The Future of new housing - Shifting from car-centric design to car-free design

In many parts of the world, there is a veritable housing crisis. With growing populations and increasingly limited space for new construction, people are being squeezed into small living quarters, while many are lacking affordable housing or must find places to live far from where they work or where their desired community is located. As the world continues to get more crowded and more expensive, it is absolutely crucial to find ways to build human habitats that are in alignment with human needs, while also not destroying the existing fabric of nature. The expansive housing model, the typical American suburbia "dream" comes along with a huge environmental footprint, a massive use of space for roads and parking, and does not provide an easy route to community-building. This model is untenable, unsustainable, extremely damaging and should be abandoned. We are proposing the development of a scalable model of compact, car-free housing that could play an important role in answering the housing crisis. While off-site parking and car access wouldn't be prohibited, within the neighbourhood or housing estate, everything is walkable and easy to reach. This model allows for high quality of urban habitat, and can accommodate more people, without losing out on public space, nature, and community life - in a green commons. This housing model can be appropriately twinned with the smart city and the eco-city model. Sustainability concepts (including local material sourcing and renewable energy) also play a major role. Existing nature will not need to be sacrificed, and construction costs can be reduced. Our session looks at how this can be achieved. We review the best practices and several examples that currently hold the most promise. We look at opportunities further down the road, and imagine how our model could be scaled in diverse geographies. Specific examples are included from the USA, Germany, Nepal, and Switzerland. This event will also serve as the launching ground for the Guild of Carfree Builders – a professional network and community of practice. We will thus close with a signing and official group portrait.