Vauban, A Car-Free Town

And just when we’re talking about cars, this comes in real handy.

Few years back I had imagined having an event called ‘a day without cars’. One day where no one is allowed to drive and people can walk and ride their bikes freely in the streets.

Well, what would seem like a dream to some of us is now a reality in the southern Germany town Vauban, where its inhabitants and authorities have planned to have no cars inside the town. If people there want to own a car they have to pay a €20,000 fee to park it in the outskirts of the district.

This progressive decision is just one piece of a larger initiative, here is an excerpt of an article by Tony Paterson published at The Independent:

“Being virtually car-free is only the start of what has been hailed as one of Europe’s most successful experiments in green living and one which is viewed increasingly as a blueprint for a future and perhaps essential way of living in an age of climate change.”

Would love to see policies like this implemented in some other small towns and perhaps even in larger cities. Maybe the ‘a day without cars’ project is a way to start making people realize how enjoyable, clean and quiet this can be (provided loud motorcycles aren’t allowed as well).

Food for thought and a lesson to learn from Vauban’s population. It is worth reading the full feature at The Independent to know the rest of their green living plan.

Related posts:
Mission One (electric, silent, performance bike)
Why Aren’t We All Driving Electric?
Abdolhadi Mirhejazi’s Naturmobil: A New Way to Think About Horsepower!
ATNMBL by Mike and Maaike