What do you think?
Rate this book
Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
From the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back
When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans; yet a hundred years later, that dream is running on empty.
Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world. Globally, SUVs alone now emit more carbon than the nations of Germany, South Korea, or Japan.
That’s why we need Life After Cars. Through historical records, revealing interviews, and unflinching statistics, Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, hosts of the podcast The War on Cars, and former host Aaron Naparstek unpack the scale of damage that cars cause, the forces that have created our current crisis and are invested in perpetuating it, and the way that the fight for better transportation is deeply linked to the fight for a more equitable and just society.
Cars as we know them today are unsustainable—but there is hope. Life After Cars will arm readers with the tools they need to implement real, transformative change, from simply raising awareness to taking a stand at public forums. It’s past time to radically rethink—and shrink—society’s collective relationship with the automobile. Together, let’s create a better Life After Cars.
From the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back
When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans; yet a hundred years later, that dream is running on empty.
Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world. Globally, SUVs alone now emit more carbon than the nations of Germany, South Korea, or Japan.
That’s why we need Life After Cars. Through historical records, revealing interviews, and unflinching statistics, Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, hosts of the podcast The War on Cars, and former host Aaron Naparstek unpack the scale of damage that cars cause, the forces that have created our current crisis and are invested in perpetuating it, and the way that the fight for better transportation is deeply linked to the fight for a more equitable and just society.
Cars as we know them today are unsustainable—but there is hope. Life After Cars will arm readers with the tools they need to implement real, transformative change, from simply raising awareness to taking a stand at public forums. It’s past time to radically rethink—and shrink—society’s collective relationship with the automobile. Together, let’s create a better Life After Cars.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2025
195 people are currently reading
2315 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
November 17, 2025
Oh the radical notion that cars should serve us instead of us serving cars! Endlessly feeding these gas-guzzling death machines for the sake of a convenience that actually isn’t all that convenient—and in fact is deeply inconvenient and expensive to keep up—is impossible to sustain and we need to seriously confront that fact. This book addresses everything from “bikelash” to the “I love visiting Europe and being in walkable cities, BUT this isn’t Amsterdam” bullshit head on. Opposing cars requires us to all radically change our perceptions of the world and what the world could be and look like. This book is an excellent synthesis of the best arguments against cars and the shoddy arguments for cars that people have, and references many of the classic and contemporary urbanist bibles, from The Powerbroker to When Driving Is Not An Option. A primer against cars and for the future!
Listened to 90% of this book while riding the bus, my bike, and walking around of course
4.5
Listened to 90% of this book while riding the bus, my bike, and walking around of course
4.5
July 21, 2025
I haven't listened to the authors' podcast, but this is an area of thought I've had plenty of exposure to. As such, not much here is new to me, not even most of the specific anecdotes cited. But there is undeniably power to evidence at volume, and this feels like as good a primer as any to one of the major ways humanity is destroying the planet and themselves. It's not data-heavy (at least doesn't feel that way while reading, though once you get to the appendices at the end it does seem like a lot of numbers), but it is practical and approachable (though only to a certain extent, as obviously a book with chapters like "Cars Are Killing Us" and "Cars Ruin Society" isn't intended to convert those on the polar opposite side of the issue); it's not as in-depth and academic as a research paper but that means it's relatively short and digestible.
While it certainly leans toward the strictly educational side of nonfiction, it is often beautifully written, with certain lines that felt genuinely poetic to me, especially in the aforementioned chapters that are understandably the most urgent and emotional. And that's needed, too, because I think beauty in prose can be persuasive in its own right, balancing the statistics and anecdotes with distinctive writing that reminds one of the humans behind the text. I would quote some examples here, but I'm following the law of eARCs to the letter.
I appreciate too that it dedicates a section to a call-to-action and the practicalities of making a change. I know that people prominent in this pop-urbanism space are sometimes criticized for laying out issues while not offering solutions or pointing their audiences in the right direction. But maybe the answers should be obvious, and educating/informing people is half the battle (which might be why the final part of this book is the shortest). While vast aspects of the issue are much bigger than the individual, I do feel that people have become too jaded against the idea of individual responsibility and action, as if it's become cringeworthy to believe in the effects of small changes (or the ability to inspire big changes through the collective sum of individual actions). I think it's something to do with the fact that certain generations were taught that they could save the world if they turned the tap off while brushing their teeth and reduced, reused, recycled, and yet despite those efforts things are still getting worse. So they resign themselves to the spiral of destruction, as if it's silly to even try.
While at university, I took a course on climate change led by a brilliant biology professor who specialized in wildlife and habitat conservation. He told a story about how, while living in a village in his home country of India, he managed to get so many people to use reusable bags that the local shops stopped ordering plastic bags altogether. I think this is an anecdote that a lot of people would scoff at. On its face, it's too feel-good, even naive. What difference does it make to the world that one tiny village in India has stopped using plastic bags? But maybe it means that a few fewer bags will be littered. And maybe that means that a few fewer local animals choke and die because they've tried to eat plastic rubbish. I fail to understand the unfashionability of changing yourself even if you believe you can't change the world.
