From banning diesels to pedestrianizing downtowns, here?s how cities are fighting cars Cities around the world are facing a crisis: cars are wreaking havoc, snarling streets, and contributing to increased air pollution. The World Health Organization says that around three million deaths every year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution, much of which is emitted as exhaust from the cars we drive every day.
As a result, cities like London, Paris, and Seoul are doubling down on car-free policies, aiming to decrease pollutants and make people?s daily lives better. Some regulations call for low-emission zones and the banning of diesel vehicles.
Other cities have opted for pricing schemes that either charge commuters for driving at peak times or in congested urban areas or fine people for driving cars with high emissions. Still other cities choose to restrict driving by license plate numbers?whether in an emergency attempt to reduce harmful spikes in nitrogen dioxide or as a more long-term effort to combat declining air quality.
Amid all of the restrictions are other urban planning goals: Oslo, Norway; Bogotá, Colombia; and Hamburg, Germany are all betting big on bike lanes, converting boulevards into pedestrian plazas and creating bike ?superhighways? that cater to people looking to ditch diesels and get on two wheels. If banning vehicles is one part of the puzzle, creating walkable cities and expanding public transit options are the other pieces to master.
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