Several European countries have already announced an end date for the sale of gas and diesel vehicles
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| October 1 · Issue #2 · View online |
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Several European countries have already announced an end date for the sale of gas and diesel vehicles, but China’s intention to do the same is a big deal. It will force automakers to sell more electric vehicles (EVs) through a rising quota beginning in 2019. But is simply shifting from our current vehicles to electric ones enough? There’s a growing recognition, particularly in European cities, but also in some of North America’s largest metro areas, that car usage must be reduced significantly. In order to do this, massive investments are being made in public transit and cycling infrastructure to entice people to make the choice to switch, but in some cases they must also be pushed. Several European cities are taking away parking and reduce space for vehicles in order to send a clear message about the future of mobility in their cities. However, Europe isn’t the only place of interest. California, a place known for its car culture, is making big investments in expanding local rail networks, building North America’s first high-speed rail system, and is trying to make it easier for people to use alternative modes of transit. Typically when people think of a transit-reliant US city, they think of New York. But will Los Angeles come to rival it in the near future?
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The world's largest car market just announced an imminent end to gas and diesel cars
A few weeks ago, China announced its plans to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles, following a number of European countries. There’s no set timeline, but there’s no denying their commitment to EVs is a positive development. This article has a great breakdown of the current state of EVs.
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China Gives Automakers More Time in World's Biggest EV Plan
Starting in 2019, automakers will need to meet a rising EV quota to sell in China. Even if other countries don’t follow suit, this requirement will reverberate across the world and will aid to reduce the price of EVs. Interestingly, Chinese automakers have a head start on their Western counterparts.
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California Considers Following China With Combustion-Engine Car Ban
Inspired by Chinese and European examples, California is also now considering a ban on gas and diesel vehicles, which would be a big deal in the context of the United States given California’s size and influence on other states.
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Will electric cars slow global warming?
The promotion of EVs over gas and diesel vehicles is certainly a positive development, but is it enough to address climate change? Rex Weyler argues that simply shifting to EVs is not good enough, and cities need to instead promote public transit, cycling, and walking to reduce car usage altogether.
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End of the car age: how cities are outgrowing the automobile
LONGREAD: A look at initiatives being taken in Lyon, Birmingham, London, and Helsinki to get more people walking, cycling, and using public transit. “We are in the midst of a fundamental regime transition in society.” Cars will be used rarely in the future city, and offered as a service instead of being privately owned.
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How do we get urban transport to deliver on global climate targets?
On the development of a global plan to decarbonize transport: There is already broad consensus on the need in cities for passenger transport systems based on more walking, cycling, more-efficient public transport and shared mobility solutions to support sustainable development and climate change goals.
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🚨 Inside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s Ambitious Plans To Create The Post-Car City
How Paris is giving its streets back to its people and promoting transit use, cycling, and walkability by taking back space that was previously reserved for cars. This is just one example of a broader trend among major European cities.
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🚨 Mesmerizing gif shows how much LA’s transit network will grow under Measure M
Last year, voters in Los Angeles agree to a tax rise in order to fund a massive expansion of the city’s public transit system.
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CA High-Speed Rail Chair on the 'Transformative' Impacts of 'Connecting' California
INTERVIEW: Construction has also begun on the state’s high-speed rail system — the first of its kind in North America — which Board Chair Dan Richard says will expand economic opportunities not only in the Central Valley, but across the state. Businesses are already planning relocating closer to the high-speed rail stations.
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Los Angeles Union Station Plan Creates Multimodal Access to Downtown L.A.
In order to move more people away from cars, transit also needs to be easier to access, which is why Los Angeles is renovating the area around Union Station — LA’s transit hub — to make it easier to more accessible.
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SPUR Gets Preview of State Rail Plan
Finally, public transit also needs to be easy to use; if the system is too confusing, people will just stick with their car. The State Transportation Agency seems to recognize this, and is working on a plan for a single ticketing system for regional and local transportation.
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Car Dependence Is a Poverty Trap That States Exploit to Raise Money
The high purchase fee and ongoing maintenance costs mean that, for poor people, vehicles are not a ticket to freedom, but rather it keeps them on the treadmill of precarity. Governments reliant on income from fines target these very people, making their lives even more difficult. There are the people who would benefit most from high-quality, affordable public transit.
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An enlightening perspective on home ownership from renowned anthropologist and geographer David Harvey in Rebel Cities: Homeownership was widely promoted as central to the “American Dream,” and it rose from just above 40 percent of the population in the 1940s to more than 60 percent by the 1960s, and close to 70 percent at its peak in 2004 (as of 2010, it had fallen to 66 percent). Homeownership may be a deeply held cultural value in the United States, but cultural values flourish remarkably when promoted and subsidized by state policies. The stated reasons for such policies are all those that the World Bank Report cites. But the political reason is rarely now acknowledged. As was openly noted in the 1930s, debt-encumbered homeowners do not go on strike. The military personnel returning from service in World War II would have constituted a social and political threat had they returned to unemployment and depression. What better way to kill two birds with one stone: revive the economy through massive housing construction and suburbanization and co-opt the better-paid workers into conservative politics by debt-encumbered homeownership!
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