Resumen
Este ensayo crítico enlaza tres asuntos que apenas han sido asociados en la discusión pública sobre energía en Puerto Rico: La energía, la crisis climática y el urbanismo. El urbanismo actual, suburbano y desparramado, es una de las mayores causas de consumo de energía en Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico, y uno de los mayores contribuyentes a la crisis climática, ya que este tipo de urbanismo conlleva una alta dependencia del auto privado, una falta de métodos alternativos de transporte eficaces, y ciudades y pueblos poco caminables. El suburbio es un gran consumidor de energía. Se encontró que la producción per cápita de CO por el automóvil privado en Puerto Rico es 5.4 a 6.1 mayor que la de países europeos como Francia y España por su urbanismo desparramado y suburbano. En un momento histórico de emergencia climática estos datos nos llevan a proponer que el urbanismo que practica actualmente Puerto Rico es ambientalmente irresponsable. Además, se propone que la llegada del pico del petróleo va a causar una grave crisis sobre todo en países con un urbanismo suburbano y desparramado como Puerto Rico si no actuamos de manera urgente. Todo esto apunta a que, en Puerto Rico, el urbanismo debe ser incorporado como asunto central en las discusiones sobre energía y la crisis climática, que incluya el transporte público y la ciudad caminable como prioridades. Se propone además que los cambios necesarios para lograr un urbanismo que sea realmente social, ambiental y energéticamente responsable no se pueden lograr bajo los conceptos actuales de urbanismo sostenible, desarrollo inteligente o nuevo urbanismo, sino que requieren movernos hacia una situación de democracia urbanística a través de un urbanismo sostenible crítico que reconozca que el urbanismo es un asunto político e ideológico asociado a consideraciones de poder y de intereses económicos, y no meramente un asunto técnico de diseño, planificación o ciencia. Lo que se requiere es un cambio de paradigma urbanístico que cuestione y rete el statu quo, y no meros ajustes modestos en diseño, planificación, legislación o política pública.
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