Communities for Future Generations in the USIt is difficult to live without a car in modern America. Cities and towns are built around the automobile. This is a design focus that must be avoided in the future. Future communities, while still allowing residents to own and operate cars if they so choose, must be centered not around vehicle traffic, but around foot traffic.　　A common argument against cars is that they pollute the environment and thus, are undesirable. While this is true, the automobile must be removed from urban planning not only due to pollution but also because of its unsustainable nature. Cars—and the type of city that is planned around them—use considerable resources and space that will not be available in the future. Oil reserves are dwindling and will disappear within the next century. Although it is possible for alternative fuel sources to be developed, these will nonetheless require considerable energy use. Furthermore, many resources are consumed in the production of cars. In a world with a constantly increasing population, the manufacture of new cars is not something that can be sustained and pro- vided to all the people of the world. Not only does the production and operation of cars drain society, but the attitude associated with the automobile endangers the future. It is not advantageous for individuals to drive everywhere because, as the population increases, it will lead to incredible congestion （拥塞） within urban areas--a drain on both time and resources that can be avoided with proper planning for the future.　　Unfortunately, current urban plans require that anyone who wishes to lead an active life must drive a car. Mass transit, for the most part, is hardly available to those outside of downtown areas. Even where it is available, mass transit is often limited in scope and does not provide a preferable alternative to automobiles. The desire to own cars and land accompanies this idea. This property craving is currently satiated via suburban sprawl （散乱）and large houses. With a burgeoning（迅速发展的） population, the inefficient land use based on the notion of property wealth needs to be discarded. Communities must be redesigned so that people can live and work in both close quarters and comfort. Communities of the future must be designed so that businesses and homes are built next to one another.　　Of course, this is not possible with current cities. Most businesses are located in undesirable areas of cities. Moreover, suburban sprawl further demands that one uses a car. Suburban areas are spread out over large tracts of land; not only does this use up valuable farmland and natural areas, but people who live in suburbs are far removed from entertainment and shopping centers and must travel by car to these places. For the most part, suburban communities function as places to sleep; residents work and play outside of where they live. In order to create sustainable（可持续的） communities for future generations, it is not enough to simply pursue ideas such as mass transit. Although mass transit is an important part of any city Plan, it is an alternative that distracts from the immediate problem at hand: the fundamental need is to rethink how people live and what type of communities they live in.　　Americans have a notion that they need to accumulate property wealth and this must be changed. Downtown areas can be modified to lower crime and create a more attractive facade（建筑物的正面）. In addition, new communities can be designed so that residential and commercial areas are zoned and built next to each other. With proper attention to building codes and planning, attractive houses and businesses can coexist. If this is done properly, people will in fact prefer to live in these communities for convenience and ease of commute （乘车往返）. In return, this will eliminate the need for automobile transportation'. It is not enough, however, that people merely be able to work near where they live. Shopping areas--from grocery to clothing stores--should be located near homes so that citizens do not have to travel long distances to run errands. Concurrent （一致的） with this, entertainment facilities should be near homes and businesses so that an entire functioning and viable community can be within easy walking distance.　　Even the homes themselves will have to be changed to meet future growth demand. Housing must become more compact. The days of the white picket fence house with the sprawling yard are gone. Americans need to get past this ideal--and its inefficient use of limited land resources--as being the American dream. Homes must be placed on smaller lots, and attractive apartments will increasingly need to be built. To compensate for （补偿） the lack of yards, more public parks--located near homes--must be constructed. This combination of commercial, residential, and recreation facilities will permit a higher density of people to enjoy a similarly high quality of life without creating the drain on resources that current cities demand. This type of high-density community can be found in Europe, where citizens enjoy a very high standard of living without the extensive use of automobiles that American life requires.　　It will not be easy for Americans to make the shift to a more sustainable community, but it is a necessary one that must be made if the nation wishes to maintain its high standards of living. The focus of American community design must be removed from the car and property as wealth; with this will come a change in the idea of a home as a place to live rather than just to sleep. It will be difficult for urban planners to take these steps, but with courage and determination to build a better, sustainable future for America, it can be achieved.（　）4. With an increasing population, new communities must be designed so that residential and commercial areas are divided into different zones.