Yesterday was the first fourth of July that I spent away from the good ol' U. S. of A. It has got me thinking about the similarities and contrasts between cities like Portland, Seattle, New Orleans, and Roma. Details that I notice like sidewalks, markets, recycling, waste, public transit, parking, water, circulation, materiality, food, and so on. I found that one moment I am praising the states for being able to cross the street without worrying about being hit by a car, but the next I am enjoying the zero kilometer fruits from local markets. So, in honor of the fourth of July I am going to share what I think the United States does well vs. what I have experienced in Rome (Although, I'll definitely have to share what I think we can keep working on in order to keep improving.)
1. Pedestrian Crossing: I think that in the states when it comes to pedestrian crossing zones we take them pretty seriously. When a cross walk has a green light, or there are people in it cars don't zoom past trying to beat the rush of people. Also, for the most part they are designed so that it is a shorter distance for people to walk across an actual street-- so there is less of a chance for someone to get hit. From what I have experienced here the pedestrian rules the road, for the most part. Although, when it comes to roads (more like alley ways) that cars, vespas, or bikes can fit on they will honk suggesting you are in their way and that you need to move or will be softly plowed down. At main intersections, where the car is obviously in control, the crossing areas are large and uncomfortable to cross because cars are going faster and won't wait to go until you have crossed the street.
On the opposite side of the spectrum however, if there are no cars in sight it is normal to cross the street without having to wait for the light. This allows for less pedestrian congestion in such a highly concentrated areas. It isn't an offense, like jay walking is, in the states.
2. Waste Management: I think that public waste management in the United States is under control. As a general consensus the public has already decided that it isn't cool to throw trash anywhere-- meaning its MOSTLY frowned upon. The only place that I've been where this isn't true is New Orleans. Here in Rome, there are cigarette butts, napkins, dog feces, the smell of pee, beer bottles, french fry wrap paper, gelato trash, water bottles, etc everywhere. Every day there are street cleaners that seem to only sweep the trash into the cracks of the San Pietro cobble stones.
However, I will commend Italy on the daily street clean up everywhere to the extents of Trastevere as well as their recycling program. Their trash system is much more recycling proactive than what I've seen in the states. It is common to see both private and public trash cans that organize into glass or plastic, cardboard, and then trash. I think that putting an emphasis on recycling or reusing what we currently call waste is something that the U.S. could change.
3. Public transit: From what I know, in Boise public transit is mostly non-existent, in Portland and Seattle their systems are very successful and widely used. Here in Rome the public transit is very reliable, but not in the states. I think that this is something that could be greatly improved in order to help reduce the use of cars in heavily populated areas. There are many forms of public transportation here that vary from short distances to long distances and are very affordable. Busses, light-rails, trains, taxis, and public bikes are available in Rome. The tickets for busses, light-rails and trains all start at only 1.50 euro. The trains can take you anywhere within Italy from Rome and from the train stations most busses can take you to where you want to be. I understand that the United States has a lot more ground to cover, but I thin that making local transportation more accessible or even existent would be a good start.
4. Parking: In the U.S. there are designated places to park that, unless you want a ticket, you follow the rules. Here in Rome, if you can fit your car or vespa on the side of the road without it keeping up traffic, its a parking spot. There are parking garages underground that go unused, and it is just because it is more convenient to park where pedestrians are supposed to be able to walk. So, piazzas that are designed for people to be able to filter from restaurants into the center of a piazza are kept from doing so because of the back to back parking taken up by cars. I think that parking regulations and law enforcement on the regulations is well done in the states, as much as we may hate it when we get a parking ticket.
5. The last I'm going to talk about to day is Water: I think that we have begun to address the fact that rivers and lakes are good things to design around. Boise, as an example, has a green belt that runs along the Boise river that keeps recreation activities up and a connection to the river in every day life. In Rome, the tiber is separated from every day life because of the embankment walls that put 30 feet between the sidewalks and the river. There have been on going projects to reclaim the tiber as a public center, but I think that the municipalities within the states are easier to work with when it comes to reclaiming rivers as public space.
I could go on for longer about the comparisons and contrasts of Rome and the US, but these are the ones that I thought would be most interesting to share.
Ciao for now!
Kiana
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