Location | Area | Population | Character |
Buenos Aires | Downtown pedestrian circuit | | The pedestrian circuit in the city centre is composed by Florida Street, about 12 blocks, 5 blocks of Lavalle Street, one block of Diagonal Norte, two blocks Tres Sargentos Street and one block of the Pasaje Carlos Discepolo, very vibrant area with many restaurants, theatres, shopping, etc., a short walk from the obelisk, people throng here, streets are entirely car free, but crossing streets are not. Access by bus and the Metro Line C. Buenos Aires, for the most part, is a very walkable city. |
Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires | City centre waterfront | Part of city | Very successful waterfront redevelopment area. Highly pedestrianized and car free mixed use district which includes corporate headquarters, luxury condos, residential and business lofts, five star hotels, exclusive restaurants, parks and an ecological reserve. A recently inaugurated 2 kilometre modern tramway line serves the area. |
La Boca, Buenos Aires | Several blocks of main street | Part of city | Barrio La Boca is a colourful working-class neighbourhood where descendants of Italian immigrants once settled, El Caminito, its main street, is pedestrianized and touristy. An extension of Puerto Madero's light rail tram system to Retiro Station and Barrio La Boca is contemplated. |
Greater Buenos Aires | Tren de la Costa, car free artery | | A unique suburban modern leisure tramway artery that stretches for 15 kilometres by the River Plate from Olivos to the village of Tigre, each of its eleven "turn of the century" picturesque stations have a charm of its own with its plazas, cafes, antique shops, movie theatres, boutiques, restaurants and regional product markets. You can get on and off during the day as many times as you wish. Good sample of Transit-oriented development. website. |
Tigre, Buenos Aires | Delta | Several thousand | The village of Tigre is the starting point of the magnificent Delta where commuter mahogany launches reminiscent of the roaring twenties travel its web of connecting rivers and streams dotted with week-end homes, English style rowing clubs, countless marinas, large mansions from the Belle Époque and a variety of recreational complexes which offer food, lodging and entertainment. Total absence of cars. |
Mendoza | Several blocks, centre of town | | Wide tree-lined streets, many parks and plazas, ceramic-tiled sidewalks, pedestrianised "Peatonal Sarmiento" adjacent to Plaza Independencia features many outdoor cafe's, restaurants, wine bars and shops. City is served by antiquated trolleybus lines. Mendoza is the capital of the wine producing Mendoza Province. |
Rosario | Central business district | | Almost 2 kilometre of retail area, system of parks that line the riverfront area. |
Córdoba | various pedestrian circuits | 120.000 people | The city's downtown includes 2 kilometres of pedestrianized areas with theatres, shops, outdoor cafes, restaurants, parks and plazas, and an active nightlife. Trolleybus and bus provide access. |
La Cumbrecita, Córdoba | First pedestrian village in Argentina | Several hundred | A beautiful small picturesque secluded alpine-like village in Córdoba Province settled by central Europeans. Focused on eco-tourism, no paved roads, transport on foot. Excursions to La Cumbrecita can be taken from nearby Villa General Belgrano, not car free but pedestrian friendly. |
Location | Area | Population | Character |
Calgary, Alberta | 7th & 8th Avenue Malls | Non-Residential | 7th Ave. is a transit mall; 8th Ave. is a pedestrian mall for several blocks that offers some retailers selling coffee, food, drinks and tourist merchandise. |
Toronto Islands | Several car free islands just off downtown | 700 | Urban park, neighbourhoods, and ecological community. Accessible by ferry or private boat from downtown Toronto. Bicycles are permitted on ferries. |
Victoria Beach, Manitoba | Restricted area of resort municipality | 450 permanent. 16,000 summer. | Cottage lined sand streets connect beaches, sailing club, tennis courts, golf course, grassy central square with adjacent bakery. The restricted area can only be used by pedestrians and cyclists during the summer months. |
Toronto, Ontario | Distillery District | | Historic industrial district; red brick streets and architecture, art galleries, shops, cafes, residences, various festivals, breweries, distilleries, winemaking, pubs, fresh beer, bicycle parking, adjacent to Don Valley bicycle trail network through the city. |
Toronto, Ontario | Leslie Street Spit | 0 | Wilderness on a 5 km-long man-made peninsula area near downtown. Access by bicycle, pedestrian or boat. |
Ottawa, Ontario | Sparks Street | Non-residential | 6-block shopping street 1 block south of Canadian Parliament Building. |
Montreal, Quebec | Rue Prince-Arthur | | Pedestrian street lined with restaurants and cafés located west of Montreal in the borough of Plateau Mont-Royal. |
Montreal, Quebec | Gay Village | | The main artery of St. Catherine Street, from Berri in the west to Papineau in the east is car free from May 26 to September 13. |
Montreal, Quebec | McTavish Street | | Lower part of the street, on McGill University campus. |
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec | | | Ski resort built as an Auto-Free European-style village. |
