{"id":10890,"date":"2022-02-21T06:52:49","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T05:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartcityjournal.cibeles.net\/sin-categoria\/are-cars-an-urban-design-flaw-cities-advance-car-free-zones\/"},"modified":"2022-02-20T16:31:01","modified_gmt":"2022-02-20T15:31:01","slug":"are-cars-an-urban-design-flaw-cities-advance-car-free-zones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesmartcityjournal.com\/en\/articles\/are-cars-an-urban-design-flaw-cities-advance-car-free-zones","title":{"rendered":"Are cars an urban design flaw? Cities advance car-free zones"},"content":{"rendered":"

An initiative in Berlin would establish a massive car-free zone. Many other cities, including those at a design disadvantage, are also trying to diminish car travel<\/p>\n

An effort<\/a> now underway to establish a car-free zone bigger than<\/a> Manhattan in central Berlin, a relatively dense<\/a> location where 15%<\/a> of the surface area is used for road traffic, just might<\/a> succeed.<\/p>\n

But what about a place like Los Angeles County, a sprawling megalopolis where a nearly equal percentage of surface area is used just for parking<\/a> \u2013 on top of the hundreds<\/a> of square kilometers occupied by essential roads and clogged<\/a> freeways?<\/p>\n

A legacy of planning hinged on cars has left many urban areas both disjointed<\/a> and disadvantaged in terms of designing for a more sustainable future. But it\u2019s possible to undo some of that damage.<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles, the mayor wants<\/a> to slash the driving done in the city by half over the next few decades, and has expressed interest<\/a> in charging entry fees for some vehicles \u2013 similar to a scheme<\/a> in London. Many local residents may be surprised<\/a> to learn there\u2019s a subway<\/a> system expanding<\/a> beneath their feet, and bicycle ridership has boomed<\/a> during the pandemic (though its staying power is uncertain<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Los Angeles is not the only city trying to shake its car dependency. Bogot\u00e1, which didn\u2019t have a public transportation system as recently as<\/a> 1999, has regulated<\/a> the number of privately owned cars that can be on the roads at any given time, and instituted an annual car-free day<\/a>. Mexico City has capped<\/a> the parking spaces allowed for cars in new developments, and added requirements for bicycle spaces.<\/p>\n

There are compelling reasons to erase cars from the urban equation, like cutting emissions<\/a> and improving<\/a> the quality of life.<\/p>\n

In fact, the perception of cars as an urban design flaw may hold whether they spew carbon or use electric power. An advocate for the proposed car-free zone in Berlin said<\/a> the aim should not just be transitioning to electric cars within cities, but \u201cthe removal of vehicles in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, cities like Los Angeles can be hindered by vast amounts of parking space, which inhibits the density<\/a> conducive to public-transportation use and only makes driving more convenient<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other locales have been able to move more aggressively. Paris has invested<\/a> heavily in infrastructure for bicycling and walking, and detailed<\/a> plans this week to sharply limit car traffic in the heart of the city starting in 2024. Central Oslo is now basically car-free<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Finding the right fit for cars in cities<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea of actively discouraging car travel in cities isn\u2019t new. In 1975, Singapore established<\/a> a program to charge drivers who wanted to enter the center of the city-state.<\/p>\n

Since then, general awareness of vehicle emissions and their role in the climate crisis has grown significantly. Cities account for an estimated<\/a> 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and roughly a third of their emissions are attributable to transport.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t help that cities also regularly register<\/a> significant numbers<\/a> of traffic fatalities, or that millions of children develop asthma every year<\/a> due to air pollution from cars and trucks.<\/p>\n

Eliminating the use of cars for short trips within cities may be economical, particularly when the cost of filling a gas tank can spike<\/a> in response to geopolitical tension. Replacing those car trips with walking and bicycling also brings serious health benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Advocates of the proposal to blanket central Berlin with a car-free zone say<\/a> it will spur investment in public transportation. Under the plan, people who need the use of a car for health reasons could apply for driving permits, and everyone else would be able to register 12 private trips per year with a car-sharing service \u2013 for things like getting to the airport.<\/p>\n

Initiatives like this are not always welcome. A rule in Madrid that banned certain vehicles from the city center became a political issue before it was scrapped<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

And there are cases where cars may be seen as crucial lifelines<\/a> that shouldn\u2019t be imperiled \u2013 particularly for people with disabilities and the elderly.<\/p>\n

Some endeavors aim to reduce urban congestion while still allowing people to stay in their cars. A company founded by Elon Musk unveiled<\/a> plans several years ago to bore a tunnel beneath several kilometers of Los Angeles, through which electric cars could safely speed<\/a> from one part of town to another and avoid backed-up freeways.<\/p>\n

Any mention of the project was reportedly<\/a> scrubbed from the company\u2019s website last year.<\/p>\n

The site still lists<\/a> several other initiatives, though video taken earlier this year at one of its tunnels in Las Vegas appeared<\/a> to show it suffering from something it purports to eliminate: congestion.<\/p>\n

More reading on car-free zones and mobility<\/em><\/p>\n

For more context, here are links to further reading from the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform<\/a>:<\/p>\n