Cars are one of the most iconic things about American culture. America "is the birthplace of the Model T; the home of Detroit; the place where Wilson Pickett immortalized "Mustang Sally..." (source 4) From Mustangs to trucks America has it all and we, as a people, think of cars as a necessity in life and we see them all around us everyday. So what if our car usage was limited? It mght not be as bad as you think. Reducing our usage of cars has advantages such as bettering the environment and improving the structure of a city.

Reducing our use of the car would have numerous positive effects on the state of the environment around us. "Passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of greenhouse gs emisions in Europe...and up to 50 percent in some car-intensive areas in the United States." (source 1) The pollution has gotten so bad in cities like Paris that they have even gone so far as to "...enforce[d] a partial driving ban to clear the air..." (Source 4) The havy car usage that we are accustomed to increases the amount of these harmful gases in the environment. "...emisions from an increasing number of private cars owned by the burgeoning middle class are choking cities." (source 1) Reducing our usage, or even completely eliminating it, would improve our environment drastically and help maintain and lower the amount of pollution in the air.

There have been pioneering cities who have already started banning cars, even for just a day, like Vauban, Germany and Bogota, Colombia. The residents of  Vauban, Germany have done something no one before them has, they have given up their cars. 70 percent of the residents there don't even own a car anymore and have said that they are much happier this way. While some may say that the elimination of cars might be detrimental to car comapnies, there have been companies, like Ford, who have "partner[ed] with the telecommunications industry to create cities in which 'pedestrian, bicycle, private cars, commercial and oublic transportation traffic are woven into a connected network to save time, conserve resources, lower emisions,a nd improve safety'" (source 4) In this town of Vauban, Germany public transportation has been made more accessible eliminating the need for a car, and in turn has made places like shopping malls more accessible on main roads. In Bogota, Colombia there has been a car-free day where people find other means of transportation like biking, walking, or buses to get around for the day. "The goal is to promot ealternative transportation and reduce smog." (source 3) Other Colombian cities, Cali and Valledupar, have joined Bogota in this event, also having a car-free day. This day has made changes throughout the city improving sidewalks, reducing traffic, openingv new shooping districts, and even constructing 118 miles of bicycle path. The effects of the reduction and elimination of car usage can be seen in these citys' sturctures and the improvements that have been made.

The limiting of car usage has been shown to be helpful to the environment and helps to better the structure of a city and like Bogota, Valledupar, and even Paris we should all take into consideration the positive effects that limited car usage would have on us.