Long before the invention of the internal combustion engine and the motorized vehicle, cities and towns were, of course, car-free. To this day, the results of those early developments are seen in many Old World cities as highly prized by denizens for their livability and charm — with their remaining enchanting enclaves of winding, narrow alleys just wide enough to accommodate foot or hoof.
For decades, modern-era city planners have advocated a return to automobile-free walkways and districts. The success stories of such auto-banning efforts have been many, and the device of motor-vehicle-free zones has broadly entered the toolkits of city planners seeking to revive urban cores and other areas to make the metropolis more beckoning.
The best walking districts often re-fabricate the winning formula that has attracted residents and visitors to urban zones for millennia: entertainment, food, shopping, rest and relaxation, and old-fashioned people-watching. Cities such as