Speaker: David Gurin, City Planner

The conflict between the city and the car became an issue much earlier in history than is generally known and remains mostly unresolved today. The domination of the city by the private car has lowered urban standards of beauty, safety, health, quiet and equity. But this domination has had a long history of opponents and they have achieved a degree of success in some cities, where policies and programs have been introduced to overcome automotive damage. In other parts of the world large-scale ownership of private cars is just beginning, but very few policies have been adopted to prevent the harm this will inflict on urban form and citizen health and opportunities.

The seminar will discuss the essence of the conflict between car and city and what measures can be taken to achieve transportation that is democratic, aesthetic and safe.