Author Topic: Car Free Communities  (Read 10709 times)

Metalcat

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #100 on: October 14, 2021, 12:30:36 PM »
@Malcat I think my original point still stands though that when you choose your location you choose your potential emergencies. Living in outer London, there is no emergency I can think of where I would not be able to call out an emergency vehicle, get a lift, or get a taxi - except ones where a private car would be useless also.

If you are fundamentally choosing your location,  rather than having to live near family or a job, you are choosing your emergency scenarios. Zero of ours require a private car.

Sure, but I was responding specifically to GuitarStv, I wasn't actually intending my response to be directed to your point.

jac941

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #101 on: October 14, 2021, 04:54:47 PM »
I'm surprised Baltimore makes the list, as I imagine the San Francisco Bay Area to be much easier to live in without a car.

I should have been clearer in my post. The list includes everything people mentioned, it’s not “my” short list. There are several places on the list that I can rule out without visiting (or that I’ve already visited) based on my own preferences, but other people in similar positions might not rule them out.

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #102 on: October 15, 2021, 12:42:51 PM »
Another mention for DC area. I lived in Alexandria and loved taking the metro and/or riding my bike everywhere. The Mt. Vernon trail is like a bicycle highway during commuter hours.

Also lived in a small city in Italy without a car. Most Italian cities are friendly for pedestrians -- ZTL in city centers and many have train stations. Looking at moving to a bigger European city next, though.

roomtempmayo

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #103 on: October 15, 2021, 02:13:52 PM »

Minneapolis


Here's one of my favorite areas: http://millcitytimes.com/news/milwaukee-avenue-a-stroll-back-in-time.html

The model seems like a no-brainer to me.  Return the street frontage to green space while maintaining car access to the back through the alley.  Why in the world do we need to have two driving accesses to every house?

jpdx

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #104 on: October 15, 2021, 04:17:33 PM »
Portland has a robust bicycling culture, but unfortunately private automobile is still the dominant form of transportation. That said, the most pleasant and safe way to get around is to use the "neighborhood greenways" which are quiet streets prioritized for walking and cycling (cars are still allowed to use but are discouraged through design). The cycling infrastructure is not Amsterdam, but is pretty good by US standards. For example there are special bicycle traffic signals and buttons/sensors at strategic intersections to cross busy streets. There are signs on the paths and greenways for way-finding which show the travel time by bike. There's the new Tilikum Crossing, which is a car-free bridge over the river. On a nice summer day, the bike racks in commercial areas will sometimes be jam packed -- and unlike encountering a full parking lot, this inconvenience always makes me smile.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2021, 04:38:56 PM by jpdx »

dougules

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #105 on: October 15, 2021, 05:21:55 PM »
Portland has a robust bicycling culture, but unfortunately private automobile is still the dominant form of transportation. That said, the most pleasant and safe way to get around is to use the "neighborhood greenways" which are quiet streets prioritized for walking and cycling (cars are still allowed to use but are discouraged through design). The cycling infrastructure is not Amsterdam, but is pretty good by US standards. For example there are special bicycle traffic signals and buttons/sensors at strategic intersections to cross busy streets. There are signs on the paths and greenways for way-finding which show the travel time by bike. There's the new Tilikum Crossing, which is a car-free bridge over the river. On a nice summer day, the bike racks in commercial areas will sometimes be jam packed -- and unlike encountering a full parking lot, this inconvenience always makes me smile.

Portland is light-years ahead of other cities in the US for cycling infrastructure, but notice you're still saying that there is "special" infrastructure for bicycles.  It shouldn't need to be special. 

The bike streets and greenways are great, but it's still a sense that cycling infrastructure is relegated to greenways and side streets.  Truly putting bikes first would mean optimizing major business streets like Hawthorne, NW 23rd, etc. for bikes, and nudging cars instead of bikes off to side streets. 

Britan

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #106 on: October 15, 2021, 05:26:37 PM »
I'm surprised Baltimore makes the list
I actually agree, and I bike everywhere here. I have dreams of living in an actual bike friendly city like Amsterdam.

That being said, with some careful crafting it’s definitely possible to bike around here and mostly avoid cars. My daily 2 mile ride to daycare and back the last two days, I haven’t been passed by a single car. There were other cars and delivery trucks on the same road as me, but because it is a small residential road, they mostly were only on it for a block or two, so I would pass them at a stop sign and then they’d turn. It’s actually faster and less distance to bike to daycare than drive, hah. And that’s without any dedicated biking infrastructure on my route. All possible because it’s a grid city, and the big “car roads” go to the same places as the small residential streets that don’t see as much car traffic because they’re a pain to drive on (lots of stop signs, one way, delivery trucks double parked). And I can get to the grocery store, library, several schools, and almost everything else I need on a regular weekday.

