Sustainable development starts with the street. If a person can walk or bike to a destination, decreasing fossil fuel use and reducing daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), then her or his commute becomes more efficient. Driving fewer miles reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Since people don’t like to walk on streets that are dominated by car traffic and they don’t like to cycle on a road that was designed for only the automobile, accommodating these alternative forms of transport is a logical priority. It turns out that this logic is actually part of a rising trend—automobile ownership per household peaked in 2001 in America and has been steadily decreasing ever since. Fewer people are driving, and the resulting reduction in VMT is huge.
Victor Dover and John Massengale
Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns
