What our cities could be

I've written before about opportunities in the environmental crisis. Getting cars out of New York City and other communities that ought to put people before cars would not only cut down on greenhouse gases and improve air quality but would offer us the opportunity to have much nicer places to live.

Imagine the city as one big park! Don't believe me? Look at the pictures of New York's Park Avenue below. Which do you like? New York with cars or New York without?

PS For more on policy solutions to the urban car crisis, see The Green Transportation Hierarchy.

New York's Park Avenue before 1922 (courtesy Aaron Naparstek)

New York's Park Avenue after 1922 "improvements" to accommodate automobile traffic  (courtesy Aaron Naparstek)

New York's Park Avenue today (courtesy of BuddhaCab)