Show Imago utopian, green cities in the year 2030

Karen Matthews, associated PressNEW YORK — imagine no cars — or less, though.In New York City Pas two mile parkway FDR Drive is torn to open lower Manhattan for parks and streets and bicyclists are given their own lane on the Brooklyn Bridge, An elevated highway. Guangzhou, China, is transformed in pedestrian promenade and roofs are connected with raised walkways and bikeways.In Jakarta, Indonesia traditional bicycle taxis called becaks are re-engineered to be lighter and easier to drive.These three towns and seven other featured in exhibition on transport, environment-friendly future opening Thursday in New York City. The exhibition, entitled "Our city Ourselves," will be at the Centre for architecture in Greenwich Village by Sept 11 before travelling to other cities, said organizers. "We hired 10 architects from cities around the world help us imagine what their cities may be look in 2030 if we made the city more human scale, more friendly, "says Walter Hook, Executive Director of the Institute of transport and the exhibition of the rozwojuorganizowane policy of financing of the ClimateWorks Foundation. Hook based on San Francisco cradled his Bicycle Helmet in one arm, he provided for in tour of the exposition. "Essentially we are trying to send the message that if the city does not move in this direction we're going to face in the urzeczywistniona climate, because in developing countries the use of private cars is Escalating two-digit," Hook, "he said.The city has been selected as the hook and based on the New York ITDP have relationships with them, helped design the bus systems in Jakarta, Indonesia; Mexico (City); Ahmedabad, India, and other locales.The exhibit includes images and 3D models of urban neighborhoods as they are provided in 2030 next to current pictures from the same neighborhoods.In the township Soweto in Johannesburg, the current picture shows low-rise housing and not much more. But Soweto 2030 is the bustling markets and public spaces. "Not allowed to open shops, traditionally, on apartheid, "Hook," he said. "What we have done is, therefore, we have already sort of reimagined as a kind of new city ... where people may actually work and shop in downtown Soweto."Model of Guangzhou, also known as Canton, shows the network path of the roof evoking Theodor Seuss Geisel. "In China, nothing is possible, "Hook," he said.Utopia lower Manhattan shows vision pedestrians, bicycles, and very few cars. Michael Sorkin, architect who designed the piece New York exhibition, said he thought that it is "feasible." "The streets are laid down by the Dutch in the pattern of medieval fundamentally," he said. "You have not edited for cars."In New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg won he has accolades from advocates alternative transport for the introduction of pedestrian streets in the middle of Times Square, near the theatres of Broadway and Herald Square, where Macy flagship department store.Sorkin said his own ideas such as the tearing down of the lower part of the FDR Drive, which runs along the East side of Manhattan, are equally plausible. "A year ago nobody thought you can shut down Broadway, "he said. "But suddenly is shut down, and everyone loves." "Our cities, Ourselves" travels to Guangzhou after New York City. Other cities in the exposition are Ahmedabad, India; Budapest, Hungary; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Jakarta, Indonesia; Johannesburg, South Africa, Mexico, Mexico, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY Community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.