With that digression out of the way, thank you to Thesis and NetGalley for the eARC.
While it certainly leans toward the strictly educational side of nonfiction, it is often beautifully written, with certain lines that felt genuinely poetic to me, especially in the aforementioned chapters that are understandably the most urgent and emotional. And that's needed, too, because I think beauty in prose can be persuasive in its own right, balancing the statistics and anecdotes with distinctive writing that reminds one of the humans behind the text. I would quote some examples here, but I'm following the law of eARCs to the letter.
I appreciate too that it dedicates a section to a call-to-action and the practicalities of making a change. I know that people prominent in this pop-urbanism space are sometimes criticized for laying out issues while not offering solutions or pointing their audiences in the right direction. But maybe the answers should be obvious, and educating/informing people is half the battle (which might be why the final part of this book is the shortest). While vast aspects of the issue are much bigger than the individual, I do feel that people have become too jaded against the idea of individual responsibility and action, as if it's become cringeworthy to believe in the effects of small changes (or the ability to inspire big changes through the collective sum of individual actions). I think it's something to do with the fact that certain generations were taught that they could save the world if they turned the tap off while brushing their teeth and reduced, reused, recycled, and yet despite those efforts things are still getting worse. So they resign themselves to the spiral of destruction, as if it's silly to even try.
While at university, I took a course on climate change led by a brilliant biology professor who specialized in wildlife and habitat conservation. He told a story about how, while living in a village in his home country of India, he managed to get so many people to use reusable bags that the local shops stopped ordering plastic bags altogether. I think this is an anecdote that a lot of people would scoff at. On its face, it's too feel-good, even naive. What difference does it make to the world that one tiny village in India has stopped using plastic bags? But maybe it means that a few fewer bags will be littered. And maybe that means that a few fewer local animals choke and die because they've tried to eat plastic rubbish. I fail to understand the unfashionability of changing yourself even if you believe you can't change the world.
With that digression out of the way, thank you to Thesis and NetGalley for the eARC.
November 18, 2025
A tad repetitive but overall I’m a huge car hater so I loved it LOL. Communities deserve good, safe, and affordable public transportation.
December 1, 2025
What is more lovely than a nonfiction who makes you pause and think? To challenge your beliefs a bit, to just push you to consider what you thought was certainty?
This is a book about cars, bikes, walking and transportation in general. I think that the authors very cleverly frame the argument to be about keeping more kids safe and healthy. I think there is a lot of good information about bikes and why we need to design cities to be less car centric. I was also stunned to learn that sidewalk skirts (the gentle slopes from the pedestrian walkways to the road at crossings) are a relatively new invention.
This is a book about cars, bikes, walking and transportation in general. I think that the authors very cleverly frame the argument to be about keeping more kids safe and healthy. I think there is a lot of good information about bikes and why we need to design cities to be less car centric. I was also stunned to learn that sidewalk skirts (the gentle slopes from the pedestrian walkways to the road at crossings) are a relatively new invention.
December 28, 2025
certified banger. both a great book for people new to the anti-car movement and well-read car haters. talks broadly about every element of the harm cars cause, and makes a great call to action.
October 30, 2025
At times, this book left me feeling incredibly sad. At other times, I was seething with rage having to take breaks from reading it. At other times, I was very happy and hopeful for the positive changes being made around the world. I think most of the book focuses on the history of a car centric culture and the problems it causes rather than what an actual Life After Cars would look like, but it’s necessary context. I’m also unsure how much more they could add without getting repetitive (talking about other cities that have done similar things) or venturing into science fiction.
I loved the book. Lots of statistics and quotes and citations for everything.
In the introduction, they talk about how this book is for more people than the ones who are already very anti-car, but that leaves me so curious on how it would be received by people less biased than I am. They do little “both sidesing” of the argument, even going as far as to say that they don’t feel the need to as the status quo, media, and auto industry do enough to convince people about the benefits of cars. For me, that’s not a problem and the authors do what they set out to do. They created a book for people who are anti-car to slightly skeptical of cars to go further down that path, take action, and make a better world.
I wish the book left me more hopeful. It got its message across that change is possible, but it also showed how hard it can be to achieve, even using small or dense cities as examples. Reading this while very far from the downtown of Miami while the government, as far as I can tell, is 100% committed to the auto centric society and seemingly little investment in public transit (although I’ve seen some improvements), the hope for my city is very low, but I’ll do my part.
I will use this book to be more annoying and cite it constantly. Spoiler alert (not really): the book even has some calls to action at the end where one of them is to “preach to the unconverted” and you know I will be doing just that.
Also, I’ve never listened to their podcast, but maybe I need to start.
