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Recent trends are showing that the average person is trading in their keys for a more contemporary mode of transportation, such as public transit or walking and biking from point A to point B. Even though the reason as to why this is occuring has yet to become clear, there are some general benefits that are known to come from this. More and more, cities in developed and developing nations are now being planned to be more dense, so that the citizens in them can get to where they need to be, without needing a car. Because of this, fewer greenhouse emissions are being created, there is less congestion and smog in cities, and the burden of traffic is being lifted from the everyday driver. The more this trend continues, the more beneficial it can become.

Climate change is a ubiquitous threat to the world. In order to face and reverse the direction of where the world is heading, some cities are finding new ways to face this issue. For example, a city in Germany has practically given up cars through its policies and design. Citizens are only allowed two places to park, and the city is designed so that everything you need is within a walking or biking distance, albeit more dense. More and more places are slowly beginning to adopt this style of suburb because "emissions from an increasing middle class are choking cities" (source 1). Making this change will not be easy, but it is important because "passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe... and up to 50 percent [...] in the United States" (source 1).

Another issue that weighs down cities everywhere is the horrid smog and unbearable congestion most cities face. In order to combat this adverse effect of driving, Paris has banned driving in efforts to reduce the smog it deals with. The effort proved to create a temporary solution, as "congestion was down 60 percent in the capital of France, after five-days of intensifying smog" (source 2). A city in Bogota, Columbia has taken a day off from driving, and the results were so positive that the movement has spread to multiple cities in neighboring countries. This movement "[left] the street eerily devoid of traffic jams" (source 3).

In an ever changing world that exists today with cities that never sleep, the average person is constantly burdened and stressed by things that tend to pile up. So why have driving and traffic be added to that heap of annoyance, especially if it's avoidable? The fact is, driving can be incredibly stressful and sometimes border on superfluous. A resident of the densely populated german town where 70 percent of its citizens don't own cars claimed, "when I had a car, I was always tense. I'm much happier this way", referring to how they no longer need to own a car or drive (source 1). The day of no driving in Bogota, Columbia has been said to be"a good oppurtunity to take away stress" (source 3).

Modern nations have revolved heavily on the invention and continuous innovation of the automobile. However, the increasing dependence on this mode of transportation has created some adverse affects for the general population of the world. In order to solve this problem, an emphasis on cleaner and more efficient modes of transportation must occur, along with more densely designed, modern cities. A larger independence from cars can create fewer greenhouse emissions, cause less congestion and smog in cities, and make the average citizen free from the stress of driving. Change will only ensue with a more proactive stance on this issue

Score: 5