This discussion is an elaboration of the 'Bike City' section of my book 'Zero Cost Living'.
Introduction:
Electric bikes are a rising phenomena. In the last several years they have become more popular world wide. In China over 120 million people have bought EBs in the last several years, 10 times more than bought cars. In Europe and America sales are way up.
Electric bikes, with greater range, speed and versatility than pure pedal bikes create new expanded possibilities in city design.
What if a city was designed FROM THE START around the electric bike? How would it look? How would it look compared to the pedal bike city described in my book? How would it look compared to the usual automobile infested city?
Someone ought to design and build a city around the electric bike (EB). I will initiate that process here.
EB advantages and disadvantages:
Before discussing City design, a review of the advantages and disadvantages of EBs will help clarify the possibilities.
Advantages of EBs of pedal only bikes and over automobiles:
Low cost: With a cost of around 2,000 to under 500 dollars EBs are cheap compared to automobiles, and not more expensive than 'high end' bikes.
Practical:
EBs make biking practical for almost everybody, even the physically challenged. EBs mean hills are not a problem. Folks can get to work on EBs without getting sweaty
Clean:
EBs do not pollute the air, land and water (through runoff into waterways), unlike gasoline or diesel powered automobiles, (or motorcycles, mopeds, etc).
Speed:
Speeds to 20 miles per hour or more are possible. EBs could keep up with automobiles on city surface streets and be faster than pedal bikes - especially on hills.
Range:
With sealed lead acid batteries Eb range is about 10 to 20 miles and 20 to 40 miles with Lithium batteries.
Size (compact):
EBs can park in a much smaller space than automobiles. City parking problems are solved with EBS. Much less space is wasted on parking. Folding EBS could even be brought into office cubicles (if your cubicle is large enough).
All Weather:
All weather bikes are more practical if electric: possible are enclosed 3 wheelers with rear wheel as the electric and/or pedal powered drive wheel. also possible - enclosed 2 wheelers with 'training wheels' that fold down at stops. And a heater is certainly possible in an enclosed EB.
Also: Extra weight of an EB vs pedal only bike = more traction in snow and wet.
EB disadvantages vs cars and pedal bikes:
Cars: Speed: For safety EB maximum speed should be limited to about 20 miles per hour. Automobiles can travel much faster. However, as discussed below, EBs may be able to travel as fast or faster than cars on city 'surface streets'.
EBs are not able to carry large loads - compared to automobiles. And, EBS are limited to 1 or 2 people, not more.
Pedal only bikes: EBs are more expensive at the 'bottom end' of the price range.
EBs weigh more and are harder and slower in pedal model, (but EBs can still be pedalled and move much faster using less energy than a person on foot). Bikes have unlimited range. EBs have limited range in electric drive mode.
EB CITY DESIGN:
EB City could be fast, clean, safe, quiet, and low cost compared to an automobile infested city.
Fast:
EBs with their greater speed over pedal only bikes may zip folks around town as fast as cars - and being easier to park may even be faster when total trip time is added up. In fact, as I will explain in a moment, EB city may allow people to get around faster than they can in any automobile infested city.
Compared to a pedal only bike, people can more easily carry things in bike racks or panniers, or carry a child in an extra seat,or tow a bike trailer because they need not be slowed down by the extra weight.
City size:
Electric Bikes allow a larger and more elaborate city than is possible for a city designed for pedal bikes as described in my book. Instead of 3 miles across, 7 miles is possible while still allowing everyone to get anywhere in the city in half an hour or less. Instead of 150,000 people in 9 square miles and 16,600 people per square mile, 314,000 people in 49 square miles (7 x 7 miles) would work. So with the EB the city can be more spread out: 6400 people per square mile.
Mass transit not needed:
Buses or other forms of mass transit may not be necessary, (except for a transit station in the city center to link EB city to other cities). Like automobiles and unlike mass transit, EBs allow people to go from point to point. And like automobiles and unlike mass transit, EBs allow people to leave whenever they want to without concern about transit schedules. Without mass transit, mass transit problems: the tedium of waiting, paying for tickets, crowding aboard, enduring long uncomfortable rides sometimes standing up, sharing germs with too-close fellow passengers, and having to travel extra distances when routes and stops are inconveniently located - are eliminated. In China when communicable diseases infested cities people preferred their bikes, and electric bikes to crowded buses and face masks.