I loved the book. Lots of statistics and quotes and citations for everything.
In the introduction, they talk about how this book is for more people than the ones who are already very anti-car, but that leaves me so curious on how it would be received by people less biased than I am. They do little “both sidesing” of the argument, even going as far as to say that they don’t feel the need to as the status quo, media, and auto industry do enough to convince people about the benefits of cars. For me, that’s not a problem and the authors do what they set out to do. They created a book for people who are anti-car to slightly skeptical of cars to go further down that path, take action, and make a better world.
I wish the book left me more hopeful. It got its message across that change is possible, but it also showed how hard it can be to achieve, even using small or dense cities as examples. Reading this while very far from the downtown of Miami while the government, as far as I can tell, is 100% committed to the auto centric society and seemingly little investment in public transit (although I’ve seen some improvements), the hope for my city is very low, but I’ll do my part.
I will use this book to be more annoying and cite it constantly. Spoiler alert (not really): the book even has some calls to action at the end where one of them is to “preach to the unconverted” and you know I will be doing just that.
Also, I’ve never listened to their podcast, but maybe I need to start.
November 22, 2025
Incredible. I HIGHLY recommend this to EVERYONE.
November 16, 2025
Slightly disappointed there was not more "life after cars".
December 11, 2025
A very necessary read for most, but not particularly for me. I already am a paid Patreon subscriber to the War on Cars podcast so this book (which I had signed by the authors at their release day event in NYC) is just a best hits compilation of their podcast episodes that treat nearly every topic addressed in this book with more detail and highlighting key regulators/activists/academics working in that given area. This is a problem of my own making being in the transportation justice space, since the arguments against car dependency have remained the same for decades; the principal differences between why street transformations have been enacted in Europe & Asia but not anywhere to the same extent in North America are a matter of political will and consumer indoctrination.
Largely a rehash of 2023’s Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do About It by Daniel Knowles, the two most effective new arguments I see here draw from Paul Donald’s book Traffication regarding the insidious ways that automobile ubiquity is destroying nature (in particular, how highways cut off natural habitats and breeding grounds to create isolated animal communities experiencing declining biodiversity due to inbreeding and such shocking outcomes as infertile single-testicle mountain lions in Los Angeles) as well as the chapter on racist enforcement of traffic laws creating ever more effective legal technologies and regimes to police and curtail free movement of black Americans. Worth reading these chapters at a minimum for how succinctly the authors illustrate these casualties of motonormativity. If you want to go beyond succinct, however, you can’t do better than becoming a War on Cars podcast subscriber to fully immerse yourself in 100+ episodes of detailed interviews bringing in insights from countless different disciplines and countries all aligned in the global fight for a greener, healthier, freer, and just future.
Largely a rehash of 2023’s Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do About It by Daniel Knowles, the two most effective new arguments I see here draw from Paul Donald’s book Traffication regarding the insidious ways that automobile ubiquity is destroying nature (in particular, how highways cut off natural habitats and breeding grounds to create isolated animal communities experiencing declining biodiversity due to inbreeding and such shocking outcomes as infertile single-testicle mountain lions in Los Angeles) as well as the chapter on racist enforcement of traffic laws creating ever more effective legal technologies and regimes to police and curtail free movement of black Americans. Worth reading these chapters at a minimum for how succinctly the authors illustrate these casualties of motonormativity. If you want to go beyond succinct, however, you can’t do better than becoming a War on Cars podcast subscriber to fully immerse yourself in 100+ episodes of detailed interviews bringing in insights from countless different disciplines and countries all aligned in the global fight for a greener, healthier, freer, and just future.
December 31, 2025
A really good collection of data and stories that references a lot of other popular resources in the field; probably perfect for someone who is getting into urbanism/transit/biking/policy stuff, but not quite for me. Side note, I got to see them on their book tour and had a blast. Also if you need a poncho for biking, use their podcast code for 20% off or something like that!
January 15, 2026
I knew a lot of the information already, but I think the arguments were presented really well and the call to action was especially inspiring
December 31, 2025
Accessible read and presents lots of information about the problems a car base society has created and just how we may get ourselves out of this mess.
May 25, 2025
Book Review: Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile
By Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek
Life After Cars is a timely and incisive critique of the automobile’s destructive dominance in modern society. Drawing from their expertise as hosts of The War on Cars podcast, the authors deliver a meticulously researched indictment of car-centric infrastructure, exposing its social, environmental, and economic toll. The book is structured into three compelling sections: “How We Got Here” (a history of car culture and resistance), “How Cars Ruin Everything” (detailing impacts on childhood, public health, equity, and nature), and “How We Get Free” (solutions like urban design reforms and grassroots activism).
Key Strengths:
-Interdisciplinary Rigor: Blends historical analysis, data (e.g., SUV emissions surpassing entire nations), and case studies (like the “bike bus” initiative) to underscore systemic flaws.
