The pandemic has created even more obstacles to participation in society for those without a car.
Madeline Brozen critiques the uses of drive-ins and drive-thrus as the chosen response for services during the pandemic, first noting how completely the concepts have caught on in an already car-centric country:
Given the convenience and privacy of the automobile, it is no surprise that drive-ins and drive-thrus have surged during COVID-19. This fall, people could traverse spooky Halloween drive-thru trails, visit drive-thru pet sanctuaries, and view entire independent film festivals from their cars. Governments and healthcare providers, meanwhile, are offering drive-thru food distribution, COVID-19 testing, and flu shots.
There's a big problem with the popularity of drive-ins and drive-thrus during the pandemic, according to Brozen: they're only available people that drive.
Without a car, you can’t see the elaborately carved pumpkins, smile at the rescue cow, or enjoy most outdoor movies. There are worse things, of course, than being denied access to a drive-thru burger, or to an Instagrammable haunted Halloween drive-thru. But it is much more concerning if you can’t get food from the food bank, or know if you have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to Brozen, the country already denies access to opportunity to those without automobiles, whether by choice or necessity, and the current trends would only strengthen those obstacles at the worst possible time. And like so many other consequences of auto dependency in the United States, both racial justice and social justice suffer as a result.
Brozen notes that the tendency toward driving-thru services during the pandemic is a set back for a growing movement in planning departments to slow the spread of auto-dependency by banning drive-thrus altogether. "Minneapolis, for example, prohibited the opening of new drive-thru facilities after 2019, saying they were inconsistent with the city’s long-term plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A handful of other cities in California, Montana, and New Jersey have instituted their own temporary or permanent bans too," writes Brozen.
The source article offers a few policy prescriptions to ensure that drive-thrus and drive-ins don't exclude people without cars.
FULL STORY: Opinion: The Problem with Drive-In Services — Now and After COVID-19
Automobile Dependency: An Unequal Burden
Automobile-dependent planning has changed automobiles from a luxury into a necessity. Excessive vehicle costs leave many households without money to purchase essential food, shelter and healthcare. They need more affordable transportation options.
Light at the End of the Tunnel Reveals the Work to Come
The latest edition of an ongoing compendia of articles trying to make sense of the deep uncertainties of the pandemic—and what it all means for the future of cities.
Haves and Have Nots: Planning and the Deep Divides of the Pandemic
The latest in a series of compendia gathering news and analysis about the effects of the COVID-19 on the built and natural environments—now and long into the future.
The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.
How Virginia Counties Use Zoning to Stifle Development
Some state legislators are proposing action at the state level as counties block development using zoning and development requirements even as housing prices rise sharply in the region.
The Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Remake Downtown
Urban cores around the country were transforming into live, work, and play destinations before the pandemic. The pandemic was a setback for this transformation, but it could also be a rare opportunity. It’s up to city leadership to seize it.
L.A. Times Editorial Board Calls for CEQA Reform
The Board argues that the environmental law, while important, has too often been ‘weaponized’ by NIMBY groups to delay or halt housing development.
Seattle Brings Free Transit to Public Housing
Linking transit programs to housing can lower administrative costs and streamline the process for riders.
Columbus Could Lower Downtown Speed Limits
The city council will vote on a proposal to lower speed limits to 25 miles per hour to improve safety and make downtown more walkable and welcoming to pedestrians.
York County Government
York County, Human Resources
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
City of Piedmont, CA
City of Morganton
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
