Healthy City Design Voices: Roadkill: Unveiling the true cost of our toxic relationship with cars

The private car is often regarded as a symbol of modern freedom and economic opportunity. In 'Roadkill: Unveiling the true cost of our toxic relationship with cars', Arthur Kay and Professor Henrietta L. Moore critically re-examine this narrative. They argue that widespread car dependency has created a profound and under-acknowledged crisis, contributing to environmental degradation, economic inefficiency, and deepening social inequality. Far from being a vehicle of prosperity, the car has become a central driver of systemic failure across our cities and societies.

This keynote explores how our entrenchment in car-centric urban design and economic models has led to significant harm, from air pollution and urban sprawl to infrastructure inequality and community fragmentation. Despite increasing awareness of climate breakdown and ecological limits, investment and policy continue to privilege road-based transport, reinforcing outdated assumptions about progress and mobility.

By drawing on interdisciplinary research in urban planning, environmental economics, and political economy, the authors provide a rigorous critique of the structural role the car plays in shaping modern life. Their methodology combines empirical data analysis, historical and policy-based case studies, and narrative inquiry, offering a systemic perspective on how car culture emerged – and how it might be dismantled. This is further grounded in the authors’ applied work: Kay’s entrepreneurial ventures in clean technology and sustainable housing, and Moore’s academic leadership in developing new models of prosperity based on environmental and social thresholds.

Rather than offering incremental reform, 'Roadkill' calls for a paradigm shift. It advocates for restructured urban mobility systems based on universal basic services, active and public transport, and infrastructure designed for inclusion and regeneration. Crucially, the book explores how sustainable business practices, new investment models, and citizen-led innovation can help accelerate this transition.

The keynote will conclude by identifying practical next steps for academics, policymakers and entrepreneurs working towards post-car futures. These include investing in car-free infrastructure, supporting policy environments that prioritise equity and wellbeing over GDP growth, and advancing business models that embed sustainability as a structural principle. In confronting the cultural and economic grip of the car, 'Roadkill' provides a blueprint for reimagining prosperity in the 21st century.