Should Cities Be Designed for Cars or People?

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1. 01Should Cities Be Designed for Cars or People?

   Good morning. Look at any street in a big city, and you'll notice something: most of the space is given to cars. Today, I want to challenge that idea and ask whether our cities should be designed for people instead.

2. 02The Cost of Car-Centered Cities

   Car-centered design comes at a cost. It leads to traffic jams, noise, and air pollution. On top of that, every parking lot is space that could have been a park, a café, or a place for kids to play.

3. 03Cars Are Mostly Standing Still

   Here's a surprising fact. According to a study in the UK, the average car is parked about ninety-six percent of the time. That means we give huge amounts of city space to objects that are mostly standing still.

   Source: RAC Foundation, "Spaced Out" (2012), UK

4. 04What People-First Cities Look Like

   Some cities are already making this shift. Paris has turned busy roads along the river into spaces for walking and cycling. Barcelona has created "superblocks," where cars are limited and streets become public spaces.

   Sources: City of Paris (riverside roads for walking and cycling); Barcelona City Council (Superblocks program)

5. 05Benefits for Everyone

   These changes don't just help pedestrians. When streets become safer and quieter, people walk and cycle more, which is good for their health. Local shops can benefit too, because people on foot tend to stop and look around.

6. 06Common Objections

   Naturally, there are objections. Shop owners worry about losing customers, and drivers worry about traffic. However, research on "traffic evaporation" shows that when road space is reduced, some car trips simply disappear as people change their habits.

   Source: Cairns, Hass-Klau & Goodwin, "Traffic Impact of Highway Capacity Reductions" (1998)

7. 07A Step-by-Step Approach

   The smartest cities don't change everything overnight. They start with temporary trials, listen carefully to residents, and only then make successful changes permanent.

8. 08Who Are Streets For?

   Of course, cars won't disappear. But streets are one of the largest public spaces we have. The real question is: who should they be for? I'll leave you with that question. Thank you.