A future with fewer cars looks like this
In 2000, we dreamt up a future where car sharers outnumber car owners. And this year, we asked you to answer one question: What does 2050 look like with fewer cars on the road?
From block parties to jet-pack commutes, your Dream Green submissions have us excited for the future. Check out our favorites below.
Watch Cameron's video here.
Cameron, NYC
27 and 25, so I hope it'll look like this: cleaner air for them to breathe, more pedestrian paths and bike lanes for their local commutes, nation-wide public transport, and charging stations everywhere for their EVs when they need to get out of town.
More than anything, I hope 2050 is full of community and empathy people looking out for each other, not just neighbors but engineers, scientists, government officials, and volunteers making our neighborhoods and towns better.
Sarah, Brooklyn
Cleaner & quieter. Dare I say even happier?
Wendy, Elk Grove
2050 looks absolutely beautiful with fewer cars in the road. Bright blue skies for days on end without a hint of gray in sight. Perfect weather and fresh air all year round. With fewer cars on the road, the world in 25 years will be changed completely for the better.
Ethan, Irvine
Quiet and peaceful. Open windows, no chaos. Cross the street anywhere! Roads filled with people, not metal.
Erik, New York
Greener, cleaner, and even less meaner :)
Ian, Boston
The air is cleaner. It's quieter, so it's easier to hear birds singing. People smile more because driving is less frustrating. When you do drive, it's easier to find a parking space.
Jean, Gainesville
More green spaces, less pollution, more wildlife mingling with us. Most importantly, a better future for our planet and all the beings who inhabit it.
Daniela, Irvine
Two words: Jet Packs.
Ross, New York
2050 looks like Disney world. Everything is walkable. A bunch of small little communities. Public transportation is on the rise. Not as much pollution. People are healthier due to using those legs!
Alexis, Arlington
Staying present in the moment, listening to the birds chirping, and singing your favorite song out loud for all of nature to hear.
Amy, San Francisco
Cleaner air, more pedestrians and happy people outside!
Alexandria, Washington
As important as what 2050 would look like, is what it would sound like. Less mechanical noise, more human sounds. Sounds of talking, playing, excitement. The sounds of children and dogs, more free and less in danger, at play.
Deb, Chicago
Automated flying cars delivering my children safely to school and delivering French fries to my door.
Ephraim, Corona
More room to dance in the streets, bike to brunch, and picnic where parking meters used to be! Fewer traffic jams, more jam sessions. Less honking, more talking. More local shops, open-air markets, pop-up art, and spontaneous joy.
Eduardo, San Francisco
I won't see 2050, but I imagine quieter cities, cleaner skies, kids playing where traffic once roared. Fewer cars, more connection. A world I hoped for‚ I pray my great grandkids get to live in.
Ronald, Oakland Park
With fewer cars, 2050 will allow for more space for cities to grow sustainably. There will be room for housing, community spaces, and other important infrastructure that makes life easier and greener for citizens.
Billal, Ottawa
Lots of happy, smiling people walking and biking across all of Chicago on sections of former interstate highways and city streets redesigned for pedestrians and cyclists including support stations, warming areas, and compatible retail businesses to attract and make it as easy as possible for people to convert from cars-centric local transport.
Jim, Chicago
Pneumatic tube trains, over skyline rails, self driving vehicles that coordinate multiple passenger drop offs and popular routes.
David, Jersey City
A cleaner planet for my kids and hopefully by then grandkids! More fresh air to breathe, less noise pollution (especially in NYC!!) I think it'll be beautiful!!
Lea, New York
2050 with fewer cars on the road looks like a world with fewer traffic fatalities. It sounds like a peaceful place. It smells like fresh air. It feels more sustainable.
John, New York City
I hope it will look like a breath of fresh air with less emissions, less crowding, less rushing, less angry drivers who instead will eagerly return to the days of enjoying the journey. More golden sunshine, more blue skies, green landscape views, more beachside drives, or trips into the mountains! More time with friends and family on the ultimate road trips reminiscent of the times when it was fun to spend quality time together and on the road - when getting there was half the fun!
Sarah, Los Angeles
Clean, green, and serene. As intended for nature.
Nelly, Portland
2050 would look so much better with fewer cars on the road. A greener future where more people were using alternative transportation methods other than cars is a future that I envision for the youth of today. Not only would it help the environment, it would make the roads much safer!
Azriel, Chicago
Hopefully blue sky and green grass to admire while riding a bike.
Kelly, Kona
