Auto Ex-Machina. Fodder for Post-car Imaginaries

As cities increasingly seek to reduce car dependency, vast areas of urban land dedicated to automobility become available for reuse. This article examines how the spatial surplus of the automobile can be reimagined as a frontier for post-car imaginaries. Artistic provocations such as Wolf Vostell’s 1969 Fluxus artwork Ruhender Verkehr, an Opel Kapitän encased in concrete, challenged automobility by occupying parking space, prompting a broader question: what becomes of car space in post-car cities? Environmental transitions and shared mobility open opportunities to reclaim it as multifunctional urban commons: parks, housing, playgrounds, and community hubs. Initiatives such as Peckham Levels and R-Urban interventions in London and SCADpads in Atlanta demonstrate the potential of adaptive reuse. Repurposing car-dominated infrastructure carries social risks of gentrification, though it provides an alternative to large-scale “creative destruction.” Re-envisioning these spaces addresses housing shortages, carbon footprints and community fragmentation, sparking ideas for a post-car urban futures.