The National Consumer Research Centre asked people to describe their ideal living environment. Many respondents said they would like to depend on their automobiles as little as possible.

According to Mika Ristimäki, a researcher at Finland’s Environment Administration, a city that doesn’t depend on cars must provide good public transport connections and be densely populated.

“Services and jobs would need to be located at transport junctions. Corner stores, schools and daycares would have to be within walking distance,” he says.

Recreational areas would also need to be close at hand.

“Transporting children to their activities requires a lot of driving. If every household could get by with just one car, it would have a big effect on the environment,” he adds.