Sixteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

Cities in Texas, pre-1945, with a three-mile transect represent a livable and sustainable model for modern cities. The initial three-mile transect cuts through a dense, mixed-use downtown surrounded by a warehouse district and edged with streetcar suburbs and nature. The same three-mile transect today is less populated in the downtown, with a livable midtown and intown suburbs, increasingly, the home of millennials. In an ideal transition, the three-mile transect has a downtown population density of 20 per acre, midtown population density of 10 per acre and a residential district with a population of 6 per acre. This pattern is sustainable with the reinstatement of streetcars, 10-minute hailed-rides to the city in electric vehicles, 10-minute bicycle trips and 10-minute walkable centers. Flipped, the three-mile transect becomes a multicentered city with centers located on the existing beltway. The multicentered city is anticipated by Ebenezer Howard in “Garden Cities of Tomorrow” (1902). This study maps Texas cities for livability and sustainability using the three-mile transect, mixed-use, access to nature, and density of employment and population. Livability is defined by the individual. Choice of housing type is essential, as is the proximity of employment, services, shopping, recreation and nature. Sustainability is reinforced through smaller living accommodations and 10-minute access via a variety of transportation options. Maintenance of natural features, parks, and green everywhere contribute to cooling the urban environment and cleaning the air of pollutants and carbon dioxide. Livability and sustainability are integrally linked for a healthy and beautiful city.