Imagine your life if cars did not exist. You may dread the thought of living without them. Some people likely think it would be a hassle to get where you need to go, but it does not have to be. Other people may love the idea of a car-free life. Believe it or not, lowering the usage of cars has many advantages.

Vauban, Germany is a community that has given up their cars. The streets are car-free -- except for the where the tram runs. The residents might hear a car motor from the distance, and that is only when the pleasant sounds of wandering children and bicycle riders are not blocking out that noise. The people of this community live their lives healthier and with less stress from getting more excercise. "When I had a car I was always tense. I'm much happier this way," says a media trainer and mother of two living in Vauban.

Over the past two decades, there have been many efforts to make cities better for walking, now planners use that same concept in suburbs. This approach places stores on a main street within walking distance rather than in large malls on a far-off highway. Transportation for America promotes new communities where people would be less dependent on cars. David Goldberg, an official from Transportation for America, says that since World War II, all of humans' development has been centered on the car. Mr. Goldberg believes this development will have to change and people will have to reduce their usage of cars.

On top of being a healthier population, cutting out cars would decrease the amount of air pollution. Transportation is one of the largest sources of carbon emission into the environment. In 2014, Paris had to create certain bans on driving in an effort to clear their air of smog. Paris usually has more smog than other capitals in Europe, and has even rivaled the amount of smog in Beijing, China, which is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Bogota, Columbia has made their own efforts to  lower the amounts of pollution. The people of Bogota created a program in which people hiked, biked, skated, or took buses to get where they needed to go during a car-free day. "It's a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution," said a businessman by the name of Carlos Arturo Plaza.

Many individual cities have tried in their own ways to decrease the percentage of car usage in their population. Whether it be a car-free day, carpooling, or just people buying fewer cars, all efforts help decrease pollution, stress, and many other bad things. Traveling without a car brings many benefits to a person, their family, their community, and even the world as a whole.