Oslo just elected a new leftist government and one of their first actions is putting in place a plan to greatly reduce long term greenhouse gas emissions. A controversial point in this plan is banning cars in the entirety of its city center where 1000 people live but 90,000 people work. 11 of the 57 shopping centers are also located in this area sparking concerns of business owners.
This plan is only possible through a compact and easily traversed city center which is somewhat common in European cities. In America, however, urban sprawl is a problem that plagues many cities. Urban sprawl creates a geographically large and spread out city that creates a reliance on cars for transportation since walking and biking is infeasible and public transportation is inefficient. In compact cities, infrastructure that more easily allows biking and walking while also presenting efficient public transportation can phase out automobile use and greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the city while simultaneously alleviating transportation related congestion.
Original Al Jazeera Article (link)
This plan is only possible through a compact and easily traversed city center which is somewhat common in European cities. In America, however, urban sprawl is a problem that plagues many cities. Urban sprawl creates a geographically large and spread out city that creates a reliance on cars for transportation since walking and biking is infeasible and public transportation is inefficient. In compact cities, infrastructure that more easily allows biking and walking while also presenting efficient public transportation can phase out automobile use and greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the city while simultaneously alleviating transportation related congestion.
Original Al Jazeera Article (link)