INSIDE
By Stephen Metzger
Managing Director
Small Vehicle Resource, LLC
[email protected]
www.smallvehicleresource.com
THE GATED
COMMUNITY
The Cutting Edge of New Urban Transport
Paradigms Based on Innovations in Gated
Community Mobility
O
nce you leave the well-kept, well-or-
ganized confines of your gated com-
munity and venture into the world
beyond (which you were happy to leave
in the first place), it is highly likely you will
be again back in the rough-and-tumble
of traffic congestion and those aggravat-
ing, unexpected delays in getting to your
destination. When you think about it, one
of the delightful benefits of residing in a
planned community is continuity and pre-
dictability of its transport system. These
benefits are a function of the well laid-out
roadway infrastructure and the kind of
vehicle most people use—that is, our be-
loved personal transportation vehicle. And well might these renown think tanks entertain such
a focus. Across the globe urban centers are rapidly
growing, especially in developing economies. According
to the Ask Anything website, which has compiled popu-
lation statistics of various sorts, 15 of the 20 cities of the
world with populations over 10 million are in develop-
ing economies and 5 developed countries. The United
States has 9 cities over 1 million population, while China
has a whopping 99.
Bear with me as I process a few factoids
about cities and urban transport, and how
our gated communities and their trans-
portation systems could serve as a model
for much larger cities. Having done that, I
have points to make regarding the impli-
cations for personal mobility and traffic
management as relates to personal trans-
portation vehicle (PTV) manufacturers Gated communities as a model
Urban transport systems are much in the
news. At least it’s not difficult to find such
news. Simply put “new urban transport
systems” in your browser and you will see
what I mean. Leading consulting heavy-
weights such as Deloitte and McKinsey
are vying for prominence in the rapidly
emerging field of integrated urban trans-
port systems and so-called smart cities.
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WWW.GOLFCAROPTIONS.COM
The fact that there are, throughout the world, so many
significantly large urban centers, coupled with the fact
that most are steadily growing larger, makes it clear
why so much emphasis is being placed on urban mobil-
ity, transportation infrastructure, and transport-related
information and management systems.
A gated community is a planned community, and in
general, they are planned for what one could call, “effi-
cient living”. Take The Villages in Florida, for example.
Note that the noun “Villages” is plural, and, indeed, this
community is comprised of a series of village centers
with domiciles clustered around each center. Each
center has restaurants, a theatre, a bank, a food mart, a
recreation facility (in addition to golf), and various retail
outlets. So far, the description would fit various large
cities in the United States, which have developed neigh-
borhoods with similar amenities.
Where the differences come in is in mobility, getting
from point A to point B. And these differences are
huge. The typical urban center is congested, has poor
air quality, and the center itself may be at a consider-
able distance from the homes it services.