I see no advantage whatsoever to removing either chainirng. Take off the front derailleur and shifter, if you must, then use the inner chainring, with the outer as a guard and potential downhill gear. You can always stop and manually rethread the chain onto the other chainring, as plenty of cyclists did in the old days.
Likewise, I strongly believe it is absolute folly to remove either brake, particularly for a commuting bike to be ridden in traffic. If you must have only one brake, make it the front, but reconsider your idea. On dry roads, I generally use the front brake almost exclusively, but I prefer to use the rear for gradual slowing on long descents, to avoid overheating the front rim, tyre, or brake pads. On wet roads, I find that I need to use both brakes together to avoid skidding; a front wheel skid is nasty business!
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069