These U.S. cities are reducing or removing car traffic to make major streets more people-friendly.
In a piece for Fast Company, Elissaveta M. Brandon highlights six U.S. streets poised to get a pedestrian-friendly makeover in 2026.
As Brandon explains, “These projects matter in a country that still funnels tens of billions of federal dollars every year into new roads and highways. And they are particularly notable after the Trump administration recently withdrew previously awarded grants for some bike, trail, and pedestrian projects.”
The projects mentioned include Houston’s Main Street, which will be redesigned as a seven-block pedestrian promenade in the city’s downtown. “Its permanent transformation is timed to welcome visitors for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, but the redesign is meant to serve residents long after the crowds leave.”
Other prominent walkability projects include 18th Street in Kansas City, Missouri; Post Street in San Jose, California; and Monroe Street in Detroit.
The list ends with San Francisco’s Sunset Dunes project, which “marks a different scale of ambition altogether” and will create a two-mile long, 50-acre coastal park “billed as the largest pedestrianization project in California’s history.”
Read the full story: These 6 U.S. streets will become scenic pedestrian zones in 2026
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
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California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
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