City Center, Pedestrianization, and Lifestyles

In 2015, a vast project to pedestrianize Brussels’ main downtown streets was launched, radically changing the face of a city center that had been designed for the automobile. This study assesses the impact of this pedestrianization on people’s lifestyles. It focuses both on how different activities, seen as signs of different lifestyles, are carried out in the built and social environment of the pedestrian zone, and how these activities fit into each individual’s life. The purpose of this study was to understand what lessons can be learned from a project of drastic car reduction in the heart of a major city, and to assess the extent to which such a project can help the transition towards more desired and sustainable lifestyles.