One of the downsides of choosing to live in  a rural area is that I have to have a vehicle. Presently I drive a small, fuel efficient car. It has options like econo-mode, an engine that shuts off at stoplights, and a digital readout that gives feedback about how accelaeration relates to fuel used. It gets good mileage. But it does require gasoline. After researching electric cars, I am planning to replace my car with one in the next couple of years. Besides the environmental and health benefits due to no emissions, electric cars are quiet, and you can charge them at home rather than having to go to  a gas station. Over time there will be savings on fuel costs. Finally, electric motors are less complex than internal combustion engines and last much longer.

There are a lot of elements that work together to make a community sustainable. As most of the world lives in urban areas, I will write about urban communities. I think a city should be designed to include distinct neighbourhoods, each clustered around a town centre area that included shops, a community centre, library, medical clinic, schools, cafes, and so on. Cars should be banned within each town centre, and it should be walkable and bike-able. Housing should be fairly dense (condos and apartments) but with lots of green space, including ground level parks as well as rooftop and balconies that are planted with gardens, and spaces for community garden. As well there should be a network of rapid transit connecting the town centres and the outlying areas. Carparks with electrical recharging stations could be provided at each transit station on the outskirts, and that is where suburban residents would leave their cars. If we get rid of cars in the cities, it would make a lot more room for people and green spaces. But we can’t just ban cars; we have to put alternatives in place. There should be a plan in place to ensure affordable, adequate housing for all members of the city - no homelessness.