Most Americans live in cities built primarily for the automobile, and yet we ride our bikes. It took 50 years to build ourselves into this mess and it’s going to take some time to rebuild our cities and neighborhoods back into sustainable places in which the car is just one of many options for getting around.

But how do we actually go about transforming our sprawled cities into sustainable places? Do we raze our malls? Do we bulldoze one house in each cul-de-sac to create a network of connectivity for walkers and bikers? How do we recreate “Main St.” so that everyone can walk to our essential places?

As Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” So what is the new thinking that will lead us to sustainable communities?

One place to look for some answers is the 19th Annual Congress for the New Urbanism – CNU19, which will be in Planet Bike’s hometown of Madison, WI, June 1-4, 2011. Check out CNU’s website for more information.

Come and learn.