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Anecdotally, I agree with this approach. Downtown San Jose is a lot more vibrant whenever they shutdown streets for special events.

by didip 4y ago

ars 4y ago
Something that works when implemented infrequently tells you very little about implementing it permanently. If a couple times a year I don't have car access to my home, I'll be just fine. If you did that permanently I'd be pretty unhappy.
- GaryNumanVevo 4y ago
  Except it's been implemented / studied for decades in European cities, and in many American cities for the last two years. Also, road closures aren't shutting down residential access, just allowing more foot traffic in light commercial downtown areas.
kibwen 4y ago
Same here, in Boston I randomly stumbled upon a street shut down along the entire length of the Back Bay, not for any particular event or anything, and it was like a spontaneous mile-long carnival. Washington Street at the heart of downtown has been car-free for as long as I've been here. Over in Cambridge they shut down the major road along the river every weekend in the summer and it's a delightful time to go for a bike ride or just hang out on the riverfront without the constant noise of cars.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Newbury Street was already a pretty narrow, notoriously parking unfriendly street--with a lot of stores/restaurants--so selectively making a street like that pedestrian only makes a lot of sense. Minimal impact from a traffic and parking perspective and a win for pedestrians. It also directly connects to parks. Shutting down (a small section of) Memorial Drive on Sundays in the summer also seems like a win. There's a parallel road on the other side of the river that can pretty much substitute at a lower traffic time, but you almost certainly wouldn't want to cut that capacity at rush hour on a weekday when both sides of the river are already horrible in terms of traffic capacity.
01100011 4y ago
So you're saying special events, which are intended to attract crowds, are more vibrant when times when there is no special event? Perhaps we should just schedule never ending special events? This deserves more study...
- thethethethe 4y ago
  I'm pretty sure these "never ending special events" are called pedestrian streets which have been studied and to my understanding and are quite productive commercial areas and are very pleasent to be in
- danenania 4y ago
  There are plenty of places where streets are made pedestrian-only once per week, or even multiple days per week, for farmer's markets, flea markets, etc. and they reliably bring a crowd. In a way, getting rid of cars is the special event: increased foot traffic, food vendors, outdoor seating, and other events like markets and live music tend to follow on naturally. Apart from pedestrian streets, you also see this in well-integrated urban parks and plazas like Union Square, Washington Square, or Bryant Park in NYC.

Anecdotally, I agree with this approach. Downtown San Jose is a lot more vibrant whenever they shutdown streets for special events.

by didip 4y ago

Anecdotally, I agree with this approach. Downtown San Jose is a lot more vibrant whenever they shutdown streets for special events.

ars 4y ago

Something that works when implemented infrequently tells you very little about implementing it permanently. If a couple times a year I don't have car access to my home, I'll be just fine. If you did that permanently I'd be pretty unhappy.

GaryNumanVevo 4y ago
Except it's been implemented / studied for decades in European cities, and in many American cities for the last two years. Also, road closures aren't shutting down residential access, just allowing more foot traffic in light commercial downtown areas.

kibwen 4y ago

Same here, in Boston I randomly stumbled upon a street shut down along the entire length of the Back Bay, not for any particular event or anything, and it was like a spontaneous mile-long carnival. Washington Street at the heart of downtown has been car-free for as long as I've been here. Over in Cambridge they shut down the major road along the river every weekend in the summer and it's a delightful time to go for a bike ride or just hang out on the riverfront without the constant noise of cars.

ghaff 4y ago
Newbury Street was already a pretty narrow, notoriously parking unfriendly street--with a lot of stores/restaurants--so selectively making a street like that pedestrian only makes a lot of sense. Minimal impact from a traffic and parking perspective and a win for pedestrians. It also directly connects to parks. Shutting down (a small section of) Memorial Drive on Sundays in the summer also seems like a win. There's a parallel road on the other side of the river that can pretty much substitute at a lower traffic time, but you almost certainly wouldn't want to cut that capacity at rush hour on a weekday when both sides of the river are already horrible in terms of traffic capacity.

01100011 4y ago

So you're saying special events, which are intended to attract crowds, are more vibrant when times when there is no special event? Perhaps we should just schedule never ending special events? This deserves more study...

thethethethe 4y ago
I'm pretty sure these "never ending special events" are called pedestrian streets which have been studied and to my understanding and are quite productive commercial areas and are very pleasent to be in
danenania 4y ago
There are plenty of places where streets are made pedestrian-only once per week, or even multiple days per week, for farmer's markets, flea markets, etc. and they reliably bring a crowd. In a way, getting rid of cars is the special event: increased foot traffic, food vendors, outdoor seating, and other events like markets and live music tend to follow on naturally. Apart from pedestrian streets, you also see this in well-integrated urban parks and plazas like Union Square, Washington Square, or Bryant Park in NYC.