European Cities Try to Make Cars Unwelcome

Many cities in Europe are rediscovering their pre-automobile roots, using new technologies like ride-sharing and congestion pricing and old-fashioned ones like demolishing parking lots and dense development. Car ownership is dropping precipitously.

2 minute read

May 8, 2015, 10:00 AM PDT

By Josh Stephens @jrstephens310


The fronts of three double-decker buses in London

Roman Pavlyuk / flickr

With their cozy streetscapes and mature public transit systems, European cities already have relatively low rates of automobile use. But that doesn't stop them from going big. Cities from Lyon to Birmingham to Munich are aggressively introducing programs and development patterns to make driving harder and car-sharing, walking, biking, and riding public transit easier.

“Sharing is the new paradigm of urban mobility. Tomorrow, you will judge a city according to what it is adding to sharing. The more that we have people sharing transportation modes, public space, information and new services, the more attractive the city will be.”

"'Multi-modal' and 'interconnectivity' are now the words on every urban planner’s lips. In Munich, says Bore, planners told him that the city dwellers of the future would no longer need cars. Bikes and more efficient public transport would be the norm; for occasional trips out of the city, they could hire a car or join a car club that facilitated inter-city travel. The statistic everyone trots out is that your car sits outside, idle and depreciating, for 96% of its life. There has to be a more efficient way to provide for the average of seven hours a week when you want it."

"The statistic (London neighborhood) Hackney is proudest of is that more than 15% of its residents commute to work by bike. “It’s about creating an environment where it’s easier for people to cycle or take the bus, so they’re not relying on cars,” Demirci says. Car ownership in the borough has dropped over the past 10 years: whereas a decade ago 56% of households did not own a car, that figure now stands at 65%."

Tuesday, April 28, 2015 in The Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Abandoned industrial factory site.

Wisconsin Awarded $12 Million for Brownfield Redevelopment Amid Broader EPA Budget Cuts

The EPA provided the funding to Wisconsin for brownfield cleanups in cities like Milwaukee and Racine, even as broader agency budget cuts under the Trump administration raise concerns about future environmental protection capacity.

15 minutes ago - Urban Milwaukee

People riding bike son paved greenway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indianapolis Advances Plans to Expand and Connect Citywide Greenway Network

Indianapolis is developing a new Greenways Strategic Implementation Plan to expand, connect, and modernize its trail system, aiming for over 250 miles of greenways that support sustainability, mobility, and community well-being.

1 hour ago - Indianapolis Recorder

Regeneration of contaminated industrial land used for waste dumping, West Midlands, UK, 2006 .

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites

The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.

May 18 - Environmental Protection