EcoGeek recently posted a story on Toronto’s plan for creating a new sustainable “walkable urbanism” out of a sea of post-WWII apartment buildings. It sounds like an impressive model for urban sustainability. Which is important, because urban sustainability may be the key. To everything.
I really admire people who choose to live off the grid today, from nuclear families like this family in Pasadena to intentional communities around the world that are making sustainability a priority. It also makes me feel a little guilty, but I am just not there at this point in my life.
The fact is, even if we all wanted to, human beings can’t go back to living like we used to live. There are too many of us today, and not enough space for us to adopt a hunter-gatherer, tribal model of survival. Barring some disaster that wipes out most of us, if we are to continue to live on this planet, we need a model for urban sustainability. And it necessarily will be very different from a successful model for living sustainably in a rural community, even a modern rural community. The city of Toronto is taking a bold step towards adopting urban sustainability on a large scale.
Healthy communities are the building blocks of a sustainable civilization. It is ironic that in this era of maximum population density, individuals are increasingly isolated. In part, this is due to the “immersive ugliness” of our cities and, especially, suburbia. In his TED talk on suburbia (seriously, take 20 minutes and watch it!), social critic James Kunstler explores how architecture and urban planning affect societal and individual development. Humans are fundamentally social beings who need community in order to survive. In cities all over the United States, our urban development virtually precludes the creation of healthy communities.
It is here where the Toronto Tower Renewal Project really gets it right. Yes, the project includes very specific plans for making the tower communities energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Two thumbs up! But it also outlines a plan to build healthy communities around active public spaces. For the individuals who live in and around them, these communities will be worth caring about and worth sustaining. And that is what sustainable development is all about.
