(Originally published September 14, 2009, reprinted in celebration of National Bike Month) The 5 U.S. cities (1,000+ population) with the least car ownership* (2000 census): Hooper Bay, Alaska (Pop. 1022) – 95.65% of households car-free. New Square Village, NY (Pop. 4707) – 73.77% of households car-free. Kaser Village, NY (Pop. 3299) – 68.57% of households car-free. Kiryas…
I’m taking a blogging vacation and a mini digital detox this week to hang out with family visiting from out of town. But in honor of National Bike Month, I’ll be celebrating bikes all week by rerunning some of my previous posts about bicycles and car-free living. I hope you enjoy them, and I’ll see…
Shareable.net published my article about three different bike cooperatives today. It starts: Over a hundred years ago, H.G. Wells famously quipped, “When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” When Wells wrote his novel Cycles of Change in 1896, the world was in the…
Google Maps added a “bicycle” option! Now they’ll help you find the best route by car, public transit, on foot, or by bicycle. The bike function is still being tested, and Google is asking for users’ feedback to guarantee their routes are actually bicycle-safe. I just tested it by asking for a map of the…
A couple of years ago, my husband and I were going to plant running bamboo along our back fence. Then we casually mentioned the idea to our next-door neighbor. She looked, well, terrified. Bamboo is an amazing plant. It’s used to make musical instruments, toys, tools, weapons, flooring, paper, food, cooking oil, vinegar, and alcohol….
That’s right, car-free living is in the news this week. The New York Times featured a story, “Is Happiness Still That New Car Smell?” by Micheline Maynard about the increasing trend of people going car-free because of the recession. Maynard writes, “The recession and a growing awareness of the environment are causing many people to…