COUNTDOWN OF THE TOP 30 PEDESTRIAN ZONES (that I have visited recently). A THREAD 🧵
#30 KARL JOHANS GATE OSLO. This is a pretty standard central commercial pedestrian zone like you see across Europe. It would be great if this was standard across America too.
#29 BARRIO DE SANTA CRUZ SEVILLE. The old Jewish Quarter of Seville, a beautiful maze of alleyways.
Looking back at my photos from Santa Cruz makes me wonder if I ranked it too low...but there are some other good ones coming up.
#28 SONNWENDVIERTEL VIENNA. This one gets credit for being completely new. It's one thing to pedestrianize a medieval labyrinth of alleyways but quite another to have the option of adding cars and saying "nah."
At this point, you might note overlap with my thread of Top 20 New Urban Districts. I believe there are only two places on both lists. Not all pedestrian zones are new and—unfortunately—not all new urban districts are pedestrianized.
#27 XIMEN TAIPEI. Ximending Pedestrian Area was the first built in Taipei and is the largest in Taiwan. It is especially lively at night.
In Ximen, there is a new delicacy around every corner. I very happily stood under an umbrella eating a rain-soaked wrap of some sort containing cheese sauce from this giant vat.
Asian pedestrian zones are going to be underrepresented in this thread for one primary reason: it's been tough to travel there lately due to covid. Perhaps someone in that part of the world could supplement my thread.
#26 DE WALLEN AMSTERDAM. Known to many as Amsterdam's Red Light District, De Wallen is changing under the leadership of Mayor Femke Halsema, who is seeking to improve working conditions and address human rights abuses.
Alrighty. It looks like I'm committed to doing this thread. It might take a few days.
#25 INNERE STADT/STEPHANSPLATZ VIENNA. Another classic European commercial pedestrian zone, growing gradually.
There's a lot to love here.
#24 EINDHOVEN CENTRUM. This place took some time to grow on me. With a few exceptions, the architecture is fairly drab but it's a lively place on a sunny afternoon.
Eindhoven was traditionally one of the more car-focused Dutch cities but it has made great progress recently putting people at the center of urban design.
#19 BURGWALLEN NIEUWE ZIJDE AMSTERDAM. While Amsterdam has a number of pedestrian streets and zones, I give extra points for being new. The current redevelopment around Spui sets an excellent example.
Editorial note: For this list, I'm excluding isolated pedestrian streets, even quite lovely ones like Calle de Asunción. For my purposes, a zone is a network of connected, public, pedestrian streets.
Barcelona's Gothic Quarter had a few centuries to prove it could manage without cars and it still has a substantial pedestrian zone today.
There comes a point where getting in a car and driving around starts to feel like an unnatural way to navigate a city.
I'm assembling this thread on the fly—sort of like livetweeting my camera roll—so it might take another day or so. I'm almost halfway there!
#17 PATERSHOL GHENT. Instead of letting cars pass straight through town on their way to someplace else, Ghent said "How about we make cars go around?" The result is a safe and peaceful city center.
Strasbourg's city center is so walkable, outdoor spaces sometimes feel a bit like indoor spaces.
WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH.
#15 LES HALLES PARIS. This is another situation where I give extra credit for newness. Paris is on a roll and one part of that is the growing pedestrian area around Les Halles.
Les Halles is already a lively pedestrian zone and it is set to get better.
#14 BINNENSTAD/SINT-MICHIELSPLEIN GHENT. We're going back to Ghent! This is the main pedestrian zone in the city center.
Some parts of Ghent's main pedestrian zone are quite bustling, some peaceful, and some in-between. It is a great mix of public spaces.
#13 EL CENTRO CARTAGENA. I was on the fence about including Cartagena, Colombia because the closure to cars can be weak at times (wooden barricades), but it is, on balance, a pedestrian-dominated zone.
There are few places more beautiful than Cartagena.
Sadly, it is time to leave Delft and move on to #9.
#9 TJUVHOLMEN/AKER BRYGGE OSLO. As I mentioned earlier, I give extra credit for new pedestrian zones and this one is fresh as morning dew.
New pedestrian zones like this one in Oslo demonstrate that any city—of any vintage—can do it.
Oslo shows that you can remove a highway along the waterfront and replace it with a lively pedestrian zone.
#8 EL BORN BARCELONA. I know there are one or two policymakers reading this thread and I want you to know that lively, healthy, prosperous, equitable cities are a product of leadership, not luck.
Antwerp's sprawling pedestrian zone cuts straight through the center of town.
Like any good pedestrian zone, Antwerp's has bustling squares and quiet nooks.
#6 STRØGET COPENHAGEN.
Copenhagen's Strøget is the O.G. pedestrian zone, the one that inspired all of the others. I had an early iPhone and an underdeveloped sense of composition when I took this trip so the photography isn't quite as inspiring.
It was a thrill for me to meet Jan Gehl—the urban planner most associated with Strøget—last year. He was game for a #shoepic.
Seville's main pedestrian zone has a distinctive golden glow.
I like how the light changes throughout the day.
I don't think there is anything unique about Seville but the people of that city decided (fairly recently) that they wanted fewer cars and now they are reaping the benefits.
I feel like I would spend more time outside if the city didn't jam every possible space with cars.
Brussels is a great example for American cities because it's a place with highrise buildings and car-choked arterials that decided they could do better.
Tonight, we're reviewing the new Greystar Safeway project at 15th & John. It is a building. We should build it. But the East Design Review Board may have different ideas.
Countdown of the TOP 20 NEW URBAN DISTRICTS (that I have visited recently). A THREAD 🧵
#20 EUROVEA (BRATISLAVA). This district is Bratislava’s announcement that it is open to inward investment and seeking to be a leading European capital. Unfortunately, it has wide roads, a lot of unremarkable highrise buildings, and some hit-or-miss urban design.
The best part of Eurovea is the linkage to Bratislava’s world class pedestrian district along the Danube. I could hang out here all day drinking Aperol Spritzes and watching the boats go by.
I’m at a #vc22 conference on a topic close to my heart: reallocation of public space. It’s an all-star panel, with representatives from Copenhagen and Groningen and other cool cities.
Ok these graphics are a bit over-stylized but it’s surprising that most trips in Copenhagen are still by car and cars still dominate public space.
Groningen has a bike mode share of 66%, which is truly remarkable. Spurred by their traffic circulation plan.