The case for a sparsely carred island

Abstract

The alarm blares for the millionth time. You drag yourself into the waking world. You need a shower. You need coffee. Cereal? A weary glance at the clock and suddenly there is no time for breakfast, let alone a packed lunch. I’ll grab a pastizz and go to the shop later, you think as you jump into your car. Actually it will have to be the supermarket; the green grocer is too far, and you’re behind on your latest ‘big report’. The morning rush is a bane shared by most in contemporary society. Multiply that routine by a few hundred thousand, and the impact adds up fast. Our hectic lifestyle is just one cog in a huge wheel leading to increased waste, pollution, and poor health. What’s more, behavioural economist Dr Marie Briguglio (University of Malta), asserts that, ‘the main environmental concerns of citizens in Malta today pertain to declining quality of life in urban areas.’