-Action-Oriented: Beyond critique, the book offers tangible steps for advocacy, from policy shifts to community organizing.
-Narrative Power: The prose is accessible yet scholarly, balancing urgency with hope for a post-car future.
Notable Themes:
-The paradox of cars as symbols of freedom that ultimately isolate and endanger.
-The intersection of transportation justice with broader struggles for equity.
-Innovative alternatives, such as reclaiming urban spaces for people-centric design.
How I would describe this book:
- A galvanizing manifesto for anyone who’s ever felt trapped in traffic—literally or politically.
- Reveals how cars hijacked the American dream—and how we can take it back.
- Essential reading for urbanists and environmentalists, and advocates for a more connected world.
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to Portfolio Publishers for providing an advance review copy. This book is a vital contribution to the discourse on sustainable futures, and its insights will resonate with scholars, policymakers, and activists alike.
Final Recommendation: Life After Cars is a provocative, evidence-based call to action. Its blend of sharp analysis and pragmatic vision makes it indispensable for reimagining mobility—and society—beyond the automobile.
Reviewer’s Note: The “bike bus” concept (a communal, safe cycling cohort for children) exemplifies the book’s creativity in rethinking norms. Such examples elevate the text from critique to inspiration.
By Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek
Life After Cars is a timely and incisive critique of the automobile’s destructive dominance in modern society. Drawing from their expertise as hosts of The War on Cars podcast, the authors deliver a meticulously researched indictment of car-centric infrastructure, exposing its social, environmental, and economic toll. The book is structured into three compelling sections: “How We Got Here” (a history of car culture and resistance), “How Cars Ruin Everything” (detailing impacts on childhood, public health, equity, and nature), and “How We Get Free” (solutions like urban design reforms and grassroots activism).
Key Strengths:
-Interdisciplinary Rigor: Blends historical analysis, data (e.g., SUV emissions surpassing entire nations), and case studies (like the “bike bus” initiative) to underscore systemic flaws.
-Action-Oriented: Beyond critique, the book offers tangible steps for advocacy, from policy shifts to community organizing.
-Narrative Power: The prose is accessible yet scholarly, balancing urgency with hope for a post-car future.
Notable Themes:
-The paradox of cars as symbols of freedom that ultimately isolate and endanger.
-The intersection of transportation justice with broader struggles for equity.
-Innovative alternatives, such as reclaiming urban spaces for people-centric design.
How I would describe this book:
- A galvanizing manifesto for anyone who’s ever felt trapped in traffic—literally or politically.
- Reveals how cars hijacked the American dream—and how we can take it back.
- Essential reading for urbanists and environmentalists, and advocates for a more connected world.
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to Portfolio Publishers for providing an advance review copy. This book is a vital contribution to the discourse on sustainable futures, and its insights will resonate with scholars, policymakers, and activists alike.
Final Recommendation: Life After Cars is a provocative, evidence-based call to action. Its blend of sharp analysis and pragmatic vision makes it indispensable for reimagining mobility—and society—beyond the automobile.
Reviewer’s Note: The “bike bus” concept (a communal, safe cycling cohort for children) exemplifies the book’s creativity in rethinking norms. Such examples elevate the text from critique to inspiration.
November 16, 2025
Honestly I bought this book already onboard with its message - car primacy sucks. So I was partly hoping to hear new insights, and partly expecting an enjoyable agreeable listen. Turns out I didn’t get much of either.
The thing is: the book’s tone, in many sections, is really hostile (to cars/car-loving people), to the point ridiculing arguments on the other side rather than thoughtfully engaging with them. To illustrate the point: in the audio book, when Sarah Goodyear is reading quotes from men advocating for cars, she would lower her voice to make a mocking male tone. It makes me wonder whether the people/things they so vehemently portray as evil has another side that should be more carefully considered. There’s also a lot of big existential words and passages that just felt overdone. I think all this anger and passion is deserved, but it lacks the taste and nuance I want. If you’re someone who enjoys reading angry facebook posts, you might enjoy this. I don’t.
In terms of content: the arguments will be familiar to people who’ve thought a bit about urbanism: cars kill a lot of people, influences destructive city designs, bad for the environment, etc.
The thing is: the book’s tone, in many sections, is really hostile (to cars/car-loving people), to the point ridiculing arguments on the other side rather than thoughtfully engaging with them. To illustrate the point: in the audio book, when Sarah Goodyear is reading quotes from men advocating for cars, she would lower her voice to make a mocking male tone. It makes me wonder whether the people/things they so vehemently portray as evil has another side that should be more carefully considered. There’s also a lot of big existential words and passages that just felt overdone. I think all this anger and passion is deserved, but it lacks the taste and nuance I want. If you’re someone who enjoys reading angry facebook posts, you might enjoy this. I don’t.
In terms of content: the arguments will be familiar to people who’ve thought a bit about urbanism: cars kill a lot of people, influences destructive city designs, bad for the environment, etc.
