It is time to materialize the transition from capitalism to collectivism. The capitalist system has
encouraged individualism through the development of a society dependent on cars and
single-family housing. An individualistic society emphasizes personal gain over care for each
other and the natural world. The result of decades of car dependency is a loss of connection to
one another and the ecological systems that sustain us.

There is little room for ecology in current urban spaces. Cars require pavement and pavement
suffocates. Compaction decreases pore space where water and life congregate in soil. Trees are
being lost in cities due to poor development and management practices and climate change.
Equitable tree cover is needed more than ever as climate change brings severe heat waves and
a suite of other devastating effects. Trees provide shade to cool the air while pavement heats it
up. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide while the production of roadways generates greenhouse
gasses and facilitates the flow of consumption in the carbon-based economy. The past century
was the era of cars, but now urban forests must begin to take back their stolen space. It is time to
prioritize ecology and social justice over carbon intensive transportation.

What would our communities look like if they were intentionally re-organized for social and
ecological health? How could circular economies be woven into the fabric of these intentional
urban communities? Cities can and should be planned for walkability and convenient public
transportation instead of daily car use. Our values as designers inspire us to find new ways of
neighborhood design and planning to help flip our society’s individualist thinking towards
collective thinking. The re-organization of urban streetscapes and communities can create ripple
effects through the rest of society to bring about a more just world for people and the
more-than-human world.