As many countries across the world went into sudden lockdown in response to Covid-19, the sudden drop in noise and air pollution from traffic has made everyone more aware of the disastrous impacts cars can have on our health. As a response, we are witnessing a surge in walking and cycling and cities are already adapting their streetscapes to meet the needs of their citizens. This Knowledge Brief gives an insight into how certain cities are using this time to experiment with tactical actions with the intentions to implement longer-term measures.
The slow streets and healthy streets movements as well as pop-up mobility initiatives have gained importance during the pandemic, and are easy tools for cities to experiment, monitor and adapt sustainable multimodal systems in building healthier, resilient and more inclusive cities.