What is the speaker's view on car-dependent cities?

The speaker criticizes car-dependent cities for their design.

How did the speaker's experience in Toronto influence his perspective on car ownership?

Living in downtown Toronto led the speaker to embrace a car-free lifestyle.

Researching city design and walkability sparked the speaker's interest in urban planning.

Despite efforts to enhance walkability, Houston struggles with car-centric design issues.

Houston's multimillion-dollar project at a 6-lane intersection highlights the city's car-centric design.

The speaker's personal experiences living in car-dependent cities like London and Houston, along with his transition to a car-free lifestyle in downtown Toronto, underscore the financial and urban planning implications of car ownership and city design.
Houston's urban development challenges, including retrofitting cities for cars and prioritizing car infrastructure over pedestrian-friendly initiatives, reveal a significant disconnect between sustainability goals and actual city planning decisions, emphasizing the persistent struggle to shift away from car dependency towards more walkable and sustainable urban environments.

What is the speaker's view on car-dependent cities?
The speaker criticizes car-dependent cities for their design.
How did the speaker's experience in Toronto influence his perspective on car ownership?
Living in downtown Toronto led the speaker to embrace a car-free lifestyle.
What inspired the speaker to delve into urban planning?
Researching city design and walkability sparked the speaker's interest in urban planning.
What challenges does Houston face in improving its urban infrastructure?
Despite efforts to enhance walkability, Houston struggles with car-centric design issues.
What recent project in Houston exemplifies the city's struggle with car dependency?
Houston's multimillion-dollar project at a 6-lane intersection highlights the city's car-centric design.

00:00

The speaker grew up in a car-dependent city called London, which he refers to as "Fake London" due to its design.
During university, he lived in various cities in Ontario and the San Francisco Bay Area, driving across the US 7 times and Canada once.
He decided to live in downtown Toronto, where he could live car-free and save money.
After being laid off post the dot-com crash, he realized the financial burden of car ownership.
His job required extensive travel, exposing him to diverse cities worldwide.
A walk in Houston highlighted the car-centric design issues in American cities.
The speaker delved into urban planning after researching city design and walkability.
He discovered that cities like Houston were not initially designed for cars but altered for them.
Despite Houston's efforts to improve with new bus networks and bike lanes, challenges persist.
Houston has restrictions similar to zoning laws, impacting urban development.

13:15

Houston recently completed a multimillion-dollar project known as a "protected intersection for pedestrians" at the intersection of two 6-lane stroads, featuring high-speed slip lanes for drivers, posing a danger to pedestrians and contradicting its pedestrian-friendly label.
Despite millions spent on pedestrian improvements, Houston is heavily investing billions in car infrastructure, showcasing a strong addiction to car-dependency, with plans for a 7 billion dollar highway expansion project that will demolish numerous buildings and businesses, highlighting a lack of sustainability and a city designed around car use.