The pandemic is fundamentally reshaping streets, providing a critical moment to rethink urban mobility systems and move beyond car-dominant models to design streets for people. This paper outlines the transformative powers of this approach: to improve health outcomes and democratize public space for the use of the majority – pedestrians, cyclists and public transit users – but also to power economic regeneration as businesses take to the streets.
Following the traditions and inspiration of open streets movements, experiences from India, Ethiopia and Mexico highlight how infrastructure for active mobility and progressive non-motorized transport policies can allow for cities that are decidedly different. These future realities, being piloted as elements of urban recovery, put people at the centre of streets and transport planning to radically transform post-pandemic cities.
This is one of five papers in a series published by the Low Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP) Transport Working Group. The papers are co-authored by young people from around the world and aim to leverage insights from COVID-19 response measures to drive more sustainable, inclusive and resilient transport systems.
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The Paris Agreement calls on countries to reduce emissions and strive towards achieving an equitable 1.5°C planet. This paper discusses the opportunity for a green recovery of the transport sector in the context of its impact on emissions worldwide.
Three cities are featured to exhibit the potential, impact and challenges...