Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Since the 1950s, the number of cars in Sweden have grown rapidly and the car has become
an important tool and source of pleasure, which many consider they could not do without.
In the car-friendly urban planning ideal of the 20th century the car has been prioritized in
the street space and contributed to urban sprawl. Cars and infrastructure occupy large areas
and have consequences for social and ecological sustainability. However, many Swedish cities
have begun to shift focus from cars to alternative modes of transport, and the policy guiding
documents aim at transports in the sustainable city of the future to consist primarily of
public transport, cycling and walking.
This essay investigates how cars is part of the future urban environments and describes
a number of strategies that can reduce car use. The essay describes the consequences of
motorism on social and ecological sustainability, strategies for reducing car use and examples
from reference sites that have succeeded in reducing car use.
The main objective of the essay is to describe strategies used to reduce car use. The essay’s
questions are as follows:
• What strategies are there for reducing car use and do these strategies reduce people’s
needs for the car?
• What effects on the sustainable city comes with reduced car use?
Car reducing strategies identified in the paper are the policy instruments presented by the
Swedish government with initiatives that promote sustainable transport and reduced car use.
Further, the concept of mobility management is described which reduces car use through soft
measures aimed at altering individuals’ behavior by promoting alternative modes of transport
in different ways.
The general conclusion is that reduced car demands can be achieved by early in the planning
process taking into account the importance of proximity and density to reduce the need for
long transports. Soft action can then further reduce the need for the car by highlighting other
options.