Recent headlines point to the seismic modal shift underway in Seattle transportation. Bike and car sharing, electric vehicles, expanded light rail and driverless cars are opening a world of choices to Seattle residents who used to be solely reliant on their own automobiles.
The average US city devotes between 30% and 40% of its surface area to roads and parking, compared to less than 5% for parks. Prioritizing cars impacts everything from health and safety to the cost of housing. Imagining a city where privately owned internal-combustion vehicles are not the dominant transportation choice invites us to rethink the design of our neighborhoods and public spaces.
What are the inherent opportunities this shift opens for the design of our cities? How might we want and need to reimagine our urban fabric? Should we create a vision now for what our post-car city should look like?