Transportation

2 min read

One of the most wasteful, unsustainable aspects of modern society is the daily use of private gasoline-powered automobiles.

The NewVistas community eliminates the use of automobiles for most purposes while providing convenient, more healthful, and more sustainable alternatives.

Distances within a NewVistas community are easily walkable, with only about two miles of walking distance separating the opposite corners of the community’s neighborhood grid area.

Residents will be encouraged to walk, bike, jog, or skate to get from place to place whenever possible, both for the sake of health and sociability and for energy efficiency.

Options will be provided for transportation both outdoors and within enclosed breezeways that are protected from the weather.

Gasoline-powered vehicles are not allowed within the NewVistas community. Instead, electric MULEs and other small electric vehicles can be rented for short-term use or leased long-term.

Because electric vehicles are smaller and lighter, they take up less energy and space while massively reducing noise and air pollution, two of the banes of modern city life. Large items and bulk goods can also easily be moved around the community by electric vehicles, using trailers and pallets as needed.

The network of breezeways provides transportation access throughout the neighborhoods.

Each breezeway will be divided into lanes for walking, bicycles, skating, and the use of electric MULEs, including loading and unloading areas in front of each building.

The breezeway’s transparent walls with doors on the street side are designed to provide a pleasant view and easy access to the street area.

At the same time, the breezeways will be climate-controlled so residents don’t have to worry about rain, snow, ice, cold, pollen, heat, or humidity.

Pedestrian traffic will move in both directions in the breezeway.

However, traffic for bicycles, skating, and MULEs will all be one-way, as shown in the diagram below. Each hub will be surrounded by breezeways. Even using the one-way lanes, any location within the community should be less than three miles travel distance from any other location in the community.

Breezeways (pink) in front of apartment buildings provide access for businesses and residents. The network of breezeways gives easy access to every kind of weather via walking, biking, skating, or using electric MULEs.

For travel outside the community, residents will be able to rent vehicles as desired or use larger public-transportation networks.