December 17, 2025
I’ve read 106 books this year, and this one might be the best.
THIS IS IT. The topics touched on in this book are exactly what has been circling through my head about how society functions for years — everything from how car-centric societies are lonelier and less safe, to how third spaces are essential for creating community (and how those have been decimated over decades to make space for parking structures), to how public transport allows for connectivity among people and different communities, and how childhoods are becoming more isolated because kids have to be driven everywhere. I’m going to be referencing this book for the rest of my life. The authors do a stellar job explaining the effects of motor vehicles on society through data, human-centered stories, and comparative studies from all around the world. I can’t wait to listen to their podcast.
I hate cars. I hate what they symbolize and how we use them (yes, I know this is hypocritical because I just got a car, but we still live in a car-centric society, so choices are often limited). I love cities and public transport, and above all, living in places where I can walk and meet people out on the street.
This book was life-changing because it put everything into words. Thank you. Thank you.
THIS IS IT. The topics touched on in this book are exactly what has been circling through my head about how society functions for years — everything from how car-centric societies are lonelier and less safe, to how third spaces are essential for creating community (and how those have been decimated over decades to make space for parking structures), to how public transport allows for connectivity among people and different communities, and how childhoods are becoming more isolated because kids have to be driven everywhere. I’m going to be referencing this book for the rest of my life. The authors do a stellar job explaining the effects of motor vehicles on society through data, human-centered stories, and comparative studies from all around the world. I can’t wait to listen to their podcast.
I hate cars. I hate what they symbolize and how we use them (yes, I know this is hypocritical because I just got a car, but we still live in a car-centric society, so choices are often limited). I love cities and public transport, and above all, living in places where I can walk and meet people out on the street.
This book was life-changing because it put everything into words. Thank you. Thank you.
November 12, 2025
This is a good handbook for people interested in the whys of transportation reform, but not really useful for me personally or others in the space who are already decently informed. Nearly every single case study, historical lesson, or scientific paper was something I had already encountered from being online. Which unfortunately also means this is very Euro-American focused, with one section about Japan. At the very end of the conclusion, they mention someone who started Critical Mass rides in Nairobi to effect change - where was the writeup of THAT?!
December 18, 2025
Honestly more of a 4 for me, but rating it 5 to boost its reach because I want a lot of people to read it. Nothing in this was really mind blowing to me, but that’s because I’ve consumed a LOT of urbanist content over the past 7 years. For the average person, I think it would be very eye-opening.
This book did talk about success stories, but I wish it was more future-oriented. 80% of it focused on the current state of our cities and all the problems cars cause. Would’ve liked it to live up to its title and examine Life After Cars.
This book did talk about success stories, but I wish it was more future-oriented. 80% of it focused on the current state of our cities and all the problems cars cause. Would’ve liked it to live up to its title and examine Life After Cars.
December 3, 2025
I agree with their goals, but this book never quite clicked with me. Chapter 9's section about Ghent's update was most interesting as it showed how a city looked at overall changes and implemented them - that was impressive and informative. Otherwise, meh, but I hope others like it better and are inspired to do something about it.
December 23, 2025
Fantastic! While understandably America-centric, many of the lessons apply everywhere car dependency dominates. I particularly enjoyed this book as it made me feel like there are others who care about these issues and others who go further than I do to make our society better, more sustainable, and more inclusive for all regardless of the transportation one chooses or prefers.
November 7, 2025
I'm a patreon supporter of The War on Cars Podcast, so my 5 star rating will be a bit biased, but I really enjoyed this. It's comprehensive and will be engaging and informative for those who are just waking up to just how badly car-cenrric culture sucks and how we can move beyond it as a community, a city, and as a world.
December 5, 2025
You’ll never cars and roads the same way again.
Read
December 9, 2025Radicalize me
December 21, 2025
A lot of this is old hat for someone who is steeped in urbanism, but it is still a refreshing read through it’s local stories
December 8, 2025
4.5 stars, rounded up. I really enjoyed the way this book was written (and the audiobook narration). It's concise and direct, while also very complete and full of research.
January 3, 2026
Excellent stuff!
Wish it was longer
Cars and their associated infrastructure have made for a very sad modern life. let's undo that.
would love to hear pro car arguments or debates with these two
Wish it was longer
Cars and their associated infrastructure have made for a very sad modern life. let's undo that.
would love to hear pro car arguments or debates with these two
January 11, 2026
speaking my language, preaching to the choir! a little repetitive but it's a point to hammer home - cars ruin us
November 7, 2025
Renounce your allegiance to cars! I’m all-in. Join me in trying a week or a month without your car. It’s more doable than you might think (until the snow flies at least).
November 30, 2025
Good overview of the case for de-emphasizing cars as our main mode of transportation and re-centering cities around public transit, bikes, and pedestrian traffic. Both the problems with cars and potential paths forward towards change are well covered.
