If you can't fix the players then by all means fix the game. This appears to be the strategy that many European cities, including Zurich, have employed to reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles.
While the European approach diverges from the conventional practice here in the U.S., it still operates on a shared principle of increasing pedestrianization.
"In the United States, there has been much more of a tendency to adapt cities to accommodate driving," says European Environment Agency representative Peder Jensen in a New York Times article.
Elisabeth Rosenthal elaborates, "While American cities are synchronizing green lights to improve traffic flow and offering apps to help drivers find parking, many European cities are doing the opposite: creating environments openly hostile to cars." Frequent traffic signals, longer red lights, limited on-street parking, and various pricing mechanisms are some of the gimmicks used to create a situation "miserable enough to tilt drivers toward more environmentally friendly modes of transportation."
FULL STORY: Across Europe, Irking Drivers Is Urban Policy
Rick Steves on Walkability Lessons From Europe
Many of Europe’s pedestrian-friendly, transit-rich cities weren’t always that way.
What Will Become of Fifth Avenue?
Visitors to the iconic shopping street overwhelmingly arrive by walking, transit, or bike. Why are bike and pedestrian infrastructure improvement lagging so far behind another famous NYC street, Broadway?
Car-Free Montreal Street Hailed as Success
A summer pedestrianization project is widely popular with residents and local businesses.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows
The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.
What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities
U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.
North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.
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