Photo credit: Julia Boateng
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
Bloomberg reporter David Zipper recently wrote about the quiet power of car-free neighborhoods, based on a recent experience he had in the German city of Leipzig. Zipper found himself there with time to kill, so he left his hotel to meander through the historic city center. What he found most striking about Leipzig’s historic core was the absence of car noise.
It turns out that in the 1990s, in response to a gridlocked, car-clogged city center, city leaders diverted vehicles to surrounding roads, creating the car-free central zone. Zipper found the stroll delightful, enjoying “the thrill of a place that was both vibrant and quiet.” He notes that other cities have established similar zones, although they remain rare in North America.
The article goes on to discuss the adverse health effects of transportation noise and its disproportionate impact on poor neighborhoods largely populated by minority and immigrant populations. These are topics that The Quiet Coalition has discussed over the years.
Car-free zones, even one street in a busy downtown area, are good for local businesses and for the people who live there. We hope that the idea of car-free zones and car-free neighborhoods will continue to spread. A quieter and cleaner world will be a better and healthier world for all.
