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September 22nd • Urban Life & Environment

World Car Free Day

An annual event that encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day and try alternative ways of travelling. It is a day to envision what our cities would look like with fewer vehicles and more space for people. Today, we debate the car culture trap, the feasibility of car-free city centres, and how urban redesign can improve our health, air quality, and social connections.

A pedestrianised city street with people walking and cycling

Speaking Discussion

  • How many cars do you or your family own? Could you survive for an entire month without them?
  • In your opinion, are modern cities designed for people, or are they designed for vehicles?
  • What are the biggest challenges to making a city car-free? Is it a lack of public transport, or just human habit?
  • Should governments introduce congestion charges (paying to drive in the centre) to reduce traffic and pollution?
  • How would the vibe and social life of your neighbourhood change if there were no cars parked on the streets?
  • If you could live in any city in the world specifically because of its transport system, which one would you choose?

Activity 1: The city for people Redesign

The Task: You are the Lead Urban Planner for a new city. You want to ban all private cars from the centre.

How will you convince the business owners that this will actually help their shops?

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Sentences

Complete the sentence and justify it in 20 seconds.

  • "The best way to travel around a city is..."
  • "I think driving a car in a city is..."
  • "In my opinion, the future of urban transport will be..."