What’s this? Smart planning, you say?
Residents in Vauban, Germany have litterally given up their cars.
Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the Swiss border. Vauban’s streets are completely “car-free” — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park…As a result, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here.
More over at the NY Times.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I SAID, DID YOU NOTICE YOUNG TYLER FARRAR IS SITTING 2ND ON GC AT 8 SECONDS??
GO TYLER!!
May 11th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Vande Velde is done. ouch
did they ever find his bike?
May 12th, 2009 at 5:09 am
Beautiful concept. Wish we could pull that off in NASCAR nation. I commute every day by bike, and not a single ride goes by without an “incident” of interaction with a car. Yesterday was an obese Sheriff cutting me off on a roll through stop. Blocked the bike lane,and the crosswalk, waved me into traffic to go around his fat ass. Fuckin pig in every sense of the word. Would he have been on a tricycle in Vauban?
May 12th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Garages are forbidden?
I mean is it cool if I have one to keep my bikes in or do I have to display them all on my front lawn where they block my walkway while deteriorating at a rapid pace?
Neat idea though. For the last month I have been pondering a scenario where I win the lottery and start a community just like this. I have been going over the logistics in my head of having a garage on the edge of town and bike paths as the only way to get to a residence.
I was wondering how they get heavy furniture and larger items to their doorstep. Flatbed cargo bikes in the garage? Could work.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:54 am
the more i read stuff like this…the more i hate this fucking place.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Not to mention beer is CHEAPER than WATER. Come over to the fatherland, fellas… it’s nice here.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Add some of (all of) the benifits of Amsterdam, the sun of Spain, the snow of Utah, the women of Estonia…
May 13th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
You forget that the distances between anywhere and anywhere are huge in The United States of America and public transportation is practically zilch. How you expect us to get around? What, Obama gonna send a bus to pick me up or some shit?
Jesus, if you like Europe so fucking much why don’t you move?
May 13th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Before anybody goes all crazy, the above is obviously satire.
May 13th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Is this the village of little people. Eric?