Giving more road space back to people: Lessons for the future

An example of one of these transport challenges is the dominance of the car – an issue that cities across the world are grappling with and an area that is being heavily debated in the UK.

According to Transport for London, road vehicles are the largest cause of air pollution in London, which both contributes towards climate change and can have negative public health impacts, including increasing rates of asthma, cancer and lung disease [1]. With the increasing need to ensure sustainability and reduce the effects of climate change, many cities are taking long-term steps to ‘reclaim their streets’ through policies intended to reduce car usage, increase pedestrianisation, and stimulate a rise in active travel.

So, how are different cities approaching the challenge of reducing the dominance of cars and giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists?

Barcelona, Spain:

In 2020, a decade-long plan was launched in Barcelona to tackle car dependence and reduce the city’s air pollution levels [2]. As part of this plan, one in three streets in the Eixample district, which suffers from high levels of pollution, will become green zones, with emphasis placed on promoting walking and cycling [2]. To stimulate a reduction in car dependence, the city introduced the superblock scheme in 2016 [2]. This scheme involves combining nine of the city’s blocks and closing them for through-traffic, as well as creating cycle lanes and expanding the public realm through increasing green space and providing play areas [3].

Freiberg, Germany:

Vauban, a small neighbourhood in Freiberg, has also taken steps to discourage personal car usage. Efforts have been made to reduce available parking spaces in Vauban, and cars are met with low speed limits of 3 miles per hour in parking-free areas [4]. These measures give priority to pedestrians, and consequently the neighbourhood is almost completely free of cars [5]. Vauban serves as a successful example of how walkable neighbourhoods can be created [6].

Hanover, Germany:

In September 2023, it was announced that Hanover aims to become ‘almost car-free’, with the city transformed by 2030 [7]. Through plans to reduce available parking in the city centre, introduce speeds of 20 km/h or 30 km/h, and expand cycling infrastructure, the Mayor hopes to reduce traffic congestion and car dependence in the city centre, creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly city [7]. These measures aim to stimulate a rise in walking and cycling within Hanover.

Creating sustainable cities: lessons for the future

Achieving sustainability targets and reducing the impacts of climate change requires a significant reduction in emissions from road traffic. Although policies designed to remove cars from city centres will undoubtedly be met with opposition, important lessons can be learnt from Barcelona, Vauban and Hanover, as well as many other cities which have adopted similar measures to prioritise pedestrians. Pedestrianisation can improve environmental quality through reducing road traffic emissions, contributing towards climate change mitigation, and can also promote healthier lifestyles through encouraging an increase in active travel.

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References cited:

[1] Transport for London: ‘Air quality’. Available at: Air quality – Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk)

[2] Burgen, S. (2020) ‘Barcelona launches 10-year plan to reclaim city streets from cars’. Available at: Barcelona launches 10-year plan to reclaim city streets from cars | Barcelona | The Guardian

[3] Burgen, S. (2019) ‘Barcelona Is Taking Radical Steps to Ban Cars. Here’s Why’. Available at: Barcelona Is Taking Radical Steps To Ban Cars. Here’s Why. | HuffPost UK Impact (huffingtonpost.co.uk)

[4] Dimitropoulous, S. (2021) ‘This German neighbourhood has everything. Except cars.’ Available at: This German neighborhood has everything. Except cars. – Experience Magazine (expmag.com)

[5] Paterson, T. (2009) ‘Auto-ban: German town goes car-free’. Available at: Auto-ban: German town goes car-free | The Independent | The Independent

[6] Peters, A. (2019) ‘What can we learn from this thriving, car-free German neighbourhood? Get rid of parking spaces’. Available at: How Frieberg’s Vauban neighborhood created a car-free paradise (fastcompany.com)

[7] Judah, J. (2023) ‘Hanover will remove nearly all street-side parking and introduce 12mph speed limit in a bid to banish cars and turn the city into ‘a place to party and stroll about’’. Available at: Hanover will remove nearly all street-side parking and introduce 12mph speed limit in a bid to banish cars and turn the city into ‘a place to party and stroll about’ (msn.com)