The idea of an entire area having no car owners sounds a little strange to someone living in a big city. Especially a suburnban area with no cars, but in places like Vauban, Bogata and even Paris have revolutionized the idea of transportation.

Vauban, Germany- is a suburban area where 70 percent of the families that live there do not own a car, and 57 percent sold a car to move there. Car ownership is allowed but there are only a couple places to park such as large parking garages at the edge of the developement where you can buy a parking space for 40,000, and with the purchace of a home. Residents of Vauban such as Heidrun Walter, mother of two children says when she owned a car she was was always tense and that she is much happier without a car. Vauban is home to 5,500 residents and may be the most advanced experiment in low-car suburban life.

Paris, France nearly hit the record for highest polluted city in the world, until they banned the citizens from driving to clear the air of the global city. People who had an even-numbered license plate were ordered to leave their cars at home or pay a 22-euro fine, which is 31$ in America, the same applied to the odd-numbered plates the following day. Approximetly 4,000 drivers were fined. Congestion was down 60 percent in Paris. After 5 days of intensifying smog rivaled Beijing, China, known as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Diesel fuel was blammed for the mass pollution, Diesels make up 67 percent of vehicles in France. The smog cleared enough for the ruling French party to rescind the ban or odd-numbered plates.

In Bogota, Colombia there is a program that is set to spread to other countries, where millions of Colombians hiked, biked, skated, or took buses to work for a car-free day, leaving the large capital city devoid of traffic jams. The goal of this car-free day is to promote alternative transportation and reduce smog, the turnout was successful. Citizens of Bogota like Carlos Arturo Plaza says it's a good opprotunity to take away stress and lower air pollution. For the first time two other Colombian cities, Cali and Valledupar, joined the event. Higher authorities from other countries came to Bogota to see the event. "These people are generating a revolutionary change, and this is crossing borders" said Enrique Riera, the mayor of Asuncion, Paraguay. Car-free day started in the mid-1990's and as created the construction of 118 miles of bicycle paths, the most of any Latin American city.

Getting out of your car and taking a walk for a couple miles is something you should consider doing everyday. Walking has a insane amount of advantages, it can even save your life. The amount of pollution in the world is doing nothing but rising and the best way to avoid it getting any worse is reducing the amount of driving we do everyday.