Technology
134 The Future of American Cities
An exploration into city design and its molding of modern society
Theron Bradford
Introduction
When thinking about cities, city design in particular, America struggles with what effective city design is. Understanding the inner workings of how humans operate in society is perhaps the most important knowledge foundation anyone can have when approaching city design. A city which is able to grow with time, adapt to change, and evolve takes the forefront of the conversation in moving towards resilient design. There are numerous factors contributing to the way American cities are structured, it is these same factors which are causing the problem with our cities. Enabling change and moving toward better design can put American cities back on the right track for the future. Along with better city design, communities will strengthen and improve the overall quality of life for American people.
American cities today
Modern day American cities encourage car dependency, they are optimized for the car. An entirely car dependent country has a trickle effect on society which can be traced to many of the major issues we face in America like obesity and depression. Looking into the design of American cities provides insight for these issues.
A person can look around and see the same city everywhere, a downtown “historic” area with local businesses and shops, then the industrialized areas around it with the big corporations and grid-like road systems intertwined in it and surrounding it all. Outside of this there are the large, sprawled out neighborhoods, subdivisions and single-family housing zones. These areas have no work, businesses, or stores within any sort of efficient walking or biking distance.
Single-family zoning is one of the primary causes for this format. Single family zoning, or R1 zoning, requires that a certain amount of property be designated solely for single family housing to be developed on it. Suburban developments continue to pop-up all-over cities, mostly far away from the center where all the attraction, work, and activities. Walking or biking becomes entirely ruled out in favor of the car which becomes the only efficient form of transportation for the average person (Manville et al, 2019).
Going back to the conclusion of World War II is where the creation of the modern American city began. World War II left the United States as the only powerhouse nation without taking a considerable hit to its resources/wealth. The US had become by far the wealthiest nation in the world now. With this wealth, America began the “urban renewal project” which is now responsible for the large developments that have uglified in many American cities. Neighborhoods and residential areas of inner cities were bulldozed and taken apart to establish commercial buildings which took the life out of these communities and replace them with charmless structures without character. It ushered in total car dependency whilst crea