Carfree movement

The Carfree movement is a coalition of people who believe that it is important to reduce both the number of cars in the world, and the usage of them. It comprises:

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• those promoting alternatives to car dependence and car culture, including alternative transport methods such as cycling, walking and public transport;
• those promoting carfree lifestyle choices, within either a "car-dependent", "car-light" or "carfree" local context;
• those promoting the building of (usually mixed-use) carfree environments on either brownfield or greenfield sites (usually sited to ensure easy access to a variety of non-automotive transport modes);
• those promoting carfree days, using the events as tools to bring about long-term on-the-ground change in infrastructure and priorities (example: Bogotá); and
• those promoting the transformation of existing villages, towns and cities (or parts of them) into carfree environments.

Several terms have been coined, and have gained some currency within the movement:

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Car-light - Either a person or place that is not completely carfree, but uses or allows for a variety of alternative transport modes in addition to the car. On a small scale, this is exemplified by the Living street or woonerf, now widespread in Northern Europe. In North America, the term Transit-oriented development is applied to car-light districts. The New Urbanists are a group of North American architects, developers and planners who promote and build environments that are somewhat car-light, expressly stating that the automobile must be accommodated.

Related Topics:
Living street - Transit-oriented development - New Urbanists

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Carfree environments - Places that do not accommodate (permit the entry of) automobiles. Some carfree environments allow motorised vehicles for deliveries and emergency services; other such places use non-motorised alternatives for some or all of these purposes, which is preferable if feasible. Some carfree environments have peripheral parking, and are thus still somewhat car-dependent; therefore solutions should be sought to avoid this. Some people take things a step further and work to encourage local use of local products, thus reducing the dependence of their carfree environment on long-distance goods transport and supporting the local economy over the transnational economy.

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Carfree movement: See also ►