In , the first year, eighteen neighborhoods held events; by , the number had increased to twenty-four neighborhoods. While we accomplished a lot with paint and partnerships to make changes quickly and cheaply, we also set up new administrative processes that put the power of public space and its long-term management more directly into the hands of communities. The application program for these neighborhood car-free events reflected the model of our plaza program.
It could be an exercise in social integration. This can be compared with dreadful, dirty, diesel operated services in the UK using vehicles that are 40 years old e. There is no prospect of new investment on this line. Freiburg is well known for its highly acclaimed car-free residential areas of Vauban and Rieselfeld Folleta and Field, Residents must sign a legal agreement not to own a car or pay for a parking space in a shared public garage at a cost of 18,, Euros Foletta and Field, A vehicle driving down a residential street at 40 mph packs more destructive energy than a bullet.
Thanks to the bikeโtrain combination, Lennart and Ruth are perfectly mobile despite being car-free , traveling to four or five cities around the country on a typical week. Even in a smaller town like Leiden, the mobility options and quality of life afforded to them exceed those of most other places in the world.
The city center is car-free , which makes it so peaceful and quiet. But we have found that making most trips on foot or bike has led to very meaningful conversations with our children, because we focus more on them and not on what is happening through a windshield. It is an outcome we never could have anticipated, but we have a better understanding of their experiences and developing personalities, simply because of the human scale at which we travel through Vancouver.
We chose simple meansโwalking or cyclingโfor the majority of our daily trips because they are the most practical, efficient, and enjoyable ways to get from A to B.
