Build now, pay (a lot) later: the hidden cost of car-centric development – transportxtra
Build now, pay (a lot) later: the hidden cost of car-centric development
Schemes such as Garden Towns require expensive off-site road infrastructure and a huge amount of on-site space for cars, says Martina Juvara. It’s time for cost effective alternatives that will help achieve net zero, she argues
Martina Juvara 05 October 2021
This is a decade of innovation: big change is awaiting us as technology continues to evolve and the response to climate change starts to gather momentum. Yet most housebuilding companies shy away from trumpeting innovation. They clearly rise to meet challenging government targets, but they do not make their customers aware of the innovation they are providing; energy efficient appliances are often disguised as chandeliers or Victorian-looking A-rated stoves, in developments reassuringly named like aristocratic parks or farmhouses.
Housebuilding companies will not be the ones fighting for change, proposing new ways to live and a different relationship with our cars. In doing so, they may be perpetuating a status quo where not enough questions are asked about the real costs of car-centric development. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones.
