At what point does that car in the driveway become a burden, not a necessity? For some, maybe never. But now that suburbanites find themselves increasingly isolated in vast residential islands separated from work and retail shops by an ocean of clogged, smog-belching traffic, many are looking for a better way.

Can a world mostly built around the automobile be somehow reconfigured back to human scale? In the Sacramento area as in others, an interest in getting people to live closer to where they work -- so they can choose transportation options other than personal cars -- is driving a change in the way cities are put together.

How much money do you have on you? No, really, put it on the table. Enough for a burger and fries? A tank of gas? More? What if you found out that any amount of money you could name could help reduce the amount of energy you use -- and carbon released into the Sacramento Valley air we all breathe? Would you throw down a little money? Maybe with a little convincing? Fair enough, so let’s look at your options.