Automobiles in EB city:
In EB City some modestly sized conventional automobiles may be needed for fire, police, rescue, ambulance; as well as commercial vehicles used for delivery, construction, maintenance etc. However, in EB City these vehicles will need to be compact and able to use narrower more lightly paved roads designed for bikes.
No conventional automobiles:
To make roads safe for EBs, conventional cars and trucks need to be excluded from the City except for those just listed. And, for safety, speeds of allowed vehicles must be kept low except in emergency.
No school buses may be necessary: kids can ride EBs to school. Result: lower operating cost for school district and lower taxes.
Clean:
No cars means EB city can have clean air. And, no land or water pollution from road runoff from cars leaking fluids into drainage ways (and eventually waterways).
Safe:
No cars means EB City can be safer than a car infested city.
Quiet:
No cars means EB city can be a quiet city.
Pedal only bikes:
Certainly, pedal only bikes would be welcome in EB city. Physically fit people may be able to travel as fast as EBs. They are likely, however, to work up a sweat (and arrive at work, shopping, entertainment, etc. needing a shower).
City layout, and road (bikepath) design:
In EB City the bike wheel appropriately describes the city design that might work best: a central hub where people mostly walk after parkin their bikes, a ring road around the hub with bike parking on the inside, radial spokes out from the ring road as routes to the outer city, and a second ring road around the outside perimeter of the city connecting the radial spokes at their outside edge. 8 radial spoke roads linking the inner and outer rings should be enough. Where radial spokes meet ring roads traffic circles or 'roundabouts' can be created. With two ring roads and 8 spokes between them there will be 16 total roundabouts in the EB City.
And major radial routes and ring roads could be designed as bike expressways: divided with a median strip, overpasses for cross streets and on and off ramps. Compared to automobile expressways these bikeways would be quiet, non polluting, and cheaper Cheaper because bike x-ways could be narrower, use less land, have narrower and less thick paving and overpasses and ramps of lighter construction. Overpasses and bridges can be cheaper - more lightly built because they will not have to support heavy vehicles.
Subdivisions and houses would be designed around cul-de -sacks. Minor roads would link cull-de-sacs to the major radial routes.
Fast travel details:These road layout methods makes possible the idea that may make EB City faster to get around in than is possible in any automobile or even mass transit centered city. No stop lights or stop signs may be needed anywhere in the city. Let me repeat:
NO STOP LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS MAY BE NEEDED ANYWHERE IN THE CITY! With roundabouts at all major intersections, bike x-ways, cul-de-sacs and speeds limited to the average speed (or less) of EBs of about 20 miles per hour traffic will be able to flow smoothly throughout the city without stops being necessary anywhere. Where cul-de-sacs meet minor streets, and minor streets meet the ring or radial roads riders would be able to merge with the flow of traffic because speed are limited to 20 m.p.h. So the overall average speed of a rider through the city might be near 20 miles per hour. Compare this to the average speed of an automobile or bus through surface streets of cities with traffic lights, stop signs, and traffic jams of 16 miles an hour or less - often much less.
Some roads and routes may be enclosed or covered to ease travel in hot or cold, windy rainy or snowy weather. The narrowness of bikes (vs cars) make this possible.
Low cost:
Lower cost: a host of lower costs may be possible in EB City: no car needed, no mass transit needed, no school buses needed, cheaper roads and overpasses, resulting in generally low transportation costs, along with lower taxes, low vehicle insurance rates, lower health care costs (because of a healthier population), and less stress all around - further improving health and lowering costs.
More green space:
EB City can have plenty of open space - plenty of green space. EB City needs less paved land, making room for gardens and greenhouses - so EB city has enough land to be self sufficient in food. In fact, EB City may be able to generate a food surplus to export. EB City can be an urban farming community. This may be more practical than most people realize because compost and human manure - useful after treatment to fertilize crops is generated right next to the places where crops are being grown.