Though it’s a good point about employers. Most in my field are outside Baltimore and so if I wasn’t permanent WFH, that would limit my employment options pretty hard. And while it’s bikeable, i wouldn’t call Baltimore “bike friendly” either. There are large sections of the city that are silo’d if you are only biking (a huge equality problem). Bike infrastructure is limited and besides the harbor it’s mostly painted lines, pictures of bikes painted in a driving lane, and bike lanes “protected” by plastic toothpicks. And drivers are pretty entitled, in my experience.

Britan

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #107 on: October 15, 2021, 05:29:53 PM »

Minneapolis


Here's one of my favorite areas: http://millcitytimes.com/news/milwaukee-avenue-a-stroll-back-in-time.html

The model seems like a no-brainer to me.  Return the street frontage to green space while maintaining car access to the back through the alley.  Why in the world do we need to have two driving accesses to every house?
So you can park one car in back and park your 2 OTHER cars in front. /s

Though that’s why it would never fly in my area. Most houses seem to be 2-3 car households here, despite each row home being slightly shorter in width than the average compact car length. 

Fishindude

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #108 on: October 16, 2021, 01:16:33 PM »
You can be car free anywhere you want.
Amish have been doing it forever.

The Amish actually pay people to drive them to work and to the grocery store.

Not unusual in this part of the world to see the Amish wagons and horses in town at the stores.
See a lot of them on bicycles too.

Cranky

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #109 on: October 16, 2021, 03:46:20 PM »
Yeah, they use horses and buggies, too. But increasingly they are working off the farm in woodworking shops or roofing crews or in stores (there’s like a whole Amish mall in Youngstown). Someone drives them to work and back in a van, with stops at Aldi.

A friend of mine works in a small print shop, and evidently there’s a big group of Amish women who make cards and sell them on Etsy. They come into town with a regular driver.

roomtempmayo

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #110 on: October 17, 2021, 09:45:32 AM »

Minneapolis


Here's one of my favorite areas: http://millcitytimes.com/news/milwaukee-avenue-a-stroll-back-in-time.html

The model seems like a no-brainer to me.  Return the street frontage to green space while maintaining car access to the back through the alley.  Why in the world do we need to have two driving accesses to every house?
So you can park one car in back and park your 2 OTHER cars in front. /s

Though that’s why it would never fly in my area. Most houses seem to be 2-3 car households here, despite each row home being slightly shorter in width than the average compact car length.

I think in a row house neighborhood that may be true, but lots of grid cities of SFHs platted before 1940 are 40-60 foot wide lots, including the neighborhood mentioned above.  That leaves plenty of room for a three stall garage back on the alley, and maybe even a fourth parking space.

I agree that it wouldn't meet everyone's expectations everywhere, but I think a whole lot of cities have at least 1/3 more pavement than they need to provide everyone with driving access to their houses.

PDXTabs

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #111 on: October 19, 2021, 05:25:37 PM »
I noticed Ljubljana, Slovenia today because an article about it from vice came to my attention.

ca-rn

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #112 on: November 08, 2021, 07:08:23 PM »
Posting to follow! 

OP, sorry to hear about getting hit!  Totally understand your motivation to find a place that prioritizes public transport, pedestrians, bicyclists over people in cars!

I posted something similar (any place that isn't dominated by cars) and was referred to your post.

jim555

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #113 on: November 08, 2021, 07:10:46 PM »
Sark (Channel Islands) only allows tractors, no cars.

uniwelder

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #114 on: November 09, 2021, 09:11:44 AM »
Sark (Channel Islands) only allows tractors, no cars.

I just looked up some info about Sark Island.  Seems a bit quirky--- separate from the UK, follows its own laws, outsiders unable to own property but can buy newer houses and lease the land, total population around 600 with an extra 400 during tourist season, everything must be shipped by ferry so paying $$$ for goods and services, plus kids have to go offshore for schooling past elementary.

GodlessCommie

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #115 on: November 09, 2021, 10:49:44 AM »
I'm totally too late to this conversation, but Pontevedre in Spain presumably banned cars 20+ years ago, and is doing just fine. No first-hand experience, though.

