(canadastock / shutterstock.com)
Car-free areas are a prevalent phenomenon - mostly in Europe, but also in other places in the world (check out this list) - yet are far less common in the US. Piscataquis Village, a rural town in Maine, will become car-free, if local dweller Tracy Gayton's dreams - and hard work - come to realization.
Gayton is the initiator of a project that aims to free PIscataquits Village from cars, and drew a plan based on key elements common in car-free zones in Europe, mainly: narrow streets, small plazas, interior courtyards, attached buildings and arcaded sidewalks. As Gayton explained in an interview to Co.Exist, Piscqtaquis is a fitting candidate for his ambitious plan, because unlike other rural areas in the States, it’s large enough to become a solid economic entity, yet small enough to be traversed on foot in 10 minutes. Gayton has managed to recruit other supporters for this project that aims to reenact a simpler lifestyle that is at once environment-conscious and community-minded. In Kickstarter style, several community members have pledged to invest $290K in the project, provided that a full $2m are raised.
Nifty!
Too lazy to read right now? This is what we're talking about: www.facebook.com/villageproject
