TESLA CHARGING AT AN EV STATION IN A PARKING GARAGE IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

of Non-Compacted Urban Developments: A Critical Review on Sustainable Approaches to Automobility and Urban Sprawl,” lays out a number of proposed solutions to car-dependent city planning. These are the “compact city,” the “free-carbon city” and the “ubiquitous eco-city.”

The compact city is exactly what it sounds like: the idea is to fight against urban sprawl by shrinking the city inward, raising urban density, reducing the distance of car trips and in the process making for a more pedestrianfriendly environment. The free-carbon city aims to mitigate carbon emissions by encouraging the use of electric vehicles in underground rapid transit tunnels, à la Elon Musk’s Boring Company

The most exciting option, however, is the eco-city. So-called “ubiquitous” because of its emphasis on communications technology, the eco-city prioritizes the use of digital technologies like Zoom and FaceTime to reduce business commutes; as well as public bikes, scooters and other forms of alternative transportation with smart-tracking systems, like Portland’s Lime scooters and BIKETOWN bicycles.

Such interventions, along with improved public transit infrastructure, have the potential to fundamentally reshape our urban environments for the better—to refocus our communities in a happier, healthier, friendlier direction. Car-centric infrastructure takes valuable public spaces away from potential greenspaces and pedestrian plazas, which are essential for urban quality of life

Though electric cars may help reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, in the final analysis they only further entrench car dependency. At the end of the day, a car is a car is a car—a Tesla takes up just as much parking space as a Subaru.