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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/car-free-streets-long-angeles-san-francisco-new-york-dublin/>
"What happens when you close down a city street to cars? More people do
non-driving things, like walking, biking, strolling, skating and frolicking in
the space normally reserved for motor vehicles. Car-free advocates would say
that as greenhouse gas emissions and traffic violence go down, happiness and
connection go up — it’s hard to connect with your neighbors while ensconced in
two tons of steel.
Despite the benefits, closing streets to cars can make some people, er — a bit
upset. Opponents argue that businesses will suffer (despite evidence to the
contrary), congestion will increase (not so, says CityLab) and disabled and
elderly people will have less access to public space (there’s a column for
that). Like any change that pushes back against car culture, car-free streets
face significant challenges.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, cities around the world closed down streets to
cars and opened them up for people. Over two years later, some of these
experiments were so popular that they are here to stay. Here are four car-free
streets that are still going strong or just getting started."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
