Imagine living in a city free of the noise, stench, and danger of cars, trucks, and buses. Imagine that all needs, from groceries to child care, are within a five-minute walk of the home. Imagine that the longest commute within the city takes 35 minutes from door to door, by way of a cheap, safe, fast public transportation system. This is precisely the future that the author envisions in `Carfree cities', which he unapologetically argues that modern car is usage is an example of technology that has been inappropriately applied, and that the time has come to reclaim city streets for human activity. The author believes that the carfree city is the cornerstone of sustainable development. He outlines a city structure carefully designed to maximize the quality of life for individuals and communities worldwide, and gives practical suggestions for gradually implementing the reference design in existing cities, and for creating new ones. In the face of a society that seems to unquestionably accept the deterioration of modern quality of life, this publication is a starting place to discuss practical solutions to the danger, pollution, and breakdown of social systems caused by autocentric development. By rejecting the assumption that continued car use in cities is inevitable, the author takes a step closer to the tantalizing possibility of returning to the natural human pattern of lively and productive street life enjoyed for thousands of years, and disrupted just 70 years ago with the advent of automobiles. (A)
Abstract