Cities are dense and struggling with high levels of air pollution, sedentary behaviour and noise problems linked to car-centred urban planning. Traffic also takes up large areas in cities, resulting in lack of green spaces, and it is obvious that our oil dependency has fuelled climate change. Three cities with governments that are up for the challenge of re-thinking cities are Paris, Oslo and Barcelona, which are working to transform their cities from car-
centred to people-centred.
BarcelonaThe government of the city of Barcelona has approved a campaign christened “Let’s fill the streets with life” with the aim of improving the quality of life of people and bringing the city closer to solving environmental challenges. The goal is to make Barcelona a pleasant city to live in, by implementing “Superilles” (superblocks) based on reversing the distribution of public space between vehicles and people to prioritise citizens. The aim is to improve the environmental conditions and quality of life of the people. The first steps were taken in 2016 and involve creating superblocks in three neighbourhoods of Barcelona: Poblenou, Sant Antoni and Horta. In Sant Antoni, a 25% reduction in NO₂ levels and a 17% reduction in PM10 levels were observed in the intervention area. People report better rest, less perceived noise and air pollution, and increased socialization. They found the superblocks to be quieter, more comfortable and safer environments that facilitate social interactions. A study found that the re-design of the city could save 667 premature deaths from reductions in air pollution and noise, and more active travel. https://www.aspb.cat/documents/english-aspb_salut-carrers-resultsreport-... |
ParisThe brain behind the 15-minute city is Carlos Moreno. The idea is simple: that anyone living in an urban environment, like Paris, should have access to all their daily needs – shopping, education, health, leisure, even work – within an easily reachable 15-minute walk or cycle ride. And because we are talking about Paris, somewhere to socialise, such as a bar, café or restaurant, is of course part of the planning. “Unnecessary transport times have accelerated our lives, shortened our days to the detriment of family, leisure and the environment,” says Carlos Moreno, the city planner who came up with the concept in 2015. The concept is that cities should be developed for people rather than cars and that the whole idea is to make life easier and healthier for everyone. Paris is going ahead with the concept and has been doing so since 2020. An expanded network made up of hundreds of kilometres of new bike lanes is a key part of the project and it is certainly well used, with more and more people taking up cycling. Another focus is an expanding area of car-free streets and walkways along the banks of the Seine. Moreno’s idea was driven by his desire to come up with ways of cutting carbon emissions in cities and address the way that long commutes degrade quality of life. Mayor Hidalgo wants to make Paris greener, less polluted and more practical for its 2.2 million residents. She is also driven by a desire to make life more bearable during increasingly frequent and deadly summer heatwaves – in August last year, a temperature of 56°C was recorded in Paris. The mayor wants to plant 170,000 trees by 2026 to mitigate the urban heat island effect. The city authorities are also tearing up concrete school yards to lay down soil and plant trees. School yards are also opened after school hours to serve as green areas for residents. Those who remember Paris for the crazy traffic around the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées will have to rethink their image of Paris. These areas will be turned into gardens, and polluting cars will be heavily restricted. The clean-up of the Seine has been accelerated so that people will be able to swim again in the Seine in 2025 – just over 100 years after the practice was banned in 1923. Paris, the 15-minute city – The New European, https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/paris-the-15-minute-city/ |
OsloOslo is another city where politicians want to change the paradigm of cities built for cars. The Car-Free Livability Programme is about giving the streets back to people. Citizens of Oslo asked for more green areas, seating, culture and social interactions. They also asked for roads that accommodate cyclists, better public transport and fewer cars in the city centre. “Our main objective is to give the streets back to the people,” Hanna Marcussen, Oslo’s Vice Mayor for Urban Development told BBC Future. To reach this goal, Oslo began closing off streets in the city centre to cars entirely. The city removed 760 on-street parking spots inside the city’s inner ring road and replaced them with cycling lanes, benches and miniature parks. The first actions took place in six pilot areas in the summer of 2017, when half of the parking spaces were removed. Further parking spaces were removed in 2018, and measures were taken to change mobility patterns. Oslo opened several new pedestrian streets and installed benches and playgrounds. Most importantly, they turned the traditional planning pyramid upside down – putting people’s needs at the top and private cars at the bottom. There has of course been opposition, but one key success was the involvement of public and private interests in the design process. Stakeholders, such as shop owners and trade associations, feared the consequences for customer access to shops in the city centre. The dialogue inspired and promoted innovations within the private sector, giving rise to environmentally friendly and health-promoting forms of mobility. Accessibility was also important and those with disabilities were given more parking spaces than previously. Public acceptance improved even more when people started enjoying the people-centred streets, and the planners are expanding to more areas. At the root of the changes in Oslo was a survey conducted by urban architect Jan Gehl which showed that many people found the city centre to be lacking in life. To bring about urban transformation and create more people-oriented cities, Jan Gehl recommends:
Car-free Livability Programm, https://www.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/13319592-1553857948/Content/Poli...
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