How do we design a car-lite future for our cities?

Electrification is important but not the panacea

When discussing carbon and transportation, we must address electrification upfront. Vehicle electrification is an area of important investment right now. Manufacturers are developing new electric models, charging stations are proliferating, and new infrastructure bills will incentivize a major shift in propulsion systems.

A recent memorandum of understanding signed by 15 states in the Northeast seeks to advance electrification of trucks and buses. But while electric vehicles and a clean electric grid will reduce carbon emissions, we still have a basic geometry problem of too many cars that make our streets unsafe for other users and unpleasant for everyone. Furthermore, electrification does not fully eliminate emissions as it relates to public health. Particulates from brake pad and tire wear are equally responsible for the health problems that mushroom around congested highways and heavy traffic areas. Shared mobility, whether it be electric or automated, is the future we must work toward through policy and design.

Invest in transit

The counterpart to a car-lite city is a mobility-rich city. While seeking to reduce car dependency, we must also improve other mobility options. But with transit ridership down across the US, transit agencies are facing critical revenue gaps. The tendency in many municipalities is to cut service to plug the hole, but that only serves to drive more people away from transit as it becomes inconvenient or unreliable.

To increase ridership, decrease car dependence, and reduce carbon emissions, we need to invest in transit—buses, subways, rail—not cut service. Transit has been essential to the ongoing functioning of our cities through this pandemic, with no clear evidence that it contributed to the spread of infection in New York or elsewhere. Many essential workers rely on reliable transit service; cutting service only serves to negatively impact the people who need it the most. Professionally, we can help our clients build the case for and justify investments, and personally we can advocate for change at local, state, and federal levels.

Design streets for the car-lite, mobility-rich future we can now easily imagine

In addition to more and better transit, street design plays a significant role in mode shifting. American city streets from New York to Phoenix are designed primarily for vehicles at the peril and detriment of other modes. Wide travel lanes, intersection signals, and vehicle storage (i.e., parking) prioritize private vehicles and leave little room for rapid transit, bike lanes, and the pedestrian realm. And prioritizing cars also creates unsafe conditions for biking and walking, discouraging the use of these modes for people who would use them if they were safe. When we begin to view walking and biking as real transportation options, not just recreation, we begin to see the importance of reallocating street space to accommodate the mode shifts we need at the scale we need. Space is one issue, but it is also about the experience.

The pandemic has pushed us to reimagine our priorities for mobility corridors and public space, while giving us the opportunity to look at new approaches. As engineers, planners, and designers, we have a role to play in creating an atmosphere that makes car-free modes not just feasible but attractive and enjoyable as well. Everything from building facades and frontages to street trees and green infrastructure contributes to a public realm that will stimulate more carbon-free or carbon-lite options such as biking, walking, or other forms of micromobility.

A conceptual rendering for Neighborhoods Now of an improved public realm in Plaza de las Americas, Washington Heights, New York City.

Finding autonomy, equity, and freedom

The pandemic has been devastating for many, especially our most vulnerable communities. We must use this tragedy to accelerate progress toward a better life for all.

Part of our job as designers is to help our clients envision the future, and COVID-19 has given all of us a sneak peek at a future with fewer cars. It has also shown us how quickly we are capable of change. The challenge moving forward is to realize a new vision that takes cues from these lessons: walkable, bikeable, transit-rich cities as equitable cities. As resilient cities. As healthy and accessible cities.

And this vision is as applicable to big, dense places as it is to small cities and suburbs. Many people fear a car-lite future because they feel it takes away their autonomy. But a car-lite, mobility-rich city is a place where more mobility options and nice, safe streets create true autonomy, equity, and freedom.