"If you plant roads, you will harvest traffic"
Lord Mayor of Munich, 1972
Cities worldwide are rethinking how they use their urban space and creating more environmentally friendly streets focused on people by limiting access to cars.
In Miami Beach, the mere thought of a car-free street rattles people. Our city was built during the age of the automobile and the promise of freedom and independence that came with it. Some even say cars are part of “our culture”. But the reality is that our car dependency leaves much to be desired – our residents’ priorities are changing, and with it, people are demanding change.
The urban core of our island, South Beach, is 1 mile wide and 2 miles long – dense, water locked, perfect for people, senseless for cars (North Beach has the same structure). If larger cities worldwide can get rid of their private vehicles, so can we!
This week, we’d like to take y’all for a virtual stroll around the world to check out some of the cities paving the way for the car-free movement, pun intended. 😉
PARIS
Mayor Anne Hidalgo has embraced the economic, equity, and air quality benefits from going car-free in the world’s most visited city. Paris is taking the world by storm – an inspiring modern-day transformation and example of how leadership and vision can reshape a city.
BARCELONA
Barcelona has leaned into smart urbanization, from the “Bicibús” to their low car superblocks – super cool!
COPENHAGEN
Copenhagen takes the top spot for environmentally conscious and people-friendly streets, just look at the reduction of their carbon emissions! Rain, shine, or snow – their streets are always full of people, not cars.
AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam was ALL about cars in the 1970s. Gridlock, traffic violence, and polluted air inspired the city to change. And change it did!
BOGOTÁ
This city’s government was already embracing people-oriented streets before the pandemic (hosting their famous weekend ‘ciclovías’ since the 1970s) and is now fully committed to pushing for more aggressive change with Mayor Claudia López committing to build over 170 miles of bike lanes by 2024!