Mobility and Environment : Humanists Versus Engineers in Urban Policy and Professional Education

The transportation revolution does not simply mean taking a bus instead of a car. It means centering the political debate on the necessity to shift dramatically from a technical to a political culture, and from an economic development oriented policy to an environment centered one. A radical proposal to transform the currently existing thought on cities, traffic, planning and environment,. Innovative, provocative and best of all ironic. **Richard Peet, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA**__Mobility and Environment__ is quite an unusual and refreshing contribution to the literature. Through the analysis of urban traffic problems the book deconstructs the present paradigm of urban development, highlights its deficiencies and proposes alternative solutions. The volume would definitely be of interest to geographers and planners, while it also addresses issues that concern sociology, government, philosophy and communication. **Antònia Casellas, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain** Our cities have to cope every day with traffic problems. Corrado Poli’s, __Mobility and Environment,__ introduces an innovative perspective on mobility planning by applying environmental policy tools. **Francesco Musco, University IUAV of Venice, Italy** Mobility and Environment calls for a mobility revolution which does not simply mean taking a bus instead of a car: it implies a dramatic shift in the political debate from a technical to a political culture. The author introduces his book by disputing "non-political" Sustainable Development policies which are among the major culprits for the conservatism in environmental policies. For at least forty years, urban mobility policies, based on compulsive infrastructure building, have failed both in satisfying transportation demand and in coping with high environmental impacts. Nonetheless decision-makers keep employing the same professionals and therefore they act as shepherds who commit their sheep in the wolf's custody. Corrado Poli treats mobility policy as a political, ethical, social and educational issue rather than as a mere civil engineering one. Mobility and Environment challenges some deeply entrenched professional and economic monopolies which negatively affect urban and transportation planning in North America and Europe, and argues the old idea which bounded transportation and communication. A real environmentalist effort in traffic planning should begin from new technologies and from the analysis of citizens preferences. A series of new projects are presented which include mobility demand reduction and focus on democracy in planning. The transportation revolution does not simply mean taking a bus instead of a car.¡ It means centering the political debate on the necessity to shift dramatically from a technical to a political culture, and from an economic development oriented policy to an environment centered one. A radical proposal to transform the currently existing thought on cities, traffic, planning and environment, .¡ Innovative, provocative and best of all ironic. Richard Peet, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA Mobility and Environment is quite an unusual and refreshing contribution to the literature.¡ Through the analysis of urban traffic problems the book deconstructs the present paradigm of urban development, highlights its deficiencies and proposes alternative solutions.¡ The volume would definitely be of interest to geographers and planners, while it also addresses issues that concern sociology, government, philosophy and communication. Antònia Casellas, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain Our cities have to cope every day with traffic problems.¡ Corrado Poli's, Mobility and Environment, ¡introduces¡an innovative perspective on mobility planning by applying environmental policy tools. Francesco Musco, University IUAV of Venice, Italy The transportation revolution does not simply mean taking a bus instead of a car. It means centering the political debate on the necessity to shift dramatically from a technical to a political culture, and from an economic development oriented policy to an environment centered one. A radical proposal to transform the currently existing thought on cities, traffic, planning and environment,. Innovative, provocative and best of all ironic. Richard Peet, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA Mobility and Environment is quite an unusual and refreshing contribution to the literature. Through the analysis of urban traffic problems the book deconstructs the present paradigm of urban development, highlights its deficiencies and proposes alternative solutions. The volume would definitely be of interest to geographers and planners, while it also addresses issues that concern sociology, government, philosophy and communication. Antònia Casellas, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain Our cities have to cope every day with traffic problems. Corrado Poli's, Mobility and Environment, introduces an innovative perspective on mobility planning by applying environmental policy tools. Francesco Musco, University IUAV of Venice, Italy Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction: Technicians and Humanists in the Environmentalist Debate on Mobility and the City....Pages 1-13 Sustainable Development: From Fallacy to Fraud....Pages 15-42 Technologies, Problems, Solutions....Pages 43-61 Mobility and the Corporatist Society....Pages 63-82 Traffic Planning Critique....Pages 83-98 Urban Space and Mobility Policies in Europe and in North America....Pages 99-111 Northern Virginia Transportation Authority “Trans-Action 2030” Plan: A Case Study....Pages 113-123 Ethical Aspects in Traffic Planning....Pages 125-132 Education and Training of Traffic Professionals....Pages 133-142 Planning Approaches....Pages 143-158 Some Procedures and Some Content....Pages 159-169 What to Do?....Pages 171-180 Between Private and Public: Mutual Transportation....Pages 181-191 Conclusion....Pages 193-194 Back Matter....Pages 195-202 Corrado Poli. Includes Bibliographical References And Index