Absolutely insufferable in that the authors are constantly reminding you that they host a podcast — the book seems to be a “greatest hits” compilation of their favorite podcast guests. In one anecdote, one of the authors relitigates a community meeting in a church basement in Brooklyn in which he was a participant. A lot of the evidence presented is “a guest on our podcast once said….”
There’s also a lot of puffery in the prose, in a style I think of as “performative grievance” — cars are referred to as “gigantic hunks of metal”; digital road warning signs are maligned as “probably trucked in [to NYC] from a New Jersey warehouse to be plunked down next to nineteenth-century brownstones.” I would have preferred a more neutral, informative tone.
Absolutely insufferable in that the authors are constantly reminding you that they host a podcast — the book seems to be a “greatest hits” compilation of their favorite podcast guests. In one anecdote, one of the authors relitigates a community meeting in a church basement in Brooklyn in which he was a participant. A lot of the evidence presented is “a guest on our podcast once said….”
There’s also a lot of puffery in the prose, in a style I think of as “performative grievance” — cars are referred to as “gigantic hunks of metal”; digital road warning signs are maligned as “probably trucked in [to NYC] from a New Jersey warehouse to be plunked down next to nineteenth-century brownstones.” I would have preferred a more neutral, informative tone.
December 31, 2025
Andre Gorz 1973 https://youtu.be/gxrhePD5pSQ?si=NevpW...
https://thewaroncars.org/
You could say its the opposite of freedom. We are not driving cars, they are driving us. The industry is really hawking is a fantasy veiled in chrome + steel. A fantasy of power & control & independence, the american dream on wheels, no matter where in the world one lives. Think of the often empty sprawling parking lots that contribute to rise in temperature & toxic runoff during increasingly violent rainstorms. Car dependence increases grinding financial servitude for tens of millions, an epidemic of violent death, a broad range of illnesses, hours lost in traffic, isolation from our fellow human beings, and the ongoing destruction of the natural world.
20th century narrative shift from murderous motorists to pesky pedestrians: who owns the paths?
Ch 1 evoking Mariame Kaba: Hope is a discipline & we have to practice it every day
Cross country bikelash like madlibs, "I like bikes" is the spoon full of sugar for the "but" & other tropes, the economic value of negative extranalities, drivers & pedestrians generally break laws to save time while bicycle lists generally break laws for safety & efficiency, legalized Idoho Stop (1982), em.\nBrace the bike lash , because they're pretty standard arguments with plenty of counter evidence & it means the community is trying to do something right to upset the car centric status quo. Consider the 5 stages of kubla ross model of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression leading rapidly to acceptance.
urban school bike buses reclaiming space, cars ruin childhood in so many ways
Wildlife strikes & tire poisoning of acute spawn mortality of coho salmon, solutions like wild life passways but don't address road runoff
https://nader.org/books/unsafe-at-any...
Cognitive dissonance around the fact that cars are killing us. The difference between cars and guns, or cars and opioids are that nearly every person in the United States is forced by infrastructure, by deliberate and well-financed government plans to accept that one in one03 chance as part of our daily routine often, multiple times every day. Loading our kids into a car is an unquestionable one. Brake pad & tire pollution, industrial grade of sonic pollution (cortisol - perceived threats ambiant & continous), physical inactivity,
anthropause during the 2020 pandemic
Cars ruin society - streets used to be for people. Now we have weird POV from the windshield, light street traffic = more multigenerational families, more knowing neighbors, valuable for children, instead we in the US have an epidemic of American loneliness, Henry Ford with mass production, union busting & eugenics,
consider those who can afford a vacation, how many of those center around walking around a community - whether real neighborhoods in another city or continent, or a simulated ones like DW, cruise ships or historical reenactments. In day to day life comma walkable neighborhoods have become increasingly expensive, or people are doing it because they cannot afford other transportation but still include barriers of certain things being either inaccessible or too time-consuming
Car culture is a series of paradoxes that expose inequities. Cars open up new vestiges of social mobility & also , erect barriers thatpopulations in their place. Cars are liberating and also burdensome & confining. Cars enable freedom, but only on their own terms, that include a steep financial cost & the assumption of a variety of risks, some of which are life-threatening. People who are traditionally & historically disenfranchised in our society our disproportionately disadvantaged by our transportation system. This includes\nAll people who are not able to drive whether because of ability, age or economic class. If a person of a racialized minority is driving might find themselves the target of police violence DWB. https://essentials.neh.gov/project/dr...
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/05/0...
The kinetic elite
Donald Shoup & how free parking lies at the foundation of our dysfunction how curb space and\nThe right to car storage affects our cities and health
We have prioritized affordable parking over affordable housing. You can't file a lawsuit against these poor people from messing off the neighborhood but you can file one over parking parking has become a way to block anything you don't want
"In STK now 13 lane wide sewer of concrete, asphalt & steel... Urban highways are some of the most aggressive, obnoxious, destructive infrastructure that car culture has to offer... erasing communities & displacing people in the short term ehile in the lomg term it radiates toxic pollutions & unhealthy noise levels into the himes, schools, businesses & surface streets that remain in its long ruthless trajectory.
