'People are proud of this green spirit of ours': how a small Spanish city rejected cars

Decades ago, when many other European cities were building more road capacity, Vitoria-Gasteiz took a very different path They call it the anillo verde, the green ring, a 30km (19 mile) series of parks and cycle lanes that encircle Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque region in northern Spain.Broad, tranquil avenues of tall trees link parks, squares and allotments, forming a circular oasis around a city centre that itself is largely car-free and where, aside from a passing tram, the dominant sound is conversation, birdsong and even the persistent chirping of cicadas. Continue reading...