A suburb without cars. Can it work?

A planned town in Germany is doing just that. Going carless. All the streets, except for a few, belong solely to pedestrians and bicycles. People are not barred from owning a car, but none of the homes have garages or parking spaces, so homeowners must buy a parking spot in a town garage. The goal is not only to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes, but also to create a different quality of life in a walkable community.

As a result, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here. “When I had a car I was always tense. I’m much happier this way,” said Heidrun Walter, a media trainer and mother of two, as she walked verdant streets where the swish of bicycles and the chatter of wandering children drown out the occasional distant motor.

Vauban, completed in 2006, is an example of a growing trend in Europe, the United States and elsewhere to separate suburban life from auto use, as a component of a movement called “smart planning.” …

While there have been efforts in the past two decades to make cities denser, and better for walking, planners are now taking the concept to the suburbs and focusing specifically on environmental benefits like reducing emissions. Vauban, home to 5,500 residents within a rectangular square mile, may be the most advanced experiment in low-car suburban life. But its basic precepts are being adopted around the world in attempts to make suburbs more compact and more accessible to public transportation, with less space for parking. In this new approach, stores are placed a walk away, on a main street, rather than in malls along some distant highway.

I’m as guilty of anyone of living in a place where I need to drive my car for most errands, but I do love the thought of living somewhere more walkable and not being chained to an automobile. However, for an entire community to go without cars is certainly a big step. What do you think about it?

Related posts:

1. The benefits of a walkable city ...
2. New and old Beijing ...
3. America’s most walkable neighborhoods ...