Cities grow at an extreme speed – so does traffic. In Sao Paulo / Brazil more and more rich people switch to helicopter commute, as traffic congestion is getting worse. Cities address the congestion issue by making individual mobility unattractive through reducing parking space downtown, like e.g. in Zurich / Switzerland (1-2% year on year) or by introducing a city maut, like in London / UK (GBP 8,- / day). While in Hong Kong the average travel time to work is 11 minutes – it is 4 hours in Mexico City. Building tall for working and living is an answer to reduce commuting time.
Building tall vs low-rise office parks enables compact land use, shorter distances and encourage people to bike and or walk. The closer people live together the better mobility concepts work and trip chaining encourages lower car ownership, resulting in a congestion relief and eventually less pollution. A recent example is Renzo Piano’s “The Shard” in London. It is West-Europe’s tallest building set up right above a railway station and equipped with 47 parking sports for disabled, located right in the center of town. But to be honest – living space is … well lets say … quite selective: 10 flats each approx. 50Mio GBP. But – you most definitely have a downtown London address and the best burgers in London round the corner at Borough Market (Stoney St / Park St).
Smart City as a Customer 