Imagine a town, in 2015, in North America, that is free of the noise and pollution of cars. A town where pedal power takes centre stage and the transport carbon emissions are reduced to zero by commuting and short journeys from the home. Although it sounds very unlikely it seems the developers of a new community in South Carolina plan to do exactly that and create a town that doesn’t simply ban cars but provides no roads for our four wheeled protagonists.

Currently dubbed ‘Bicycle City’ the planned community will be one of a kind in North America and will take the bold step of eliminating paved roads from the planner’s designs and simply offer bike trails, an interlocked system of lakes and waterways and sustainable landscaping. All of this will be built around the most modern in green home construction and is penciled in to be built near Gaston SC. The property developers have purchased a parcel of land that totals 140 acres and a community designer has been hired. Now it’s time to wait and see if this novel idea becomes a reality.

Whether the idea becomes a blueprint for future town planning will be depend on the reaction of residents (and sales) and the marketing of the town. One of the financiers behind the project feels it has the potential to become an eco-tourism destination. He added that the idea was conceived when he saw how many communities were designed around golf courses and how that the entire planning concept was to make appeal to all the needs of a golfer, he realised there was nothing equivalent for a cycling enthusiast. In addition to the bicycle appeal the important criteria selected were climate, air quality and rail access. When teaming up these requisites an overall profile for a green community emerged quite naturally.

Phase one of the plans involves ten homes and 4.5 miles of trails on a 14 acre site. Home sizes range from 800 to 1,600 square feet with prices beginning at $200,000. Co-developer Newton Boyklin said:

“This is new, and we’re stepping off a cliff, so we want to do the right thing, even if it means moving slow.”

The most succesful template for Bicycle City already exists in Vauban, Germany. This community was started in the mid 1990′s as a primarily bike-centric planned town, population is now over 5,000 residents. The town is similar in scope with transportation primarily by foot or bicycle. The area is essentially a suburb of Freiburg and an easy connection to the city centre is offered by tram. Every home is within easy walking distance of tram stop. At present about 70% of all households choose to live without a private car and that number has increased over the years from just 50% at one time. There may be a race to become this continent’s first bicycle town as another venture has been proposed for the bay area in California.

As in Germany there is common acceptance that some residents will still wish to own a car but the parking will be on the outskirts of the township with the option to walk or ride to your home. To follow the news about Bicycle City they have started a website which explains the reasons for choosing the location(s) in addition to the benefits of a car-free zone.

Link to the Bicycle City website