Peter Calthorpe Explained
Peter Calthorpe (born 1949) is a San Francisco–based architect, urban designer and urban planner. He is a founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism, a Chicago-based advocacy group formed in 1992 that promotes sustainable building practices. For his works on redefining the models of urban and suburban growth in America Calthorpe has been named one of twenty-five ‘innovators on the cutting edge’ by Newsweek magazine.[1]
Early life
Calthorpe was born in London and raised in Palo Alto, California.[2] He attended the Yale School of Architecture.
Career
In 1986, he, along with Sim Van der Ryn, published Sustainable Communities.[3] In the early 1990s, he developed the concept of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) highlighted in .[4]
He has taught at U.C. Berkeley, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and the University of North Carolina.
In 1989, he proposed the Pedestrian Pocket, an up to pedestrian-friendly, transit-linked, mixed-use urban area with a park at its centre. The Pedestrian Pocket mixes low-rise, high-density housing, commercial and retail uses. The concept had several similarities with Ebenezer Howard's Garden City and aimed to be an alternative to low-density residential suburban developments.[5]
As an expert on urban planning, Peter Calthorpe, is frequently cited in various reputable mass media including New York Times,[6] The Guardian,[7] National Geographic,[8] Newsweek,[9] Grist,[10] Metropolismag,[11] The Advocate[12] and others.
In 2006, Calthorpe won the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.[13]
In his 2017 TED Talk, Calthorpe addressed the necessity of efficient use of space and resources in the context of climate change and identified urban sprawl an urgent trend that requires immediate attention.[14]
In 2018, Calthorpe launched urban-planning software UrbanFootprint that should help fight sprawl allowing non-experts to model the impacts of different urban planning scenarios.[15]
Among the most recent Calthorpe concerns are autonomous cars as a potential reason for increased urban congestion and suburban sprawl. Unlike the advocates of self-driving cars who believe that they will lead to fewer cars and faster commutes, Calthorpe believes that the convenience of autonomous transport will only encourage more car trips.[16] He suggests an alternative plan to avoid congestion – autonomous rapid transit – fleets of self-driving vans in reserved lanes on main arteries.[17]
Personal life and family
He is married to Jean Driscoll.[18] He has three children: Lucia, Jacob, and Asa.
His sister Diana Calthorpe is married to real estate developer Jonathan F. P. Rose.[19] His niece is artist Rachel Rose.
Writings
- Calthorpe, Peter and Sim Van der Ryn (1986). Sustainable Communities: A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs and Towns. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
- Calthorpe, Peter: The Pedestrian pocket, in Doug, Kelbaugh (ed.) Pedestrian Pocket Book, 1989
- Calthorpe, Peter: The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream, Princeton Architectural Press, 1993
- Calthorpe, Peter and Fulton, William: The Regional City, Island Press, 2001
- Calthorpe, Peter: Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change, Island Press, 2010
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Caves, R. W.. Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. 2004. 62.
- News: FOCUS; A Transit-Oriented Approach to Suburbia . The New York Times. November 10, 1991.
- Book: Sustainable Communities: A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs, and Towns. Van Der Ryn. Sim. Calthorpe. Peter. Sierra Club Books. 1986. 9780871568007. registration.
- Web site: Does China's Urbanization Spell Doom or Salvation? Peter Calthorpe Weighs In.... 2013-08-02. ArchDaily. en-US. 2019-11-18.
- Web site: The City Reader . Le Gates . R. . Strout . F. . washington.edu .
- News: Is Houston Still a Model City? Its Supporters Aren't Backing Down. Badger. Emily. 2017-09-04. The New York Times. 2019-11-18. en-US. 0362-4331.
- News: House-hunting in Silicon Valley: tech's newly rich fuel a spectacle of excess. Pogash. Carol. 2019-03-27. The Guardian. 2019-11-18. en-GB. 0261-3077.
- Web site: To build the cities of the future, we must get out of our cars. https://web.archive.org/web/20190314171318/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/04/to-build-cities-of-the-future-stop-driving-cars/. dead. March 14, 2019. 2019-03-14. Magazine. en. 2019-11-18.
- Web site: 15 Ways To Fix The Suburbs. EDT. Newsweek Staff On 5/14/95 at 8:00 PM. 1995-05-14. Newsweek. en. 2019-11-18.
- Web site: Peter Calthorpe on why urbanism is the cheapest, smartest way to fight climate change. 2011-02-16. Grist. en. 2019-11-18.
- Web site: The Real Problem With China's Ghost Towns. 2013-09-01. Metropolis. en-US. 2019-11-18.
- Web site: Late planner John Fregonese remembered for ideas that re-envisioned, shape Baton Rouge's city design. BOONE. TIMOTHY. The Advocate. 20 June 2018 . en. 2019-11-18.
- Web site: 2006 J.C. Nichols Prize Winner—Peter Calthorpe. Franke. Leigh. 2006-08-03. ULI Americas. en-US. 2019-11-18. 2019-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20191231225804/https://americas.uli.org/nichols-prize-winners/2006-jc-nichols-prize-winner-peter-calthorpe/. dead.
- Web site: This Is How Architecture Can Curb Climate Change. Architectural Digest. 16 May 2017 . en. 2019-11-18.
- News: 'I Don't Think Technology and the City Are at Odds'. Florida. Richard. Bloomberg. 17 April 2018 . en. 2019-11-18.
- News: Urban Planning Guru Says Driverless Cars Won't Fix Congestion. Markoff. John. 2018-10-27. The New York Times. 2019-11-18. en-US. 0362-4331.
- Web site: Driverless cars won't help traffic congestion, he says. Markoff. John. 2018-10-28. SFGate. 2019-11-18.
- Book: The Regional City. Peter. Calthorpe. William. Fulton. xii . Island Press. April 10, 2013. 9781597266215.
- Web site: C. Nichols Prize Winner—Peter Calthorpe. Urban Land Institute. Leigh. Franke. ULI.org. August 3, 2006. April 10, 2015. March 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305160247/http://uli.org/nichols-prize-winners/2006-jc-nichols-prize-winner-peter-calthorpe/. dead.
