Green Metropolis is a highly informative book. It takes a serious approach to environmentalism–both in terms of reducing greenhouse gases and curbing our use of fossil fuels. The author David Owen believes that contrary to popular opinion, cities like Portland, Boulder, and Seattle are not environmentally responsible since their per capita annual expenditure of greenhouse gases is high. Owen’s contrarian philosophy is that cities should not seek to emulate Portland, but instead should emulate New York City–where people live in apartments, sidewalks are wide enough to support foot traffic, and most people get to work by a combination of walking and mass transit. Because so many people in New York use the subway system, and because humans live in close proximity to one another in buildings that organize people in small spaces, New York’s per capita expenditure of greenhouse gases is the lowest of any city in America.
I agree with Owen. I hate having to drive whenever I want to go somewhere. It’s a waste of gas, and I hate thinking that I’m using fossil fuels and spewing CO2 into the atmosphere. I wish there were a subway or light-rail near me. Large buildings are more environmental because the heat escaping from one apartment heats the one above it, and the layout of the city ought to be part of any environmental certification, such as the LEED certification. I enjoy being able to walk places where sidewalks are wide, and I don’t often get that while living in the country. Owen correctly points out that someday we will run out of oil. It took millions of years for that oil to develop, and we’re using millions of gallons a day. It’s rare to see anything that is manufactured without it, and when we run out, it’s going to be scary.
I think this is an important book. The only fault I had with the book–and it’s a major fault–is Owen himself. He himself lives in Connecticut, in a suburb that is exactly the kind of city that he criticizes for its lack of public transit, uncongested roadways, and zoned living arrangements. He deflects his choice of city by saying that if he moved, someone else would move into his big house and wreak even more havoc on the environment since Owen works at home and doesn’t drive much. I felt like that was a bit of a cop-out. It hurt the message.
Anyway, check out this book. Owen does a decent job of covering all aspects of modern environmentalism, including credit offsets and solar energy. It’s an eye-opening book, despite the fact that the messenger lives where he does.
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