The Hierarchy of Car-Urbanism

Like Maslow but for Cities

I’ve previously discussed how, contrary to the popular reactionary arguments, eliminating car dependency does not mean eliminating cars. As is frequently discussed in urbanist circles and driveist circles alike, the Netherlands is one of the best places to drive in the world, so the idea that alternatives to car dependence are incompatible with driving are plainly false.

But today I wanted to do a bit more to specifically quantify the spectrum from car dependency to car free(dom). To that end, I introduce the Car-urbanism hierarchy (or carbanism hierarchy?).

Complete car freedom, to me, should be the ultimate goal. It is not necessarily achievable in all areas–people in rural areas will almost always certainly need vehicles. But places like European city centres are also places where we are often already car free. And remember, car free does not mean vehicle free: transit vehicles, emergency vehicles, construction, and delivery vehicles will still be present. And contrary to more pro-car arguments they will have fewer challenges moving around in a car free urban area than a congested car dominated area.

On the other end of the spectrum, while we understand the car dependency that plagues most North American cities, people will often point out cities like Toronto and New York as not car dependent–and they are right. Those cities are not car dependent–it is possible to live car free. What they are is car dominated–places where cars (despite often being the minority) are given the majority of the space, priority, and continue to dominate both the conversation and the lives of everyone in the city. Not a pleasant place to be.

Most of the Netherlands as well as many other European cities qualify as car independent– places where it is possible to drive for every conceivable trip, but where cars are not prioritized, and where major traffic volumes are moved out of the areas where people frequent.

In North America our first goal should be to move away from car dependency. That is an urgent equity issue–people who cannot drive should be able to live their lives to the fullest, it is wrong and cruel that we do not allow that.

But a close second goal should be moving our best cities away from car domination. That affects everyone, we all suffer the pollution, noise, congestion, and violence that result from cities dominated by cars. And we should give car dependent cities something to look up to more inspiring than domination.