Curb cut effect improves while the freeway affect brings everybody down.
Building more = indiced demand - which was apparemt in Moses' time 1936 after the parkway built in Long Island
We believe that twin crises of traffic violence and the climate change not to mention the many other problems caused by cars explained elsewhere in this book. Should give governments all the permission they need to move as fast as transit. On transit bike and pedestrian infrastructure, as they do after a highway collapses.
Tactical urbanism defined by Mike lydon and anthintly garcia is it creative do it yourself approach that employs short term actions for long term change using low cost interventions & policies.
https://thewaroncars.org/
You could say its the opposite of freedom. We are not driving cars, they are driving us. The industry is really hawking is a fantasy veiled in chrome + steel. A fantasy of power & control & independence, the american dream on wheels, no matter where in the world one lives. Think of the often empty sprawling parking lots that contribute to rise in temperature & toxic runoff during increasingly violent rainstorms. Car dependence increases grinding financial servitude for tens of millions, an epidemic of violent death, a broad range of illnesses, hours lost in traffic, isolation from our fellow human beings, and the ongoing destruction of the natural world.
20th century narrative shift from murderous motorists to pesky pedestrians: who owns the paths?
Ch 1 evoking Mariame Kaba: Hope is a discipline & we have to practice it every day
Cross country bikelash like madlibs, "I like bikes" is the spoon full of sugar for the "but" & other tropes, the economic value of negative extranalities, drivers & pedestrians generally break laws to save time while bicycle lists generally break laws for safety & efficiency, legalized Idoho Stop (1982), em.\nBrace the bike lash , because they're pretty standard arguments with plenty of counter evidence & it means the community is trying to do something right to upset the car centric status quo. Consider the 5 stages of kubla ross model of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression leading rapidly to acceptance.
urban school bike buses reclaiming space, cars ruin childhood in so many ways
Wildlife strikes & tire poisoning of acute spawn mortality of coho salmon, solutions like wild life passways but don't address road runoff
https://nader.org/books/unsafe-at-any...
Cognitive dissonance around the fact that cars are killing us. The difference between cars and guns, or cars and opioids are that nearly every person in the United States is forced by infrastructure, by deliberate and well-financed government plans to accept that one in one03 chance as part of our daily routine often, multiple times every day. Loading our kids into a car is an unquestionable one. Brake pad & tire pollution, industrial grade of sonic pollution (cortisol - perceived threats ambiant & continous), physical inactivity,
anthropause during the 2020 pandemic
Cars ruin society - streets used to be for people. Now we have weird POV from the windshield, light street traffic = more multigenerational families, more knowing neighbors, valuable for children, instead we in the US have an epidemic of American loneliness, Henry Ford with mass production, union busting & eugenics,
consider those who can afford a vacation, how many of those center around walking around a community - whether real neighborhoods in another city or continent, or a simulated ones like DW, cruise ships or historical reenactments. In day to day life comma walkable neighborhoods have become increasingly expensive, or people are doing it because they cannot afford other transportation but still include barriers of certain things being either inaccessible or too time-consuming
Car culture is a series of paradoxes that expose inequities. Cars open up new vestiges of social mobility & also , erect barriers thatpopulations in their place. Cars are liberating and also burdensome & confining. Cars enable freedom, but only on their own terms, that include a steep financial cost & the assumption of a variety of risks, some of which are life-threatening. People who are traditionally & historically disenfranchised in our society our disproportionately disadvantaged by our transportation system. This includes\nAll people who are not able to drive whether because of ability, age or economic class. If a person of a racialized minority is driving might find themselves the target of police violence DWB. https://essentials.neh.gov/project/dr...
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/05/0...
The kinetic elite
Donald Shoup & how free parking lies at the foundation of our dysfunction how curb space and\nThe right to car storage affects our cities and health
We have prioritized affordable parking over affordable housing. You can't file a lawsuit against these poor people from messing off the neighborhood but you can file one over parking parking has become a way to block anything you don't want
"In STK now 13 lane wide sewer of concrete, asphalt & steel... Urban highways are some of the most aggressive, obnoxious, destructive infrastructure that car culture has to offer... erasing communities & displacing people in the short term ehile in the lomg term it radiates toxic pollutions & unhealthy noise levels into the himes, schools, businesses & surface streets that remain in its long ruthless trajectory.
Curb cut effect improves while the freeway affect brings everybody down.
Building more = indiced demand - which was apparemt in Moses' time 1936 after the parkway built in Long Island
We believe that twin crises of traffic violence and the climate change not to mention the many other problems caused by cars explained elsewhere in this book. Should give governments all the permission they need to move as fast as transit. On transit bike and pedestrian infrastructure, as they do after a highway collapses.
