Sustainable steps are happening in Saudi Arabia and across the globe. Glasgow city officials announced a ban on traffic in the city centre. Meanwhile, New Zealand capital Wellington has approved plans to make two busy thoroughfares more pedestrian-friendly, and the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, has promised to put “people over cars”.
Around the world, cities are being radically redesigned to put cyclists and pedestrians first, and at the same time, the pandemic has allowed mayors to accelerate large urbanism projects.
As some of the most ambitious plans begin to take shape, 2022 could mark a significant turning point. For example, in Paris, a ban on most vehicles from its four central arrondissements will come into effect next year. With the exceptions of residents and deliveries, cars will no longer be allowed to drive through a massive chunk of the city – around 5.59 square kilometres.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, has made a name for herself with bold measures to free up space in one of the densest urban areas in Europe. Christophe Najdovski, who took care of transport and public space during Hidalgo’s first term and is now the deputy mayor in charge of greenery, says pedestrianising the centre is the natural next step. “The idea is to recover space for trees, cycle lanes and terraces rather than cars,” he says.
Barcelona is also pushing ahead with its “superblock” project to pedestrianise one in three streets in its central neighbourhood of Eixample, with building works scheduled to begin in June. Urban designers will remodel 21 streets by 2030, blocking them off to traffic and filling them with plants and street furniture.
Mayor Ada Colau has already removed 3,500 parking spaces and made the whole city a low-emissions zone to improve air quality – measures that have been welcomed by residents. “People’s attitudes have changed a lot,” says Janet Sanz, the city’s deputy mayor in charge of urbanism. “There is a growing realisation that we need liveable and healthy spaces.”
The changes are spreading all over the world. For example, Bogotá, which holds the world’s largest car-free event, has gone on a bike-lane-building spree as it strives to meet its goal of adding 280km of lanes by 2024. And in New York, 20 streets in downtown Brooklyn are going car-free.
The pandemic has played a crucial role in accelerating these changes. Lockdowns and curfews left streets eerily empty, and many residents welcomed the lack of honking, the cleaner air and the sense of space. As countries relaxed restrictions, encouraging socially-distanced mobility became crucial. More than 200 cities announced road closures in response to the pandemic, and in many cases, “pop-up” bike lanes and walkways were eventually made permanent.
When Milan was still in the midst of a devastating first wave of Cpvid-19, mayor Giuseppe Sala announced one of Europe’s most ambitious schemes to reduce car use after lockdown, giving 35km of streets to cyclists and pedestrians.
These knock-on effects also fit into the increasingly popular idea of the “15-minute city” (think of Saudi’s own Neom), according to which everything a person needs for daily life ought to be within a 15-minute walk or cycle. First coined by Sorbonne professor Carlos Moreno, the concept is being adopted by cities from Houston to Chengdu and recently won the 2021 Obel Award in recognition of its value for creating sustainable urban environments.
Here’s hoping that in 2022 we all put our best green foot forward.
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