Metro Pulse/Urban Renewal

2038 Jefferson Ave.
4 bdrm, 2 bath
2,790 sq. ft.
$74,900
Contact: Sherrie Estep
Heath Shuler Realty
688-6064

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by Matt Edens

So what's with this SUV thing? Overnight, it seems, they've gone from the symbol of rugged individuality to the epitome of wanton selfishness. Environmental activists in some cities have started "ticketing" the behemoths. Arianna Huffington (who, last I checked, was something of a conservative) is raising money for an anti-SUV advertising campaign. And now, in what may be a sure sign of the apocalypse, a group of evangelical ministers are urging Americans to give up their SUVs, asking us to consider "What Would Jesus Drive?" Which strikes me as odd, since any fundamentalist can tell you that "Jesus and the Disciples were in one Accord." He, it appears, preferred to carpool.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for hybrid vehicles. I spent a good bit of time pondering a Prius at the car show a couple weeks ago (although hey, can I get a hatchback here? Model T's had more available options than most of today's hybrid vehicles). Hybrids are marvelous pieces of technology that would reduce the immediate environmental damage of burning fossil fuels (and hydrogen fuel cells would eliminate it entirely). But neither would do anything to eliminate the environmental, social and economic damage of the Parking Lot Nation—billions of dollars worth of concrete and asphalt infrastructure, abandoned urban cores, the cost of providing services to a highly dispersed population, or the simple burden of having to own a car in the first place (which costs the average American about four grand a year).

The point the evangelicals are missing is that, other than that last big road trip to Jerusalem, Jesus really wouldn't have had much need to drive at all, since he lived in a world of compact, walkable towns and villages.

You can live in the same kind of environment. A downtown loft-lizard friend puts all of 3,000-4,000 miles a year on his car—mostly for out-of-town travel. And even my own, by comparison, semi-suburban center-city existence lets me have my own house and yard at a yearly average of 8,000 miles driven—(would be less if my current employer hadn't moved out to Bearden).

So, if you're looking to lessen your environmental impact with a high-mileage hybrid vehicle, consider that you could do the same with a low-mileage urban lifestyle and help revitalize downtown all the while. Also, you could potentially get a heck of a lot of house for your money—such as, for instance, this house on Jefferson Avenue.

It has all the features you'd expect in a historic house—a big front porch, hardwood floors, elaborate woodwork—plus a dash of suburban space, thanks to a big double lot with lots of trees. Yet, it's a block off the bus line and a 15-minute bike ride from downtown, and it opens up a whole world of transportation alternatives. There's even a carriage house out back, with an accessory apartment to help pay the mortgage, plus a garage to keep that Prius in. Assuming, that is, you'd need such a thing.