Quebec City, Quebec | Vieux-Québec | | Many streets in the oldest part of Quebec City are car free as is Rue Saint-Jean for most of the day during the tourist season. |
Digby Island, British Columbia | Dodge Cove | 50 | Artisan and commuter community on an island near Prince Rupert, BC. Accessible by ferry. |
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | George Street | | Historic street dotted with pubs, car free every night after 8:00 pm with the exception of taxis and emergency vehicles. |
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | Victoria Row | | One block section of Richmond Street adjacent to Confederation Centre of the Arts, fronting on cafes, restaurants and artisan shops, pedestrianized during the summer months. Street remains open for emergency vehicles, as well as delivery vehicles which operate outside of heavy pedestrian activity. |
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | Victoria Park | | Section of the Park Driveway permanently converted to pedestrian use; remains accessible for emergency vehicles. The inside lane of another street in the park—the Park Roadway, which follows the shoreline of Charlottetown Harbour—is converted to a bicycle and roller blading path during the summer months. |
Halifax, Nova Scotia | Granville Street Pedestrian Mall | | One block section at the north end of Granville Street converted to pedestrian use, fronting on NSCAD University studios, cafes, restaurants and artisan shops. Pedestrianized year-round, remains accessible for emergency vehicles. |
State | Location | Area | Population | Character |
California | Sacramento | K Street Mall | | Covers 12 blocks of K Street, including an outdoor shopping mall, a pedestrian freeway underpass to the city's historic district, shopping, entertainment, and a business and mixed-use residential district. |
California | Santa Monica | Third Street Promenade, 1/2 mile of 3rd Street | | Car-free shopping district, with further expansion planned. |
California | Venice | Venice Canals | 30,000 | A small portion of a large canal system created by Abbot Kinney to be the "Venice of America" still exists. A majority of the canals were filled in 1929 to make way for the automobile, though a square roughly still exists on one side. |
Colorado | Aspen | Pedestrian malls | | Three blocks of E. Hyman Ave., S. Mill St., and E. Cooper Ave. in downtown, adjacent to Wagner Park, have been pedestrianized. |
Colorado | Boulder | Pedestrian mall | | At the city center; there is some debate as to whether this really is a car free area or not. The Pearl Street Mall is absolutely car free, and extends through several blocks of the center of the city. |
Colorado | Denver | 16th Street Mall, about a mile long | | Transit mall with pedestrian-only extensions. However, electric buses and police cars drive throughout the area at all times, alongside pedicabs and horse-drawn carriages. It is forbidden to ride ordinary bicycles along the mall except on Sundays, and bicycles parked on the mall are impounded by police after a few hours' notice. |
Colorado | Fort Collins | 1 street | | Old Town Square commercial district |
Colorado | Fort Collins | Colorado State University, 4 long streets | 25,000 students | car free area of university campus, to be expanded |
Florida | Miami Beach | Lincoln Road Mall, 7 blocks or 0.5 mile | | Shopping, socializing, cafes, dining al fresco in the heart of the Art Deco district |
Florida | St. Augustine | St. George Street, 4 blocks or 0.4 mile | | Pedestrian only street, historic structure, shopping, dining, attractions, |
Indiana | Indianapolis | Canal Walk | | One-and-a-half mile section of the Indiana Central Canal through downtown Indianapolis. Features sidewalks on either side and is lined by apartments, museums, hotels, and the White River State Park. Opportunity to rent kayaks, Segways, bicycles, paddleboats, etc. Completely car-free. |
Iowa | Iowa City | Pedestrian mall | | Several blocks of the Iowa City-Ped Mall, located near the University of Iowa campus in the Old Capital district, are completely car free. |
Louisiana | New Orleans | Several blocks between the French Quarter and the river | | Car free mixed use area served by Vintage Streetcar Line. |
Massachusetts | Boston | Several blocks of the Downtown Crossing shopping district--Washington Street, Winter Street, and alleys | 442-unit luxury residential tower abutting the area | Car free except for emergency vehicles and taxis. |
Minnesota | Minneapolis | Nicollet Mall Central E/W downtown street; access to motor-vehicles limited to Metro Transit busses | | Wide street level sidewalks give access to popular retail and dining establishments as well as many of downtown Minneapolis's office towers. There is a Hiawatha Line light rail station. |
Minnesota | Minneapolis | skyway of enclosed overhead passageways | 1,500 residences; 4,000 hotel rooms | Commercial/retail heart of the city. 200 million square feet of office space, and 2.5 million square feet of retail space. |
Minnesota | Saint Paul | skyway a grid of enclosed overhead and underground passageways | | Commercial/retail heart of the city. |
Missouri | Branson | Branson Landing district | | car-free riverfront condos, shopping, dining, and nightlife |
New Jersey | Cape May | Washington Street from Ocean Street to Perry Street | | Downtown car free area of 1 street, 4 blocks long |
New York | Beaver River | Entire hamlet | 8 permanent; more in summer months | Small hamlet, also lacking electric power, at east end of Stillwater Reservoir in the Adirondacks can only be reached by hiking trail, boat or electric rail car; in winter, only overland access is possible. One of only two permanently inhabited places in the entire eastern U.S. inaccessible by road. |
New York | Buffalo | Main Street Mall, Downtown light-rail "main street" mall | | Theater district, retail, restaurants, pedestrian/LRV mall |
New York | Fire Island | most of Island | 491 permanent; summer peak estimated at 15,000 | Most of the island is accessible only by passenger ferries, or by foot or bicycle from the parking lot at the western end ; wagons used for transport. Residents can get car access permits for non-summer months. The community of Cherry Grove has boardwalk streets only five feet wide and is completely inaccessible to conventional motor vehicles. It may be the most populous truly car-free area in the USA. |
New York | Ithaca | Ithaca Commons | | Downtown car free area of 1 street, 2 blocks long |
New York | New York City | Broadway in Times and Herald Squares | | - |
New York | Governors Island
| entire Island | 0 | Cars and trucks are only allowed for specific purposes. Electric golf carts and minibuses are in limited use by park staff and contractors. Bicycles and human-powered quad vehicles are allowed and available for rent. Access is via ferry or private, human-powered boat. |
New York | Roosevelt Island
| most of Island | 9,500 | Cars are allowed on one bridge and on spine road, but long-term parking is only available at one central parking garage. Access is via subway, tram, or riverfront footpaths. |
Nevada | Las Vegas | Fremont Street Experience | 6,489 hotel rooms | Car free 5+ block pedestrian mall with 60 restaurants, 10 casinos, 2 stages, overhead light show and a brewery. Pedestrian 'friendly' 3 block extension with extra wide sidewalks and lots of small clubs. The main casino strip also has pedestrian bridges over the streets. Room numbers for FSE only. |
Ohio | Cleveland | E. 4th Street | Approximately 350 along the street | Public street about 170 m long, entirely car-free; Mixed use historic conversion of five- to eight-story buildings, primarily into upscale restaurants and apartments. E. 4th Street has developed into a noteworthy culinary district; among others, the street is home to Iron Chef Michael Symon's restaurant Lola. |
Oregon | Portland | Portland Center, two pedestrian streets run parallel through the development, which includes two parks | 1200 | Mixed-use development with apartments, retail, and offices |
Oregon | Portland | RiverPlace. pedestrian promenade about 1/2 mile long ; pedestrian alleys connect other buildings to the promenade; the site is in area. | 1,200 | Mixed-use development along the riverfront including apartments, retail, restaurants, a small market, and a waterfront pedestrian promenade |
South Carolina | Harbour Town, Hilton Head, South Carolina | Artificial harbor with promenade and shops | Few hundred | Car free resort community from the 1960s and 70s |
South Carolina | Shelter Cove Harbor, Hilton Head, South Carolina | Artificial harbor with promenade and shops, larger than Harbour Town | Several hundred | Car free resort community 1980s |
Tennessee | Knoxville | Market Square, | | One-block pedestrian mall in Knoxville's historic downtown, surrounded by shops and restaurants and used year-round for various outdoor events |
Tennessee | Memphis | Main Street Mall, 3/4 of a mile | 5000 | Car free mixed-use district in the heart of the city |
Texas | Austin | Sixth Street | | Traffic is generally blocked on East 6th Street and most crossroads from I-35 to Brazos Street on weekend evenings, and football home games, as well as holidays and special events, to allow the crowds to walk unfettered to the many venues that line the street. |
Texas | San Antonio | River Walk | | Mixed-use development along the riverfront including apartments, retail, restaurants, a small market, and a waterfront pedestrian promenade; Entertainment and shopping district |
Vermont | Burlington | Church Street Marketplace | | Pedestrianized main downtown shopping street, 4 car free blocks. Bicycles must be walked. |
Virginia | Charlottesville | Pedestrian mall | | 120 shops, 30 restaurants, outdoor concert space in historic brick paved downtown area, free Trolley to University of Virginia grounds |
Virginia | Colonial Williamsburg | 5 blocks plus side streets | 100 families of workers | Restored Colonial-era village |
Virginia | Winchester | Loudoun Street Mall | | Pedestrianized main downtown shopping street, 4 car free blocks. |
Wisconsin | Madison | State Street | | 6 block car free retail street connecting the university and the capitol. Traditional street & sidewalk layout; the street is used by buses, bicycles, police cars, taxicabs, and numerous delivery vehicles; pedestrians and the occasional delivery vehicle on the sidewalks. |
Wisconsin | Rock Island | entire Island | 0 | State park, ferry access from nearby Washington Island. No cars or bicycles allowed. |
Location | Area | Population | Character |
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | City center | 960,100 | Until very recently, most of the city saw very little cars on the street, and transport within the city basically consisted of the bicycle or by foot. This was because of the cities' urban planning, yet presumably also because of the villager's low income. At present, more mechanized transport is seen on the streets such as motorcycles and small cars. |
Bonthe, Sierra Leone | Entire City and Surrounding Island | 10,206 | Bonthe is a densely populated, compact coastal town and hosts the government's headquarters for the District of Bonthe, Southern Province. It is a former British colony, and all but three streets are only about 1 meter wide. Aside from some concrete portions of Heddle Rd, which also serves as a seawall, there is no tarmac in the town. Most people walk on the grid network of sandy footpaths to move about, but there are also about 100 bicycles and 10 motorbikes in the town. The town is served daily by passenger boats with a capacity of 50 persons or less from Matru Jong and Yagoi. These boats cannot accommodate cars. |
Lamu, Kenya | Entire Island | Several thousand but exact population unknown. | Lamu town is an old, Swahili settlement where only foot, cycle and donkey traffic is allowed. |
Fes el Bali, Fez, Morocco | The Medina of Fes-el-Bali | 156,000, making it the most populated car free district in the world | Fes-el-Bali, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is a nearly intact medieval city. The entire medina was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, with 13,380 historic buildings since enumerated in the course of a thorough GIS survey of the medina. There are reputed to be 10,539 retail businesses in the medina, which remains a prime commercial center of the city of Fes. Fes-el-Bali's medieval streets are entirely inaccessible by automobile. Only foot, cycle, donkey and cart traffic is even possible. A few access streets for emergency vehicles are being built. |
Fes-el-Jdid, Fez, Morocco | The Medina of Fes-el-Jdid | >100,000 | Fes-el-Jdid was originally an extension of Fes-el-Bali, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, and therefore is structured very similarly. Alongside Fes-el-Bali, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, under the name 'Medina of Fez'. Fes-el-Jdid's streets tend to be narrower and less used than those of Jes-el-Bali, and similarly, only foot, cycle, donkey and cart traffic is seen within the medina. |
Essaouira, Morocco | The Medina of Essaouira | <77,000 | The Medina of Essaouira, formerly called Mogador, is a well-looked-after walled city on the coast of Morocco, and was built in the 17th Century. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. While the medina's gates are wide enough to allow cars in, most of the narrow streets are inaccessible by car, and there is a ban on automobiles within the walls of the city. However, this rule is ignored by many, with mopeds being a fairly common sight and sound, and as a result, crashes involving pedestrians in the narrow streets are not uncommon. The few main streets wide enough to accommodate cars allow donkey and cart traffic as well as emergency vehicles, in addition to the bicycles and foot traffic permitted throughout the city. The streets in Essaouira outside of the medina all accommodate for cars, being built far more recently. |
Marrakesh, Morocco | Marrakesh Souks | | Similarly to the other Moroccan cities on this list, only old sections of the city are car-free, namely the souks, or marketplaces located in the centre. The streets are only narrow enough for pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists, although it is not clear if motorcycles are permitted within the souks or not. The surrounding medina was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The streets in Marrakesh outside of the souks, including some in the medinas, accommodate for cars. |
Meknes, Morocco | The Medina of Meknes | | An aging walled city with narrow streets, Meknes Medina is car-free due to the fact that it is mostly inaccesible to cars. However, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians and even donkeys and carts can traverse it. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the name 'Historic City of Meknes', in 1996. The streets in Meknes outside of the medina all accommodate for cars. |
Casablanca, Morocco | The Medina of Casablanca | | Similarly to the other Moroccan cities on this list, only the medina in the city is car-free, as the streets are only narrow enough for pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. The surrounding medina was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The streets in Casablanca outside of the Medina all accommodate for cars. |
Chaouen, Morocco | The Medina of Chaouen | <42,000 | Similarly to the other Moroccan cities on this list, only the medina in the city is car-free, as the streets are only narrow enough for pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. The Medina is notably painted blue. Most of the streets in Chaouen outside of the Medina, as well as a few within, accommodate for cars. |
Tangier, Morocco | The Medina of Tangier | | Similarly to the other Moroccan cities on this list, only the medina in the city is car-free, as the streets are only narrow enough for pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. Most of the streets in Tangier outside of the Medina, as well as a few within, accommodate for cars. |
Tripoli, Libya | Old City | | The old city is the most popular tourist destination in Libya, it consists of large number of traditional shops, and a national museum. |