CARFREE TOKYO

- a collection of notes and reflections on urban living from the perspective of a family of five in Tokyo. My epiphany was many years ago, but being hit by a motorbike and seeing my life flash before my eyes caused a sudden change that slowly made me reflect on whether American style auto-centric urban transportation of the Roosevelt era really is a capital G "Good Idea" for civilized modern cities in the 21st Century. This blog explores the good and the bad in urban planning and design, here and elsewhere. The goal is simple - not "death to all cars," just more walkable communities, quiet tree-lined streets, good public transport, traffic calming, Velib style bicycle sharing and a bit of common sense. The bolg is mostly theraputic, so I don't go wanting to throttle every dangerous driver I come across, but partly also out of a real desire to see positive change. This blog explores how it can be done, the people who do it, and how, in many small ways, this very old idea may at last have found its zeitgeist. Comments and suggestions welcome.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Post-Car Society

Who would have thought Newsweek would run an article about "kuruma-banare", the growing trend among Japanese of forsaking their automobiles for good? I didn't think Newsweek capable of it myself. But HERE IT IS. It seems the trend has finally reached a stage it can no longer be ignored. If the decline in new car sales continues, "kuruma-banare" could well become 2008 buzzword of the year.
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