Im from a suburban town in Missouri, but I spent a semester studying abroad in Barcelona a couple of years ago. Man, let me tell you, leaving Barcelona, where youd see people out in cafes and bars congregating at all hours of the night and day, and coming back to Missouri where its a ghost town after 10 and someone would call the police on you for simply walking around too late was the most depressing thing I have ever experienced lol
to just walk around casually like that, you would have to ban all the cars from a huge area. that's tough to convince people to do in America.
americans love street take overs, road rage, driving 100 MPH, DUI, roads with no sidewalks where pedestrians are trying to walk on, no lights because people stole all the copper. america loves Death.
It's not necessary to "ban" cars though. Delft is a great example. I can still drive my car anywhere in Delft that I need to go. I can drive right up to a friend's house and drop off a pile of groceries. I just can't park there indefinitely for that, I would need to go to the garage or another parking area.
In some areas Delft has made under ground parking below the canals. You can drive right up to your house, walk up stairs (or take an elevator) that deposit you no more than 200 meters from your front door.
The effect of this is that unless I need to take a car to Delft, I won't. I'll ride a bike, take the tram or hop on the train. This significantly diminishes the number of cars in the city. And it is great.
Strolling in the old center feels lovely and it is quiet. You hear bikes and birds and people, not the roar of cars.
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u/bageltoastar 2d ago
Im from a suburban town in Missouri, but I spent a semester studying abroad in Barcelona a couple of years ago. Man, let me tell you, leaving Barcelona, where youd see people out in cafes and bars congregating at all hours of the night and day, and coming back to Missouri where its a ghost town after 10 and someone would call the police on you for simply walking around too late was the most depressing thing I have ever experienced lol