Because much less time and effort is needed to earn enough money to live in EB City, because costs are low in almost every category of expense, people can have more, probably much more leisure time.
Unprecedented leisure time means EB City residents will want elaborate leisure facilities. EB city may boast more of these facilities than an automobile infested city: more green spaces, gardens, parks, gyms, swimming pools indoor and out, water park, theaters, stadium, amusement park, media center, museums, libraries, restaurants, art studios, craft shops, metal and wood shops, in town university. And EB City residents may want extensive PHYSICAL facilities to work with: tools, machines, materials, workshops.
Many, not all of these facilities could be located in the City hub, easy for all to access, no one more than 3.5 miles and a 10 minute EB ride away.
To ship bulk things into and out of EB City, a rail and/or truck route through the residential ring into the hub could be built. This shipping access route could be sunk well below ground level to limit noise, and possibly be completely or partly covered over with roads, bridges, overpasses and buildings. No roads or walkways would cross the shipping route at grade, all would cross over above the route on bridges/overpasses. The shipping route terminal could be placed beneath the hub, possibly beneath the central square.
Mass transit - rail or bus routes into and out of EB City could use the shipping route sunken passage to a passenger terminal beneath the hub square.
Multiple positive feedback loops exist in EB City. A few examples:
Example 1: more exercise = better health = lower health care costs = lower insurance rates = lower cost of living = less time earning money needed = more leisure time = less stress, and so on.
Example 2: children EB to school = no buses needed = lower school budgets = lower taxes = more money or more leisure time, etc.
Example 3: Smaller vehicles = narrower roads = less parking space needed = less paving = more green space = more land for gardens = enough land to grow all food needed by residents = fresh organic locally grown food = healthier residents etc.
LAND AREA ESTIMATES:
6,400 people per square mile and 49 square miles total = 6,400 x 49 = over 300,000 people. 1/10 acre per person average density.
1/10 acre per person average with half of the land area per person used for non residential land uses: streets, parks, nature areas, ponds and waterways, schools, commercial buildings, city hub, etc.
Houses and lots will be compact, but not crowded -about the size of a small suburban lot. 1/10 acre per person or 4356 square feet divided by 2 (because half of the area is non residential = 2178 square feet per person.
For a family of 4: 2178 square feet x 4 = 8712 square feet. or .2 = 2/10 acre.
60 x 150 foot lot = 9,000 square feet. I will use a 60 x 150 foot lot for calculations:
A lot of this size allows room for front court yard (partly garden) of 2,400 square feet (60 x 40), plus 1600 square foot house 'footprint' including attached greenhouse (40 x 40 feet) on 3 floors (4,800 square foot house and greenhouse total), plus, behind the house - 2000 square foot garden, and 3000 square foot play yard. No side walls of the house need be shared with a neighbor. 10 foot setbacks on each side of the lot allows room for 40 foot wide house on the 60 foot wide lot. Ideally the front or back yard would face south and most streets would run (with up to 30 degree variation) east or west in the residential neighborhoods (connecting with radial roads at the ends).
EB city can have low energy needs: self sufficient in energy, food, most materials, recycling everything.
All resources are recycled:
trash recycled
food wastes composted -including restaurant wastes.
Human waste used for fertilizer.
Design details:
In center of hub - central square with walkways leading out between tree and green clad buildings, some walkways through arcades on the ground floor of buildings - to smaller squares scattered throughout the hub of EB City.
The city center could be designed for human scale, not monumental (as happens in many cities), with courtyards and squares and gardens linked by all-pedestrian streets, not wide streets designed for automobiles, but narrower - for people and occasional slow speed bike size delivery and service vehicles.
Buildings could be earth covered with earth bermed walls growing plants and trees on roofs and wall berms. So, buildings could resemble hills and the city hub might resemble a collection of natural tree clad hills.
Wildlife could have a home here, even in the city hub.
Man can make space for nature in EB city.
