Above and beyond

Abstract

Many people might look at downtown Burlington, Vermont, and think the closely spaced buildings and the narrow streets "too crowded." To a driver, they probably are. But remove the driver from the vehicle and "density" makes perfect sense. It offers what pedestrians want: many choices in a small amount of space, and a safe and sheltered environment. What we want, in fact demand, when we're behind the wheel of our cars is diametrically opposed to the type of environment we want to live or be in. Like our divided feelings about privacy and community, nature and consumerism, our relationship with the car is complex. We can't live without it, but we don't particularly like living with it either, or, more accurately, the world we create for it. This is an environment calibrated to the size and speed of the automobile, one in which prime space is given over to the storage and movement of vehicles. Although rural areas are as auto-dependent as contemporary suburbs, it doesn't always seem that way because cars are less obtrusive there. But as small towns grow in population, the cars and their support system become more visible. They look more and more like suburbs and less like rural towns. It is clear that communities as well as individuals have a choice in how their town will grow. Their attitude toward the car-the extent to which they accommodate it and depend on it-will have a profound effect on the future of rural areas.