The Marginalization of Walking: The Loss and Recovery of Sustainable Urban Mobility

The Marginalization of Walking: The Loss and Recovery of Sustainable Urban Mobility
Transportation experts are the heirs of a forgotten revolution in the governing axioms of their discipline. Their predecessors of a century ago agreed that automobiles can play only a limited part in passenger transportation. Following an ideological revolution that its proponents themselves called a “radical revision”, American traffic engineers prioritized driving over all other modes of everyday passenger transport. Constructed versions of history legitimized the effort, invocations of state-of-the-technology lent it a specious credibility, and attractively packaged futures made it seem both inevitable and desirable. While generations of such efforts have failed, the misguided enterprise continues. The hard-earned lessons of the past are neglected. The fault lies not in the technology but in the vision. To achieve more sustainable urban mobility, we must overcome the persistent legacy of the “radical revision”. When we do, we will find that we already have everything we need.

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Contact: ouvema@unil.ch

This presentation is part of the seminar series «Unpacking car-centric culture» organised by OUVEMA with the support of the Competence Centre in Sustainability, the Institute of Geography and Sustainability and the Institute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne.