Around the world , urban center are transforming busy streets into public spaces , if only for a few blissful hours . These open streets fete create good , tidy diversion areas for residents and help cities carve out space for biking , walk , skating , rolling , saunter , stretch , and even dancing .
Today ’s open street festival are animate by ciclovías , which began in the 1970s when Bogotá , Colombia start out toclose some of its street to carseach Sunday . The musical theme disperse throughout South America and catch on globally a few decade later ; now cities everywhere have created their own solemnisation of non - motorized transit . Although these intervention are usually temporary , undefended streets often lead to real - world modification : These small - shell activations often serve resident to envision a metropolis designed to promote walk and biking twelvemonth - round .
I ’ve collected nine unresolved street festival from around the man and listed the next particular date they ’re hap ( some happen weekly , and , if so , I ’ve observe that ) . Please share any events I might have missed . Even better , if you ’re interested in launch a motorcar - costless fete in your city , head over toOpen Streets Projectfor tips on how to get started !

CicLAvia, Los Angeles
photograph by Gary Leonard for CicLAvia
The orotund open streets festival in the U.S. happens three times a yr in Los Angeles , where over 100,000 people take to railcar - free street in unlike neighborhoods . The April 6 event will travel six stat mi along Wilshire Boulevard , and , subsequently in 2014 , the road will go to South L.A.
Muévete en Bici, Mexico City
Photo via Muévete en Bici
Every Sunday , Mexico City shut down 14 miles of street , admit the additional - encompassing Paseo de la Reforma for rockers and walkers . Over 80,000 participants can be catch on any impart Sunday , many of them riding wheel from EcoBici , the city ’s motorcycle - share-out curriculum .
Atlanta Streets Alive, Atlanta
Photo byTim
Atlanta opens several miles of streets throughout the twelvemonth for Atlanta Streets Alive . On April 20 the fete will fill up a 2.7 - mile loop in the West End , and in May the metropolis ’s Peachtree Street will be close from Downtown to Midtown .
Summer Streets, New York City
Photo byNYCDOT
Each summer , a long corridor throughout Manhattan that extend along Park Avenue is close to cable car for “ part bicycle tour , part walking hitch , part block party . ” The dates for 2014 have not been announced yet , but Summer Streets usually takes place on three Sundays in August .
Yom Kippur, Tel Aviv
exposure by Moti Milrod / AP
While not an prescribed motorcar - free festival , Israelis observe Yom Kippur ( which is Friday October 3 to Saturday October 4 this class ) by not driving motor vehicle , and Tel Aviv is effectively transform into a deserted urban center . The quiet metropolis lures bikers and walkers out into the empty streets — and even the state highway .
Paris-Plages, Paris
Photo by Mairie de Paris / Anne Thomes
For about a calendar month every summer in Paris , the street along the Seine are not only banned to cars , they are also transmute into “ plages ” or beaches , which include sand , umbrellas , beach president , and actual temporary pool . The plages are installed for July and August .
Car Free Day, Jakarta
Photo byGunawan Kartapranata
Jakarta ’s infamous dealings is curbed by hebdomadal automobile - liberal days start at 6:00 a.m. in two of the urban center ’s fussy centers : Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin . To assist reduce emissions , in 2012 the once - monthly motorcar - free twenty-four hour period became weekly , now encounter every Sunday .
Sunday Streets, San Francisco
photograph via Sunday Streets
San Francisco ’s Sunday Streets heads to a dissimilar neighborhood each month from March to October . Next up is a grommet in the Tenderloin on April 13 , and a summertime itinerary will come together the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean from the San Francisco Zoo to Golden Gate Park .
Ciclovía, Bogotá
Photo bynatigarcia
The original open street effect is still going unattackable more than 30 years after it begin . Bogotá now close up up to 80 naut mi of cars every hebdomad and it ’s estimated that 30 percent of the city ’s population participates .
require to share a innocent , approachable - to - the - public open streets event in your metropolis ? Be sure to include a link for more information , and a photo if you ’ve have one !

Top photo byNYCDOT
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