A thrivable city means a city which is not only sustainable, which has:
- A minimal negative environmental impact, or even a positive impact.
- A high quality of life, peaceful, lush and pleasant, with an active community.
Thrivability is a new word, used to capture this idea of sustainability and positive impact not through sacrifice, but at the same time as living larger, more abundantly.
How do we achieve this, a sustainable city with a wonderful quality of life?
- Transit-oriented development with an efficient, comfortable public transport system.
- Cycle and walking paths.
- High density housing at transport nodes, surrounded by medium density, all in a mixed-use pattern. This minimizes travel distance and time, reducing energy use, increasing the number of trips for social reasons, and thus increasing social capital.
- Public open space.
- A near-natural water cycle, with rainwater harvesting, and groundwater recharge through gardens, swales, rain gardens and permeable pavements to mimic the natural ability of undeveloped land to absorb rain and runoff.