The big idea: should cars be banned from cities?

Streets have been optimised for one thing: traffic. A kind of 'urban rewilding' could return them to the complex social ecosystems they once wereThere has been justified excitement around the idea of rewilding over the past few years, with projects popping up all over the UK that aim to restore wildlife and encourage regenerative farming practices. It is now generally accepted that monoculture - largely brought on by the expansion of farmland - is bad for our countryside. But what about our cities?Like natural ecosystems, cities also used to be complex and diverse places that hosted a whole range of different activities. Our streets were public spaces, used for many purposes: work, trade, play, socialising and transportation. Continue reading...