs to be prioritized. Even the US, with three times more land per person than China, “can’t avoid congestion when people are allowed to buy and use cars freely," he says. "How are we meant to do it?”
“Besides transportation, the other major focus of TOD in China is land use. The approach rests on eight guiding principles for urban design: creating walkable streets and neighborhoods; prioritizing cycle routes; increasing road density; developing quality public transportation; building mixed-use neighborhoods; deciding population density in line with transit capacity; providing quick commuting options; and adjusting parking and road use to increase flexibility.”
3.What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
1)
China’s transmission from car-centered to public transportation centered society is urgent at present to avoid long-term problems as China’s cities grow at warp speed. It has been shown that car-centered society has always been a failure not in China but also western countries. Moreover, land use and design in China also plays a major role in solving China’s traffic congestion.
Calthorpe and two co-authors of the book mentioned above started a “transit-oriented development (TOD)” to help with the increasing pressure on traffic.
The author takes Calthorpe Associates’ project as an instance and conveys that the city design consists of plenty smaller and human-scaled street, which well suited to pedestrians and bicycles, and with good access for buses and other “green” transportations.
4.What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Peter Calthorpe, an architect and planner, tasked with producing an alternative vision for the town of Chenggong, southeast of Yunnan's provincial capital, Kunming.
5.What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
Designers should not continue the car-centered concept, but focus more on human oriented city design. As for pedestrians and bike riders, they should stand out and call for their rights.
6.How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The Chinese society has relied too much on cars for transportation, and spreading cities have encroached onto farmland. In addition, for China particularly, due to its high population density, the problems for car using will be more intense than in Western societies unfortunately.
7.What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
The key idea for a non car-centered society is to design roads and pathways for pedestrians. In addition, roads fit for other environmental friendly transportation should be encouraged.
The western societies relied on cars too much for transportation too much 50 years ago, China is now copying the path of the western societies, the Chinese government should take this as a warning and make changes.
Land use in China should be planned carefully and the decision made should also fit the huge population growth in China in the future.
1. Full citation and link.
Liu Qin, China must Stop Building Car-centered Cities, 2014.
https://www.chinadialogue.net/blog/7366-China-must-stop-building-car-centred-cities/en
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
“Zhang argues that car-centered design has already been seen to fail, not just in China but also in Western countries. Public transport needs to be prioritized. Even the US, with three times more land per person than China, “can’t avoid congestion when people are allowed to buy and use cars freely," he says. "How are we meant to do it?”
“Besides transportation, the other major focus of TOD in China is land use. The approach rests on eight guiding principles for urban design: creating walkable streets and neighborhoods; prioritizing cycle routes; increasing road density; developing quality public transportation; building mixed-use neighborhoods; deciding population density in line with transit capacity; providing quick commuting options; and adjusting parking and road use to increase flexibility.”
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
1)
China’s transmission from car-centered to public transportation centered society is urgent at present to avoid long-term problems as China’s cities grow at warp speed. It has been shown that car-centered society has always been a failure not in China but also western countries. Moreover, land use and design in China also plays a major role in solving China’s traffic congestion.
2)
The author cites a book by Peter Calthorpe named Transit Oriented Development in China - A Manual of Land Use and Transportation of Low Carbon Cities, and states that only widen the road cannot solve the congestion completely. The modern cities should not be designed for cars, but people.
Calthorpe and two co-authors of the book mentioned above started a “transit-oriented development (TOD)” to help with the increasing pressure on traffic.
The author takes Calthorpe Associates’ project as an instance and conveys that the city design consists of plenty smaller and human-scaled street, which well suited to pedestrians and bicycles, and with good access for buses and other “green” transportations.
4. What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Peter Calthorpe, an architect and planner, tasked with producing an alternative vision for the town of Chenggong, southeast of Yunnan's provincial capital, Kunming.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
Designers should not continue the car-centered concept, but focus more on human oriented city design. As for pedestrians and bike riders, they should stand out and call for their rights.
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The Chinese society has relied too much on cars for transportation, and spreading cities have encroached onto farmland. In addition, for China particularly, due to its high population density, the problems for car using will be more intense than in Western societies unfortunately.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
The key idea for a non car-centered society is to design roads and pathways for pedestrians. In addition, roads fit for other environmental friendly transportation should be encouraged.
The western societies relied on cars too much for transportation too much 50 years ago, China is now copying the path of the western societies, the Chinese government should take this as a warning and make changes.
Land use in China should be planned carefully and the decision made should also fit the huge population growth in China in the future.