Beyond the car. Car-free housing as a laboratory to overcome the "system of automobility"

The car is being called more and more into question in cities due to its impact on, for example, congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, since the "system of automobility" appears to be very resilient, it is important to understand how it can be overcome. Car-free housing projects, where residents commit to living without a private car in the long term, represent laboratories for a post-car system. A mixed-method study of nine developments in Germany and Switzerland shows that residents adopt four types of strategies. They take full advantage of cycling and public transport and use mobility and transport services. They favour proximity and transit accessibility in their everyday life, and rely on their community. Moreover, a favourable social (legal and social norms) and spatial context (infrastructures and built environment) are necessary to enable people to live without a private car.