Should Philadelphia get permanent pedestrian zones?
Many cities worldwide embrace pedestrian-friendly design and even places around the US are playing with the concept. But what will it take for us to get there?
Listen 51:44
A bubble artist entertained pedestrian on Walnut Street's first car-free Sunday of September 2024.
Philadelphia is experimenting with pedestrian-friendly streets this September, closing off parts of Center City every Sunday. While car-free zones are common in Europe, they’re a novelty here. But with the popularity of streeteries during the pandemic, Philadelphians are showing a growing appetite for reclaiming public space.
Should this experiment be expanded? Could Philadelphia, or other cities like Haddonfield, NJ, West Chester, PA, or Wilmington, DE, become partially car-free? What areas should be prioritized? What would the economic and environmental impacts be?
Guests:
Inga Saffron, Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic
Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman, Urban Anthropologist and Adjunct Professor at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
Brought to you by Studio 2
Philly sees drop in deadly crashes due to road diet and other measures, new report says
Efforts have targeted the "High Injury Network," which includes the 12% of city streets with 80% of all traffic deaths and serious injuries in Philly.
1 year ago
Getting to the bottom of Philadelphia’s potholes
What causes potholes — and why are there so many of them?
2 years ago
Listen 11:52
More bike lanes open in Philly as part of Vision Zero initiative
Adding more protected bike lanes is part of the city’s Vision Zero plan to limit speeding and reduce traffic fatalities.
2 years ago