Lawyeronfire

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #116 on: January 03, 2022, 08:38:16 PM »
Culdesac is not a a car free city but a car free neighborhood opening in Tempe, Arizona in 2022. They have said their ultimate goal is to build car free cities. I have been following/stalking them for a long time hoping they will expand faster!

https://culdesac.com

uniwelder

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #117 on: January 04, 2022, 06:02:36 AM »
Culdesac is not a a car free city but a car free neighborhood opening in Tempe, Arizona in 2022. They have said their ultimate goal is to build car free cities. I have been following/stalking them for a long time hoping they will expand faster!

https://culdesac.com

I checked out their site and looked on google maps at the location.  It seems like its mostly just an apartment complex with extra amenities (pool, eatery and small grocery) that provides no parking spaces in a city that looks very car reliant.  Its in the middle of Tempe and directly borders a major throughway, though very conveniently next to a metro stop.

One step at a time, and renting a place there would surround yourself with other car-free people, but I don't see the appeal for that location.  Plus its in a desert.  People seem to be flocking to desert living, but thats only good as the aquifer lasts.

edited to add--- here's a NY Times article describing the company and build site--- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/31/business/culdesac-tempe-phoenix-sprawl.html
« Last Edit: January 04, 2022, 07:34:32 AM by uniwelder »

Blackeagle

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #118 on: January 04, 2022, 07:39:05 AM »
Its in the middle of Tempe and directly borders a major throughway, though very conveniently next to a metro stop.

As someone who grew up in the area, I have to chuckle a bit about Apache Boulevard being referred to as a major throughway.  I always thought of it as a distinctly second-tier surface street even before they put the light rail line down the center.  If I needed to get east/west through Tempe I’d usually have used Broadway or University.

Speaking more broadly, the Phoenix metro area as a whole is horribly car-dependent.  Low-density auto-centric sprawl as far as the eye can see.  The area around Arizona State University in Tempe is one of the few parts of the city where someone could get by without a car, but even it's fairly car-focused to accommodate all the students commuting in to school. 

uniwelder

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #119 on: January 04, 2022, 09:06:50 AM »
Its in the middle of Tempe and directly borders a major throughway, though very conveniently next to a metro stop.
As someone who grew up in the area, I have to chuckle a bit about Apache Boulevard being referred to as a major throughway.  I always thought of it as a distinctly second-tier surface street even before they put the light rail line down the center.  If I needed to get east/west through Tempe I’d usually have used Broadway or University.

I'm from a rural area.  A four lane road with railway in the center is pretty big for me, and more importantly in the context of a 'car free community'.  OP was originally asking about towns where there were no cars or at least highly restricted due to previous pedestrian or bicycle accidents, so in the context of that, I'd say building an apartment complex that sits directly next to a major road is a huge red flag.

Blackeagle

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #120 on: January 05, 2022, 07:01:39 AM »
I'm from a rural area.  A four lane road with railway in the center is pretty big for me, and more importantly in the context of a 'car free community'.  OP was originally asking about towns where there were no cars or at least highly restricted due to previous pedestrian or bicycle accidents, so in the context of that, I'd say building an apartment complex that sits directly next to a major road is a huge red flag.

In the Phoenix metro, four lanes are everywhere.  “Major” surface streets are usually six, often with a continuous center left-turn lane and double left-turn lanes at intersections (which makes crossing the street as a pedestrian or bicyclist interesting, let me tell you).  Like I said, the Phoenix area as a whole is very car-focused.  For someone who’s looking for a car-free lifestyle and deciding where to move, it’s probably not a good choice. 

However, if someone has other reasons to live in the area and wants to live in a less car-dependent way, an apartment complex in Tempe next to the light rail is probably about as good as you're going to find.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2022, 07:05:59 AM by Blackeagle »

jac941

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #121 on: January 22, 2022, 12:24:16 AM »
Culdesac is not a a car free city but a car free neighborhood opening in Tempe, Arizona in 2022. They have said their ultimate goal is to build car free cities. I have been following/stalking them for a long time hoping they will expand faster!

https://culdesac.com

I’ve also been watching Culdesac. I have no interest in Tempe because it’s so car reliant. But they say they’re going to do a larger development next. We’ll see.

somers515

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #122 on: January 22, 2022, 06:07:23 AM »
Consider adding Bald Head Island, NC to the list!  It's expensive but it's so nice and relaxing without cars (everyone gets around by golf cart/bicycle).

Morning Glory

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #123 on: January 22, 2022, 07:09:00 AM »
This one popped up in my news feed the other day. Looks pretty interesting:

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2022/01/13/utah-is-building-a-15-minute-city-from-scratch/

Britan

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Re: Car Free Communities
« Reply #124 on: January 22, 2022, 09:24:00 AM »
That is interesting! I hope it is a success. I’d love to see the idea replicated elsewhere. I work remote but DH doesn’t and can’t based on what he does…and I hate the cold… but I’d definitely dream about that place if it turns out how they are planning.