Advisor to the mayor of Paris, Carlos Moreno, advises Prague: Fewer cars, more benefits for people
Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) and councilor for territorial development and planning Petr Hlaváček (TOP 09 and STAN) are thinking about the future of life in the Czech metropolis. As part of the Urban Talks event held in April this year, Carlos Moreno – advisor to the mayor of Paris, Anne Moreno, came to visit, thanks to whom Paris, previously a car-centric place, is becoming a warm city for pedestrians. “We want to follow this concept, apply it and put it into the city’s strategy, for example within the framework of the climate plan,” says Hřib.
More benefits, fewer cars
The concept would kill two birds with one stone. It would help the ecology in the city and globally, and emissions would be reduced with fewer cars. It is said that in the future it will be necessary to change Prague so that everything does not revolve around the center.
“It would never have occurred to me that someone would take me across the road,” recalls Petr Hlaváček from elementary school in 1967. He lived in a “short” town. He went to school around the corner, his father’s pub was also within walking distance. After school they played on Žofína and his grandmother hung red shorts on the balcony, which was the signal for him to come home for dinner. Now, according to the deputy, it is time to return the city to the people, because nowadays we are solving the problem of cities for cars.
The urban lifestyle in particular is in for a change
According to Professor Moreno, the goal of transport is not primarily to increase the quality of life in cities. It is better to spend an hour of useful life on a bicycle or on foot than in an unhealthy car. “The 15 Minute City has become a popular topic worldwide,” he says.
Due to global warming and pollution, we have to change our lifestyle in cities. Cities are the highest producers of emissions. Most people in the world live in them. He will spend most of his life in both Prague and Paris. The question is, what kind of city do we want to live in? We have a climate crisis. We need to redefine the concept of cities. As an example, Moreno gives the city of Milan under the leadership of his friend, the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. He took advantage of covid and pleasant travel to a greener city.
Unnecessary travel around the city
According to the professor, it is common for people to spend two to three hours in the car on the road every day in the city. Now is the time to change the accessibility of places by walking to get everywhere do 15 minutes. Decentralization must occur. There are 3 spheres to achieve sustainability – economics, environment and social consequences. The city must implement such a policy to make it livable, viable and fair. This will lead to a higher attractiveness of the city, the initial investment will be returned.
The highest sector of household production in cities is said to be cars, followed by buildings. That’s why the professor wants to limit mainly car traffic. They say that we have to reach 6 basic things within 15 minutes on foot. First, we must not live squished like ants. Second, don’t work far from home. Furthermore, we should have a better business infrastructure and not buy everything in one crowded place.
Fourth, we must take care of our physical and mental health. The fifth point belongs to schools within walking distance. And the last aspect is the necessity for us to have access to clean water and air. “After World War II, we accepted living in poor living conditions,” I think Moreno. We now live in human anthills. The city is not supposed to adapt to cars or department stores and developers, but to the individuals who live here.
The choice is ours
According to the professor, there must always be a choice of how to travel in the city. Either on foot and healthy, or by car, but the decision should be up to us. “We have great potential, but I am thinking about implementing this concept. This will be a real challenge,” says the mayor. According to him, Prague’s problem is local administration. “This governance model makes any change very complicated,” he concludes.
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Author: Jan Malý, IPR Prague