Lessons from New York (green city inspiration)
Just as other countries can learn from England (cottage gardens, animal welfare, London transport), there are many areas of life that we can learn from other countries. This series of posts looks at what’s best about fellow countries (and cities) to see what we can be inspired by, in our own country.
You would think from all the US TV series that we would know about New York. But in fact, the New York that you don’t see is very interesting and inspiring. From transforming Times Square into a walking mecca, Central Park (bigger than Monaco) and a huge community gardening movement.
You’re not allowed to honk your car horn!
Despite the images of TV cop shows, if you honk your car horn at someone (unless it’s an emergency), in New York you get hit with a fine of up to $350. That would stop some road rage in London, wouldn’t it?
Times Square is a walkable paradise.
Not quite, but almost. The former transport commissioner is a town planner extraordinaire, who transformed the gridlocked city centre, by reducing road traffic and congestion. Read her book Handbook for an Urban Revolution to learn how she did it).
Central Park (huge and litter-free)
Central Park is absolutely enormous, and is home to many parks and lakes, and good walking areas for city dwellers. It also has heavily invested in litter bins (and staff to empty them). So despite its size, it’s almost litter free.
It’s actually manmade, but houses 500,000 trees, 58 miles of paths and over 10,000 benches. It also has hills, lakes and forests, a charming waterfall and lots of birds and wildlife.
Yet in England, park keepers in Richmond Park have a constant battle to tell people not to drop litter (deer are particularly at risk from blue gels, left by runners who use them for hydration).
Read more on how to improve England’s public parks.
The city has banned horse carriage rides
After a long campaign (and many injuries and deaths of horses), New York has become the latest city to ban carriage ride with horses (who are often tired, thirsty, spooked and sometimes in pain). Bans are happening everywhere worldwide, yet England is one of the few countries not to do so.
Read more on horse carriage alternatives (like lovely antique electric cars, they are quite the charm).
New York Restoration Project
New York Restoration Project is just one of the many community garden projects in the city, where volunteers go out and transform urban areas into stunning brownfield gardens or places to grow free food.
This one was founded by ‘the divine’ Miss Bette Midler. Volunteers do everything from plant trees to create urban forest gardens, and all with an American smile on their faces!
Learn more about community gardens and brownfield gardens (one in New York is The High Line, which was almost torn down as an eyesore by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani). Today it’s an urban oasis in the middle of the city, thanks to the work of knowledgeable volunteers.
