Area fairness

 

In the fight for climate justice and a sustainable society, a central aspect is the creation of sustainable and livable cities. Particularly in the focus of the upcoming socio-ecological transformation in urban areas is the topic of mobility - because hardly anything shapes our cityscapes more than fossil automobiles, which cannot have a future in a climate-friendly world.

A change is coming, that's for sure. But how this upheaval can look like is, as so often, the subject of complex social negotiation processes. A topic that is becoming more and more important is the fairness of the area. 

This is because motorised private transport is not only a climate killer, but also a ‘area eater’: The moving and stationary (car) traffic occupies a large part of the public space. Not only the streets themselves, but also the parking areas play a major role.  Because the average car in a German city drives an hour a day and stands the remaining 23 hours useless in the area - mostly on public areas. We allow cars and their parking lots 10 times as much public space as children and their playgrounds, even though in German inner cities only 30 people are allowed to drive.% - 50% People drive cars at all - a situation that should make us think about how we want to use our public space justly and in a way that is fit for the future.

Exactly this question is at the heart of the topic of surface justice, which is currently also a focus of our work at PowerShift. It is clear that the upcoming social transformation represents an opportunity to achieve more than “only” climate neutrality. The goal of livable cities in which we use public space for people and society instead of tin and gasoline can also play a central role.

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