City dweller X city dueler
Stressed, upset, annoyed, anxious, frustrated, mad, tired.
Headaches, back pain, stomach problems.
Always late.
Great! Right?! The delightful description above used to be my average state when I lived in São Paulo, Brazil.
Don't get me wrong! I love my country, and I love my hometown. There are so many opportunities, so much life, a little of everything, a lot of all. Growing in São Paulo has made me tougher, braver. At a high cost, but, well…
I moved from São Paulo to pursue the dreams I had since I was very young. But I also moved from São Paulo because the lifestyle I had to have was crushing me. I am fully aware that I am a privileged woman, and my settings were favorable. I can only imagine how hard it must be the daily life of citizens who have worse conditions than I did.
Today I finally understand that my passion for sustainable urban development and mobility arises from a personal experience based on a pain point.
Throughout my adult life, I was part of the problem I used to complain about. Now I see it. I was there, driving my car around, burning fuel, occupying space, and agonizing over the several hours spent daily stuck in traffic. I was traffic!
When I tried to leave the car behind and use public transportation for almost a year, the experience became something close to what it must be to live in hell. Seriously.
Sometimes, it would cost me 30 to 40 minutes to get on the bus that would take me to the train station in the morning. I wouldn't fit on the bus. Not even the tiniest person would fit on the bus because it was simply too crowded. After a (un)pleasant journey squeezed among other very frustrated and already exhausted people (although it was 7 in the morning), it was time for walking as fast as I could inside the giant and completely packed station to reach the train that would be beyond full.
After a few stops, changing trains would also turn into a marathon or an obstacle race with hundreds of competitors not aiming to arrive first, just aiming to arrive somewhere at some point. Alive. Let's skip the journey back home. I am sure you got my point.
And I always had a choice. My car was there in the garage. I could exchange the tin can experience for some endless hours sitting in my car moving at an astounding 1 kilometer/hour amidst angry kamikaze motorcyclists bleeping their way through what, in São Paulo, we call 'corridors.'
Today, I have the lifestyle I always fancied, but I no longer live in São Paulo. São Paulo didn't change. I moved away. And it is much easier to adopt a car-free, walkable, bikeable, public transport user mode where I live now.
I was part of the problem I used to complain about. I was there, driving my car around, burning fuel, occupying space, and agonizing over the several hours spent daily stuck in traffic. I was traffic!
Cities have the potential to unlock innovation towards sustainable development, improving people's lives, and restoring our connection to the natural environment.
I look forward to seeing São Paulo and other megacities (the not so mega as well, of course) worldwide to incorporate safer, more efficient, and less pollutant ways of transportation.
The experience of living in Hamburg has widened my perception of what it means to be a city dweller and not a city dueler. I hope more people have this chance. I have been studying to become an agent of change and hopefully support the transition towards a more equal, sustainable, and efficient way to move around in urban areas.
I am an Architect and Urban Planner, a Sustainability Professional passionate about cities and sustainable development. The future is here, and I can't wait to see what it holds!
