On July 10, the Chilean Chamber of Construction, CChC, held the International Conference “Urban Reorganization, Challenges for accessible and equitable cities” to discuss accessibility and urban equity. The meeting was attended by prestigious national and international experts, such as Javier Hurtado, Manager of Studies of the CChC; Carl Weisbrod, expert in planning, affordable housing policies and urban development; and Jeff Speck, North American planner, urban designer and writer. In his speech, Javier Hurtado shared key statistics on mobilization in the country. Among them, he indicated that 80% of Chile’s inhabitants spend an average of one hour commuting from home to work; and that 14% of household income is spent on this item. In this context, he pointed out that the great challenges are not only in the quality of transportation, but also in the long distances that separate services and people. Carl Weisbrod, for his part, made a comparative presentation between New York and Chile, pointing out that in the Big Apple, currently 1% of wage earners receive 50% of total income, which shows the growing inequality in the United States, a phenomenon that has its correlate in our country. Given this reality, it is necessary to take measures such as orderly densification or zoning, which would make it easier for people of a lower economic level to live in places with better access to services. In terms of transportation and mobility, Weisbrod explained that New York has a subway built a hundred years ago, the only one that operates 24-7 and one of the widest in terms of the reach of different parts of the city; the high demand is generating a crisis and it is predicted that by 2025 it will reach its peak. To face this scenario, the Fast Forward project was created, which implies an investment of 40 billion dollars over 10 years for public transportation. Its objectives are to modernize it and make it “resilient”. As the specialist indicated, “the mantra is to go from the state of emergency to the state of the art in 4,000 days”. Subsequently, Jeff Speck referred extensively to the possibility of generating more pedestrian and cyclist friendly cities. According to his vision, there are two ways to grow the city: traditional neighborhood or suburban sprawl. Speck explains that the traditional neighborhood is a compact and diverse place, where everything is within walking distance and where there is a diversity of uses and zoning. In the suburban sprawl model, on the other hand, there is no compactness and there are few streets that take people anywhere. They are true “vehicle sewers,” said the specialist. In this sense, Speck explained that the current problem of cities is that there is a lack of diversity and lack of compaction, since there are places where people only live, where they only work or where they only shop. “We separate everything and then we have to reconnect it and highways become essential,” he points out. In a friendly city, neighborhoods allow people to get around by biking or walking. For this reason, Speck emphasized the need to invest in well-made bicycle lanes, protected – for example – by parked vehicles, because when bicycle lanes are on the edges of streets they are highly unsafe.
He also emphasized the need to ensure that people walk safely, with shorter blocks to avoid speeding, with fewer lanes for cars and more space for bicycle paths, as well as wide, attractive and entertaining sidewalks. As he said at the close of his presentation, “How do you get people to walk? By giving them a reason to walk; a safe walk; a comfortable walk; and an interesting walk”.
