Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Location: Flagstaff, AZ

Had an on-camera dialog this morning with Ron Hubert of Hozho International, and professor at Northern Arizona University. It was a great session and we covered the future of cities and what needs to be done to create the shift in thinking necessary to carry our urban spaces into the future.

We talked about why cities are so important and the fact that up to 75 percent of the developed world lives in cities and thus they play a significant role in our environmental, social, and economic well-being.

You can read more about Ron's work on the future of cities by reading the PDF document found HERE.

It's interesting to think of cities as nothing more but systems built of individual yet interconnected components. The question becomes how do we change certain aspects while understanding the extent of the unintended consequences.

Ron at one point was mentioning Jevon's Paradox and how oftentimes when cities have traffic issues, they widen their highways. The result is often that people who had to sit in traffic before and weren't willing to wait were then able to get places better. They then take jobs further away and consume more fuel in the process, not to mention that before they may have considered public transit as a solution to the traffic issues. People who were riding public transit in the wake of a new highway decide to drive. With fewer riders the cost of the public transit goes up.. and people who rely on its use have increased costs thus again making the car more of a viable option.

Sometimes in trying to fix things we only make things worse... and trying to evaluate what decisions to make and when and how to make them can be a very difficult road to walk. This holds true not only in the planning of cities and a sustainable future but also in our immediate and personal lives.

It's this complexity that makes life interesting and furthers our learning and spiritual growth.. if life were simple, it'd also be quite boring. And again it's important to note that while there are no simple answers, there are also no mistakes... only things we learn from.

peace,d