Wider sidewalks and narrower streets, more pedestrians and fewer drivers. According to experts attending the ongoing First International Habitat Festival in the coastal city Weihai, cities should be as walkable as they are drivable.

"Cities tend to solve traffic congestion problems by widening roads. That's wrong," said Nicholas You, an official with Best Practices & Policies Bureau, UN Habitat. "It's a general rule observed by experts, that widening streets invites more traffic jams. We should therefore provide a variety of transport choices and create walkable neighborhoods. Road networks should have multiple alternatives," You said.

Sam casella, veteran American urban planner, said: "As China rapidly acquires many more private cars, maintaining transport choices will require strengthening the mass transit system and preserving safety and convenience for bicycling and walking."

Casella believes that the American car is entering a stage of decline. "This is our lesson, and I think the principles developed in the US could be further refined and adapted to the conditions of Asia," he added.

Public thoroughfares not only pertain to transport, but are also a representation of social equity, experts said. "Obviously, public thoroughfares, as the name implies, are public, not private. You will definitely question social equity if a city builds 70 percent of its road networks for 10 percent of car-owners," You said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2004)