Urban mobility
To live better lives without cars
How Ljubljana transformed its city centre into a pedestrian area, and what it teaches about accessible urban mobility.
In 2007 a newly elected mayor presented a project to transform his city centre into a pedestrian area. Many citizens opposed it: they feared lower revenues for shops, longer travel times, being unable to get around.
The mayor did not give up. He organised public events, involved citizens in the transformation of the centre and met individually with those who opposed the project, taking their concerns seriously.
In this way residents got what they needed to live better lives without cars:
- bridges and new bike lanes;
- electric shuttles and bike sharing;
- a park-and-ride outside the city, connected to the centre by public transport.
Ten years later, 97% of residents opposed reopening the city centre to cars. Their quality of life had improved: cleaner air, less stressful commutes and economic benefits for local businesses.
The city is not Amsterdam: it is Ljubljana. And the mayor was re-elected.
Translated from a Bikeitalia post on LinkedIn, October 2025.