F E AT U R E By Hamish Stewart 1. Pedestrian route in Delft. © Malcolm Dodds
Traffic removal and land value capture 1
As Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, York and other UK cities act on the opportunity to create new traffic-free city centres, Hamish Stewart, co-founder of London Car Free Day, argues that the value of the land released should be captured for social good.
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e are living in an urban age. By 2030 over 60% of the global population will live in cities.1 The trend towards intensive urbanisation across all continents has major implications for humanity, and for climate change. How we manage our growing cities will determine our future prosperity and wellbeing as a species. Here in the UK, cities like London, 32
Manchester, and Birmingham and their peers have a unique opportunity to lead the world towards a more sustainable future of traffic-free city centres and climate resilient infrastructure. The role of urban form in determining public health outcomes is clearest in London and other UK cities which are failing to improve the worst air quality in Western Europe. Globally, the WHO estimates attributes 4.2 million deaths every year
to exposure to outdoor air pollution.2 Emissions from the transport sector are also a major driver of climate change, accounting for around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions.3 By leading the transition to traffic-free city centres, UK cities can demonstrate how more efficient land use can drive more equitable and prosperous urbanisation at the global scale. Around the world, cities are economic engines of growth and
‘68% of the world’s population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN’ (16.05.2018): https://www.un.org/ development/desa/en/ news/population/2018revision-of-worldurbanization-prospects. html 1
‘Ambient air pollution - a major threat to health and climate:’ https://www.who.int/ airpollution/ambient/en 2
‘Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data:’ https://www.epa. gov/ghgemissions/ global-greenhousegas-emissions-data 3
