As a child I dreamed the city of the future would look a lot like the State Office Campus, located Uptown, next to SUNY Albany. I envisioned a world where people could commute freely from home and to work and shopping without ever stopping at a traffic light.
Cities would consist of networks of one lane streets, where cars would freely merge in and our of the traffic pattern without ever stopping. Traffic would always be free flowing, there would never be any congestion. Fuel prices would inexpensive, cars would be quiet and non-polluting. Roads would be safe to drive and there would never be any car accidents. Its a world that really does not exist.
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While in later years, sidewalks and crosswalks where installed across the the ring road, but literally anyone who tries to cross these three lanes in each direction arterials, is taking their lives in their own hands. There is the constant noise and pollution from circulating cars coming and leaving the state office campus. Those unfamiliar with the campus will find themselves driving around in circles, try to get where they want to go.
The reality is the state office campus is a pretty hideous place. My childhood dreams of a city without stoplights or traffic control besides merge lanes, is not a place where anyone really would want to live, much less visit or recreate in it. In a world where the automobile is so dominate is not a desirable place for humans to be. Its also not a particularly good place for a limited planet where we should be conserving and not wasting resources.