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I'm not actually sure what the official name is for this kind of bag. Is it a shopping cart, shopping trolley or something else? The answer likely depends on where you are. Whatever it is, the September issue of Monocle has a feature on Spanish shopping trolley maker Rolser.
And for it, they photographed a bunch of cool urbanites with their trolleys, and then asked them: What's in your Rolser? See above photo. Supposedly, or at least according to the company, about 63% of Spanish households have a Rolser in their house.
This is interesting. Because in my part of the world, the percentage would be low. In fact, there are stigmas around them. Many people associate grocery carts with elderly people and sometimes with people who can't afford a car. But that's the wrong way to think about this bag.
It's actually a built environment association. The correct framing is: Are you urban enough to be able to use one? Because they're very common throughout Europe. Here, for example, is Paris, where they're called a chariot de courses or a sac à roulettes.
All of this has me thinking two things. One, our household is overdue for one. And two, this is an opportunity. These are utilitarian and often stigmatized objects that could very easily be reframed into a lifestyle design object for urban cities around the world. (Though, to be fair, the Rolser pictured above looks pretty good.)
The only prerequisite is a walkable urban environment. Maybe it's time that Globizen gets into the city roller business. Or maybe one of you can just run with this idea and then I can buy one.
Photo: Monocle
I have a bias toward pedestrian-oriented cities. Being able to walk everywhere and take trains in a city like Paris or Tokyo is, in my opinion, a great luxury. But another important reason is that I have yet to find a big global city that is both designed around the car and that moves people efficiently. If any of you can prove me wrong with an example, I would welcome that. But I honestly can't imagine a world where the 40 plus million people who live in Greater Tokyo are able to move around as easily using cars as they do with trains.
It is for these reasons that when we take on new development projects in Toronto, we are looking for opportunities that will support a more pedestrian and transit-oriented future. This means saying no to sites that are unlikely to support this kind of built environment in the near term and aiming to build as little parking as possible, among other things. Put more simply, we want to build well-designed density next to transit. The two go hand in hand. Now, this may sound obvious, but keep in mind that the vast majority of the Toronto region is not built in this way; it's oriented around the car.
The Avenues Map that I blogged about yesterday depicts an urban structure that does not yet exist in Toronto, at least not in its entirety. It is a forward-looking planning document, which is what it should be. One of our goals as developers is to do our part in helping to build out this vision for the future. Because in our view, it's a better one.
Deloitte recently asked 1,000 Americans if they would be willing to give up car ownership in favor of something that they are calling "Mobility-as-a-Service." This umbrella moniker is meant to capture everything from public transit and bike shares to Ubers and car rentals.
Here are the results:
What's interesting is how willing young people seem to be to forgo car ownership. (Note: Willing, here, includes people who answered somewhat willing, willing, and very willing.)
It's also doesn't seem to be dependent on geography. Broadly speaking, urbanites are more likely to say that they would be willing to give up owning a car. In this survey, 50% of people in urban areas said that they would be at least somewhat willing, whereas the number drops to 17% for people in rural and suburban areas. But oddly enough, young people in rural and suburban areas are just as willing, if not more willing than their urban counterparts. I wonder why.
This maybe suggests that we are seeing a generational shift in how younger people view car ownership. That, or they haven't started having enough kids yet and their perspective will change as they get older. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a mix of both, but more of the former. Because look at the large spread between the next two cohorts in the above chart. There are some trends here (assuming this data is representative). It's not just about family life.
Also noteworthy is the fact that Canadians are some of the most unwilling people, according to this survey:
Personally, I hate driving. I look forward to the day when most cars drive themselves. So I'd place myself in the very willing camp. What about you?
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