TED Talks · How to slow down

Slow Spaces

I can still remember my first camping trip like it was yesterday, hiking through a dense forest, the smell of pine trees,

Level: B1 · 74 sentences

Transcript

I can still remember my first camping trip like it was yesterday,
hiking through a dense forest, the smell of pine trees,
birds chirping overhead, and then at the crack of dawn,
unzipping the tent to see a blanket of mist hovering above the lake.
I don't know about you, but when I think of slowing down,
I often think of nature.
Maybe your spot is the top of a mountain
or a wooded valley or a beach chair,
with the sea lapping at your toes.
The problem is that most of us live in cities
where Mother Nature is out of mind or far away.
And, like it or not,
our environment affects how we think, act, and feel.
That's why across the world
there's a push to make urban areas more conducive to slowing down.
The Slow Cities movement began in Italy and then went global.
Today, there are hundreds of official slow cities spread across the planet.
Wolfville in Canada, Katoomba in Australia, Fairfax and Sonoma in California,
Aylsham in the UK, Sedgefield in South Africa, or Vieto in Italy.
And the list goes on.
What is a slow city?
To earn official status, a city must have fewer than 50,000 inhabitants.
It then has to meet 72 criteria,
covering everything from protecting the environment to fostering social cohesion.
A slow city promotes local culture, food, architecture, and craftsmanship.
The goal is to create a serene,
convivial environment where community can flourish
and everyone can live a good life.
Orvieto is a good example.
It's a gorgeous hilltop town in the Italian region of Umbria.
Like other slow cities,
Orvieto pedestrianized key streets and squares in its medieval core.
Instead of piling into cars,
local children now walk to school
in a procession led by parent volunteers.
They call this the piedibus or foot bus.
In its workplace cafeterias,
Orvieto replaced standardized menus with traditional Umbrian dishes.
I visit slow cities around the world.
Each has its own unique flavor.
That's the whole point.
But all have a calming effect on me.
Walking the peaceful streets,
seeing others sipping coffee or flirting at sidewalk tables,
I feel myself slowing down, becoming more joyful,
more open, more alive to the moment.
And I'm not alone.
Studies show that slowing the pace of a city
boosts the well-being and prosperity of all its citizens.
It also does wonders for the local environment.
That's why cities of all sizes are taking a leaf from the Slow Cities Playbook.
To foster community spirit, many are creating green spaces,
installing public art, and hosting festivals that celebrate local culture.
To boost health, cities everywhere are encouraging people to use cars less.
They do this by creating bike share programs and cycle lanes,
and by making the city more friendly to pedestrians.
That can mean building wider sidewalks,
or closing roads to traffic on certain days of the week,
or even permanently.
Consider Pontevedra in Spain.
After the city introduced traffic calming measures,
such as cutting speed limits to 30 kilometers an hour,
physical activity and social interactions rose sharply. CO2 emissions fell by 70%.
And from 2011 to 2018, there was not a single traffic death.
The truth is you can slow down anytime
in any city of any size,
but you'll find it a whole lot easier
if the city itself is also embracing slowness.
I live in London, a very fast town,
But even here, you can find slow spaces.
My favorite way is to duck into one of London's many old churches,
not for religious reasons, but because they are quiet, contemplative places.
It's not the same as camping by a lake,
but I find it almost as soothing.