Imagine communities as walkable: healthy, socially vital, and planet friendly.
Urban design consultant Steve Price has devoted his career to helping people to envision this ideal and make it a reality.
One of the first steps is to rethink our transportation options. “It’s time to right-size our mobility choices,” says Steve, an advocate for safe, convenient alternatives to personal automobiles. “We all don’t have to get on bicycles, and maybe we don’t even have to give up driving cars. But what should be the future of transportation in our region?”
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the most formidable to tackle. Not only do we need to improve vehicle technology, but also we have to change entrenched economic interests, cultural norms, and people’s habits.
Yet Americans are driving more and more in bigger and bigger vehicles, which only will get heavier as they get electrified.
Steve founded Urban Advantage, a consulting firm that helps communities become “more in tune with nature and human needs.”
To that end, Steve creates highly realistic photo simulations that show people how their neighborhoods could be more walkable and more accommodating to alternatives to cars.
He has produced more than 600 simulations for communities across North America. His clients have included cities, urban designers, developers, transportation agencies, environmental groups, foundations, universities, and neighborhood groups. His images have appeared in many publications, including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the San Jose Mercury, and Sierra Magazine.
He also wrote Imagining a Walkable America, a free, online book that imagines a low-carbon future for America’s towns and cities.