The battle of cars vs people. Are people beginning to push back?

1973 oil blockage. no gas.

people abandoned their cars.

they were forced to walk.

and the strangest thing happened.

for the first time people were happy.

you saw it on their faces.

they weren't in a rush to go anywhere.

for the first time they tasted the pleasures of a leisurely life.

the time to say hello to their neighbors as they passed them on the sidewalk.

the inclination to say hello to strangers as they passed them on the sidewalk.

the sense of community embraced everyone.

Like Saturday on Park Avenue in Montreal.

Like Sunday on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

everyone now understood intuitively the very essence of community.

the time for "just being."

the time for "being open" to the people around us.

Forward to 2018.

Threat of climate change.

construction blocking the street

blocking the traffic.

paralysis....

and a new opening.

remembrances of things past

The beginning of the end of one era.

The beginning of a new one.

It began with three local mayors approving blocking off traffic -

on one block, two blocks, even three blocks.

no cars,

people walking

people dancing

people standing

just listening to music.

It caught on. More and more local mayors have gotten into the act.

In 1964 Robert Moses cared for cars

more than he cared for people.

He built great concrete overpasses

that destroyed real pulsating communities.

In 2018, communities are starting to take back the city from the cars....

One block at a time.

segue to the reclaiming the streets in montreal for the pedestrian