[Vision2020] Germany: " . . . Life Goes on Without Cars"

[Ted Moffett]

 Eco-City Under Construction: A Tour of Masdar City

http://begreen.com.au/newspress/?p=502

An entirely carfree city, multi-story parking lots will be built outside its
walls. Masdar will be bisected by a light rail line, and a personal rapid
transit <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/can-prt-replace-cars.php>
system
(or PRT - kind of a cross between an electric car and a mini-light rail)
will take passengers to within 100 meters of any destination in the city.

-------

Inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern city, Masdar’s plan calls for all
of the city’s buildings to have flat roofs. The city’s builders estimate
that by putting photovoltaic panels on all of this roof space, around three
million square meters, they can create just about enough energy to meet the
needs of the entire city (an estimated 200-230MW of electricity).
-------
More info on this planned solar powered eco-city:

http://www.economist.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=12673433
-------
I'm not sure if this story you reference about a German suburb without cars
appeared on Vision2020 before.  But of course the issue of the
practicalities of life with or without, or with what kind of car (powered by
what energy), or what public transportation system, for modern technological
civilization, is obviously a very important issue.  Winter bike riding?  It
can be done, but how many will rough it?

Consider the economic impact of reducing reliance on cars/trucks in the US.
Imagine if 50% of US families did not own and operate cars or trucks?  The
automotive industry is a cornerstone of the US economy.  If car/truck
ownership and daily or nearly so operation no longer was a dominant
lifestyle choice, the auto industry and the industries and businesses that
are connected would shrink dramatically.  Maybe other industries/businesses
could fill the vacuum; but the US government just bailed out and regulated
(in some ways) General Motors because of its critical role in the US
economy.  General Motors was too important to the economy to let it fail.

I'm afraid that the current economic system dominated by a capitalist
consumer choice society, with its assumptions of personal mobility to go
where you want when, to live where you want, even if long distances are
involved in shopping, entertainment, recreation, or work commuting, will
fiercely resist giving up this lifestyle, no matter the long term impacts of
fossil fuel induced climate change, resource depletion, ecosystem damage...

The technological optimists will insist low carbon or carbon free energy
technologies, with recycling of materials in cars and trucks, will lower the
destructive impacts.

If these options are so practical, affordable and realistic, why is the US
planning on building a pipeline to bring to the US the most environmentally
destructive and greenhouse gas intensive oil, from the tar sands in Alberta,
Canada, encouraging expansion of tar sands development?  National security
and energy independence, international games of hegemony (other nations want
Canada's oil, for energy and profit), and job creation, justify this
project, it will be argued.  But encouraging increases in greenhouse gas
emissions is also a national security issue, as anyone aware of the dire
predictions in the Pentagon's own think tank analysis on the threats posed
by climate change, knows.

If it is technologically feasible to get off oil, where is the large scale
implementation of plans to power cars and trucks on carbon low or neutral
electricity (not coal power), or hydrogen, or fuel cells, or truly carbon
neutral biofuels (not ethanol from corn, with its large fossil fuel upstream
impact), like algae biofuel, or other options... Even the Pickens plan would
replace a lot of oil with natural gas for most transportation demands, while
expanding wind and solar to replace the natural gas electricity generation.
I'm not sure of this plans progress, if any, in the US Congress.

The green revolution optimists will point to the economic benefits of new
alternative domestic energy technologies in job creation, and reducing
dependence on foreign oil as a drain on the US economy.  But big oil is so
powerful and economically entrenched, I think it likely that in the coming
decades oil will remain the dominant fuel for transportation in the US, even
if it is technologically possible to replace oil large scale.  Some very
rich and powerful people are making a lot of money off the US as a oil
dependent economy.  And I think it likely that the car and truck dominated
lifestyle will remain, partly due to consumers demanding it... I won't blame
the problems all on big oil or big coal or the auto industry.  Consumers can
make choices to impact these industries, like living in smaller homes that
use less coal powered electricity.

Ted Moffett

On 8/30/09, Sam Scripter <moscowsam at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> May 11, 2009 = Story date.
>
> Too long ago for me to remember.
>
> Was this NYT story posted on V2020 before? [Ted?]
>
> "In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars"
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.html
>
> I wonder how this can work for bicycles and pedestrians, in regions
> with winter ice and snow?
>
> How can it work for seniors, who are not as agile as younger people,
> in a culture like our rural one, where public transportation is so
> sparse, the exception rather than the rule?
>
> How many would, and could, pay $40,000 for a space in a multi-story
> parking structure at the edge of town, to keep their car?
>
> Surely it would reduce Moscow's downtown parking "problem".
>
> And reduce fossil fuel consumption as well.
>
> I wonder if even my grandchildren will see this come to pass in
> any significant way in the U.S.
>
> MoscowSam
>
>
>
>
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