As other cities take daring steps to reclaim their streets, a car ban in downtown Boston doesn’t seem so implausible.
Tom Acitelli considers the possibility of limiting vehicle traffic in downtown Boston. "Such a move would help Boston meet its own stated goals of eliminating pedestrian deaths and reducing pollution so much as to render the city carbon-neutral by 2050—never mind that, contrary to some concerns, the evidence suggests that banning cars downtown would not necessarily hurt businesses there."
Boston can look to the steps other cities have taken to redesign their streets, says Acitelli, including New York City’s vehicle restrictions on 14th Street in Manhattan and San Francisco’s plan to ban cars on Market Street.
Boston has already successfully instituted a series of recent street closures and repurposed public spaces. And the city is no stranger to pedestrianized shopping areas, including Downtown Crossing and Faneuil Hall Marketplace, both of which have benefited from the downtown’s economic boom, notes Acitelli.
FULL STORY: Should Boston ban cars from its downtown?
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City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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