Tactical urbanism defined by Mike lydon and anthintly garcia is it creative do it yourself approach that employs short term actions for long term change using low cost interventions & policies.
August 5, 2025
Despite its forward-looking title, Life After Cars devotes much of its first half not to speculative futures, but to the deeply entrenched reality of our car-dependent present. The authors lay a solid foundation by guiding readers through a well-researched and sobering history of automobile culture, focusing on its social, environmental, political, and even psychological consequences. It is not just about traffic or urban design. It is about how deeply cars have shaped our identities, economies, and daily rhythms.
This historical and present-day “crash course” (pun not entirely avoidable) is as informative as it is disturbing. Through data, case studies, and well-curated anecdotes, particularly from major U.S. cities and a few European counterparts, the authors show how urban planning, infrastructure policy, and cultural norms have all conspired to center cars at the expense of nearly everything else: pedestrian safety, public health, housing, environmental sustainability, and community cohesion.
Only in the latter half of the book does the reader arrive at the hopeful horizon promised by the title. Here, Goodyear, Gordon, and Naparstek imagine and advocate for a different future. They present what life could look like if we reimagined our cities and towns without the dominance of private vehicles. This section is more prescriptive, laying out a vision of human-centered urban design, improved public transportation, walkable communities, and the collective mental shift needed to make such a world possible. The authors offer a compelling call to action not just to policy makers but to everyday people who are fed up with traffic, rising emissions, and the general malaise of modern mobility.
Readers who value evidence-based arguments will appreciate the meticulous research and extensive sourcing throughout the book. The authors clearly put in the work. They draw from urban planning studies, transportation data, and real-world policy experiments. Although they make efforts to widen the lens globally, the focus remains rooted in Western contexts, particularly the United States. While a few European examples are included for contrast, readers hoping for a truly international scope may find this somewhat limited.
As someone who grew up using public transportation and biking for leisure, I found parts of the book familiar, and at times repetitive. For readers already skeptical of car culture or actively living outside of it, the book may occasionally feel like it is preaching to the converted. Still, there is value here, especially in the way the authors frame and articulate the issues. They offer language and data that can be useful in everyday conversations or debates with more car-reliant friends, family, or colleagues.
Ultimately, Life After Cars is not just a book for policy wonks or urbanists. It is a thoughtful, accessible resource for anyone who suspects that our cities and lives could be organized around something more meaningful than highways and parking lots. Whether you are just waking up to the problems of car dependency or you have long been aware, this book serves both as a wake-up call and a roadmap forward. For some, it may be the start of a journey. For others, it is a valuable reference and reaffirmation of what they already know to be true: there is a better way to move through the world.
This historical and present-day “crash course” (pun not entirely avoidable) is as informative as it is disturbing. Through data, case studies, and well-curated anecdotes, particularly from major U.S. cities and a few European counterparts, the authors show how urban planning, infrastructure policy, and cultural norms have all conspired to center cars at the expense of nearly everything else: pedestrian safety, public health, housing, environmental sustainability, and community cohesion.
Only in the latter half of the book does the reader arrive at the hopeful horizon promised by the title. Here, Goodyear, Gordon, and Naparstek imagine and advocate for a different future. They present what life could look like if we reimagined our cities and towns without the dominance of private vehicles. This section is more prescriptive, laying out a vision of human-centered urban design, improved public transportation, walkable communities, and the collective mental shift needed to make such a world possible. The authors offer a compelling call to action not just to policy makers but to everyday people who are fed up with traffic, rising emissions, and the general malaise of modern mobility.
Readers who value evidence-based arguments will appreciate the meticulous research and extensive sourcing throughout the book. The authors clearly put in the work. They draw from urban planning studies, transportation data, and real-world policy experiments. Although they make efforts to widen the lens globally, the focus remains rooted in Western contexts, particularly the United States. While a few European examples are included for contrast, readers hoping for a truly international scope may find this somewhat limited.
As someone who grew up using public transportation and biking for leisure, I found parts of the book familiar, and at times repetitive. For readers already skeptical of car culture or actively living outside of it, the book may occasionally feel like it is preaching to the converted. Still, there is value here, especially in the way the authors frame and articulate the issues. They offer language and data that can be useful in everyday conversations or debates with more car-reliant friends, family, or colleagues.
Ultimately, Life After Cars is not just a book for policy wonks or urbanists. It is a thoughtful, accessible resource for anyone who suspects that our cities and lives could be organized around something more meaningful than highways and parking lots. Whether you are just waking up to the problems of car dependency or you have long been aware, this book serves both as a wake-up call and a roadmap forward. For some, it may be the start of a journey. For others, it is a valuable reference and reaffirmation of what they already know to be true: there is a better way to move through the world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews