The modern automobile has been the axle to the wheel of the smog ridden contemporary age. Within a century, a car could be found within virtually every home across every developed nation. Though in recent years, the societal infatuation with private automobiles has begun to diminish. Mulitple European and South American countries began instituting beneficial "car-free" municipal policies and statistics show a decline in licencse registration and car purchases across the U.S. The progression of the "car-free" policies and trend will have beneficial ecological, economical, and social implications on the modern world.

The concern of greenhouse gas emissions from cars has been of much concern within the scientific world. With cities such as densely populated Bejing often covered in sheets of poisonous smog, the high emissions has proven deadly to both human and enviromental life. According to source 2, Paris recently was plagued by statuated amounts of smog rivaling that of Bejing. The French solution to this problem was municipal action and a week long ban on certain vehicles. The smog contained nearly 147 micrograms of particulate matter and the country's high use of disel as a gasoline alternative was a contributing factor. The policy was immediately effective as the smog lifted after only one day of the ban. Though the smog that plagued Paris is not only a problem of the French. As stated by Source 1, passenger cars alone are responsible for up to 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions within car-intensive areas of the U.S. such as Chicago and Detriot.

The focus on automobiles with the development of car-intensive cities, such as the aforementioned Chicago and Detriot, has carried an economical burden in tandem with it's ecological consequences. According to Source 1, 80 percent of monetary appropriations have gone to highways with 20 percent going to other forms of public transit. As exmplified within the same article, Vauban, Germany has pioneered the car-free suburban model. Maximizing ergonomics to improve public foot transit, it has financially benefited from the prohibition of cars and the nuturing of its enviorment. Within the South American capital of Bogota, Columbia, who have been promoting an improvement campaign designed to encorage pedestrain-centric municipal development. As an effect of in newly revitalized walkways and parks, an industry of shops and restaurants appeared.

Within the United States the "car-free" movement has been gaining support. As stated by Source 4, President Obama demonstrated his vision to curb greenhouse gas emissions in a speech in 2013. This statement was aided by polls showing a demopraghic shift in licensed citizens.