The role of large cities has typically been to act as an economic and cultural hub to their surrounding area. Cities that restrict access for outsiders to their economic and cultural areas will probably thrive in the short-term, but over the long term I suspect they will be replaced in their role as a regional hub by cities that don't.
The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
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Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#12In the most-detailed example of such initiatives described in the article, the steps taken in Oxford include ALPR-camera-triggered automated fines for driving on certain roadways at certain times of certain days to those "without a permit" (who is eligible for the special permits, how eligibility is determined, etc. is not discussed) and actual blocking of other streets using bollards (and heavy planters and other ob…
It's not really. There is no conspiracy about closing roads to make them into pedestrian areas. No one claims fining someone for driving through a park would be a "conspiracy"...
Driving through a park is already prohibited. The initiative is describing paved roadways.
In Oxford, the ability to drive on particular existing streets (streets, not parkland) is to be turned into a privilege, allegedly at certain times on certain days, and those who use those existing roadways without having new, specific permits will be automatically fined.
From the article:
Officials in Oxford approved a plan last year to install “traffic filters,” which would limit access on six roads in the city during certain times of day. The filters are cameras, not physical barriers, that take photos of vehicles’ license plates. Fines are then issued to those without a permit.
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#13Remember the conspiracy theory that the present administration wanted to ban gas stoves?
It was a lie. They only want to ban half of them, and it wasn't even the President, it's an agency -https://www.eenews.net/articles/doe-rule-may-block-50-of-new...
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#14It's important not to actually try to address this nonsense. The idea here not to honestly engage. It's to oppose all change on principal, and pretend it's for some reason (the theory) when it's really just a matter of (bad) personal choices. It's the equivalent of the Chewbacca defence but for public discourse: no one can make any progress if someone just screams nonsense constantly and that suits the person screami…
And what if governments are always spouting nonsense and implementing it because they have nothing better to do?
I don't know these as 15 minute cities, I know these as anti-urban sprawl, pro-environment, anti-car neighborhoods. And the push has been on for over a decade to make this happen.
Now that it's here, it's worse than thought. It's not just planning these things and letting people live and work close to home or not. It's more of a forcing function where the entire system is built as a turn-key totalitarian physical prison.
Only a fool would buy into this. And yet the places where these decisions are made (city council), nobody cares about and big money will pour in.
It only takes 6 figures in a 5 figure race to buy a couple seats and implement radical environmental anti-human policy.
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#15This isn't really a new thing. Back when I was a planning masters student ~2009 I remember hearing about how we were part of the U.N.'s "Agenda 21" conspiracy to round up humanity into survivability zones or some such. Most of us were just nerds for public transportation or bicycling, and the idea of riding around in black helicopters sounded very high carbon footprint.
Still, it was kind of wild to be implicated in a conspiracy. Except for the few scary times where I encountered people who were true believers, it was maybe even a little fun. After all, the first thing you learn as a planning student / planner in the US, is that you have absolutely no power to do anything.
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#16This isn't really a new thing. Back when I was a planning masters student ~2009 I remember hearing about how we were part of the U.N.'s "Agenda 21" conspiracy to round up humanity into survivability zones or some such. Most of us were just nerds for public transportation or bicycling, and the idea of riding around in black helicopters sounded very high carbon footprint. Still, it was kind of wild to be implicated in…
I think the problem is that 9/10 people involved are nerds who genuinely want good things and then 1/10 is a jackbooted jerk who doesn't care about your things except as a means to implementing their jackboot fantasies and the little details they champion poison the whole effort.
Like for example having a traffic restricted at certain times road is fine and all. But implementing it with surveillance cameras knowing full well that "gotcha" tickets will be issued to out-of-towners, the system will be laden with all the perverse incentives that red light cameras are known for and that there's some yet to be defined permitting process (i.e. avenue for graft, preferential treatment of various types of uses, etc).
Just put a fucking gate on it during the times you want it closed and call it good. Why do they always have to go 1984 like this?
Like imagine they did this with a park or some other taxpayer funded resource that's equally open for public use. People wouldn't stand for it.
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#17In the most-detailed example of such initiatives described in the article, the steps taken in Oxford include ALPR-camera-triggered automated fines for driving on certain roadways at certain times of certain days to those "without a permit" (who is eligible for the special permits, how eligibility is determined, etc. is not discussed) and actual blocking of other streets using bollards (and heavy planters and other ob…
This is not that different from neighborhoods that ban through through truck traffic, or only allow residents to park curbside.
There is a fundamental trade-off between favoring people transiting through an area and residents. As someone traveling through you want wide straight roads with high speed limits. As a resident through traffic burdens you with pedestrian danger, air pollution, noise, and more crashes. So you lobby your council member to lower speed limits, add stop signs, and add traffic calming.
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not really. There is no conspiracy about closing roads to make them into pedestrian areas. No one claims fining someone for driving through a park would be a "conspiracy"...
Driving through a park is already prohibited. The initiative is describing paved roadways. In Oxford, the ability to drive on particular existing streets (streets, not parkland) is to be turned into a privilege, allegedly at certain times on certain days, and those who use those existing roadways without having new, specific permits will be automatically fined. From the article: Officials in Oxford approved a plan la…
You're still not actually describing a conspiracy though are you?
And it is standard for roads to stop being roads, to become limited or no access to vehicles etc.
Suddenly we're meant to think the illuminate are behind the fact only the park staff can drive through the park or only local residents can park in some places. But it's not true.
Just say "I like driving and want to drive a lot". There is no need to pretend that the UN and GoldmanSachs are plotting against you!?
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#19The role of large cities has typically been to act as an economic and cultural hub to their surrounding area. Cities that restrict access for outsiders to their economic and cultural areas will probably thrive in the short-term, but over the long term I suspect they will be replaced in their role as a regional hub by cities that don't.
Automobile dependent zoning regulations favor making driving easy to the detriment to everything else. Entire neighborhoods were bulldozed to make room for highways. Preserving unlimited free parking comes at the expense of rent zooming up due to the new supply of real estate being blocked.
There are other ways for people to get downtown. Parking can be pushed to the periphery of the business & entertainment districts. Walk, take a shuttle, or taxi in from there. Parking in a parking garage and walking two blocks is reasonable. Pedestrianized main drags are more lively as people don't feel the pressure of cars bearing down on them as they cross the street.
Cars are great tools. We've just gone overboard and don't even throw pedestrians (and dismounted motorists) a bone in the form of sidewalks, safe ways to cross the street, reasonably useful mass transit, and ways to cross over highways without walking an extra mile.
Re: The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories
#20It's important not to actually try to address this nonsense. The idea here not to honestly engage. It's to oppose all change on principal, and pretend it's for some reason (the theory) when it's really just a matter of (bad) personal choices. It's the equivalent of the Chewbacca defence but for public discourse: no one can make any progress if someone just screams nonsense constantly and that suits the person screami…
And what if governments are always spouting nonsense and implementing it because they have nothing better to do? I don't know these as 15 minute cities, I know these as anti-urban sprawl, pro-environment, anti-car neighborhoods. And the push has been on for over a decade to make this happen. Now that it's here, it's worse than thought. It's not just planning these things and letting people live and work close to home…
Well I don't think anyone is buying politicians for PRO environmental legislation but...
I have to give you credit: at least you are just up front about not wanting this. That's fine. You're a citizen with a right to a view etc. I only object when people start pretending it's all part of some shadow government, new world order, lizard people plot...