street reclaiming is the process of converting, or otherwise returning streets to a stronger focus on non-car use - walking, cycling and active street life. it is advocated by many urban planners and urban economists, of widely varying political points of view. its primary benefits are thought to be: *decreased automobile traffic with fewer automobile accidents and less smog *reduced summer temperatures due to less asphalt and more green spaces *increased pedestrian traffic which also increases social and commercial opportunities *increased gardening space for urban residents *better support for co-housing and infirm residents, e.g. suburban eco-villages built around former streets some consider the best advantages to be gained by redesigning streets, for example as shared space, while others, such as campaigns like "reclaim the streets", a widespread "dis-organization", run a variety of events to physically reclaim the streets for political and artistic actions, often called street parties. david engwicht is also a strong proponent of the concept that street life, rather than physical redesign, is the primary tool of street reclamation. ==see also== *living street *auto-free zone *carfree day ==external links== * rts â reclaim the streets * street party * park(ing)
DIY_culture Road_transport Street_culture Urban_studies_and_planning