City Streets Are For People

Do you live in a big city? How do you get around? Do you drive, take public transit, bike? All of these questions are pondered in Andrea Curtis’s new book in the ThinkCities line by Groundwood Books, City Streets are for People illustrated by Emma Fitzgerald.

There is an urgent need to make cities more people friendly, throughout City Streets are for People, Andrea Curtis takes us back in time to how cities and, in particular, how transportation has evolved through time. Readers will learn about how horses were the first engines of transportation, how buses, trains and bicycles revolutionized how people moved and finally how cars have become major contributors to climate change. The world needs to rethink how we move, especially cities. This book is eye opening and really causes the reader to think about their own transportation choices and gently leads them to better, more environmental alternatives.

I love how this book shows readers all of the different and innovative ways people move all over the world. Young readers today will be the innovators of tomorrow. Perhaps this book will light a spark for a reader to begin to look to other countries around the world to improve the walkability of their own cities. Andrea Curtis emphasizes throughout the need to use green energy to power these various modes of transportation. It’s not enough to use electricity to power subway systems or commuter trains. The electricity needs to be green, and fueled by renewable sources like wind, air and water

This illustrated non fiction book puts a spotlight on city streets. I live in a big city and am fortunate to work just down the street. I walk to work and my children walk to school. We live in a very walkable area of the city with close access to the subway and buses to take us where we need to go. However, we own a vehicle and perhaps rely on it a little too much. Since reading this book, we have decided to take this summer to rethink how we move in the city. Our bikes are tuned and ready to go and we are trying to put on our running shoes and walk to places we ordinarily would have driven to.

Emma Fitzgerald’s illustrations are dynamic and fast. Line drawings with colour scattered throughout, they reflect the hustle and bustle of a vibrant and busy city. Readers will enjoy looking closely at the different pages to see things that remind them of their own cities. I appreciated the inclusion of many different people who travel through the world in different ways.