Community

City

Should we put roads underground?

-- for urban planners and engineers

A NEW THING: roads underground? How might underground roads reshape our cities or redefine the daily commute?

ADVANTAGES:

• pedestrianize the roads and revitalize the city center

  pedestrianize: to moke an area into one where the vehicles are not allowed to go.

  revitalize: to give new life, energy and activities.

• free up space for more public amenities

  amenity:sth. that is intended to make life more pleasant or comfortable for the people in the town, hotel or other space.

• reduce the traffic congestions / free from the sight of gridlocked traffic
• free from the air and the noise pollution
• self-driving cars become popular, which are more energy-efficient

DRAWBACKS / DISADVANTAGES:

• a hazardous and energy-intensive constructions and maintenance of underground infrastructure

  hazardous = dangerous

• the sense of confinement affects public perceptions^[1].

REFLECTION:

Dream of roadless, car-less cities bring both excitement and skepticism. We may fantasize about cityscape made for more pedestrians, but perhaps getting more people to use public transport rather than private vehicles would be more worth our time and resources.

Environment

Is always plastic bad?

Cotton or plastic: which kind of bag is better for the environment?

CURRENT SITUATIONS:

• The plastic is used in quantities and often disposed of after a single use.

  disposed of: to get rid of sth

• Producing plastic can cause toxins to be released in the atmosphere.
• Thrown-away plastic can sit in landfill sites for centuries, or alternatively can contaminate the sea causing harm to wildlife and breaking down into polluting microplastics.

  landfill sites 垃圾填埋站

  contaminate: to make sth. less pure or make it poisonous.

transition sentence

It's certainly more biodegradable than plastic, but this might be the advantages end.

equals

It's certainly more xxx than xxx, but this might be the advantages end.

DRAWBACK OF COTTONS and ADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC:

• As the bags are heavier, transporting them will lead to higher carbon emission.
• Lightweight plastic components in cars and planes help reduce the fuel use and emissions.
• If we didn't use so much plastic in clothing and footwear, the amount of land, water and chemicals that would be needed to produce enough natural textiles or leather would be enormous.

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1. compared with "perception" in the Growth block ↩︎