Chapter 4: Some lessons from current practice

Conclusions

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It is difficult to summarise in a few words the lessons for us of American experience. There is certainly no ready-made ‘answer’ to urban traffic to be had for the asking. On the other hand the many dire warnings against ‘repeating all the American mistakes’ often seem unfair and ill-informed. Invariably these warnings are associated with the alleged destruction of cities by freeways, but this is not what has happened. The run-down of central areas ante-dates the freeways, and appears to be a by-product of sprawl. The freeways are the logical attempt to lace sprawl together and to bring life back to the central areas. They have not in general carved up downtown areas. The mistakes, if there have been any, would seem to have lain first in the belief that freeways could deal with all commuter movements, and secondly in the overwhelming of freeways as a result of further sprawl. The first mistake has been realised; the second, in conditions of population explosion, poses a severe problem. But the logic of freeways in conditions of sprawl seems unassailable. We have our sprawls too, and in such a huge one as London, for example, the case for a high-capacity network seems unanswerable.

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There are other lessons too. There is no brilliant new physical environment for living with the motor vehicle apparent as yet, indeed one cannot but stand aghast at the great extent of the ugly and often sordid surroundings associated directly or indirectly with the motor vehicle, but there are many beginnings in sight. There are, for example, many suburban centres offering shopping conditions of a new kind, more efficient and pleasanter than anything in many capital cities, and with all the advantages of a car to hand. Another lesson of a different kind is to be found in the striking development of the scientific study of urban movement and its relationship to development. This we seem bound to follow, and if we could amalgamate this approach with our highly advanced planning system (in the sense that facility of movement becomes a prime factor influencing the planning of development) then we should achieve a major advance. Comprehensive redevelopment schemes, which are interesting examples of traffic architecture, are getting under way. They are backed by few of the planning powers we possess, but there is compensation in the readiness of owners, developers, the authorities and the public to work together for the betterment of their cities. Again, if we could amalgamate enthusiasm of this kind with our advanced planning system, we should make another great advance.