It is hard to imagine what a street can look like when the cars are gone. We are so used to asphalt, parked cars and noise that they feel like laws of nature. But they are not. Drag the slider below and see the difference with your own eyes.

Åsögatan on Södermalm today: roadway and curbside parking take up most of the street's width. The same view of Åsögatan without cars: the street is turned into a walking route with trees, benches and outdoor seating. Today Car-free
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Åsögatan

Tegelbacken today: a wide traffic apparatus with several lanes between Gamla stan and Norrmalm. The same view of Tegelbacken without car traffic: the area is turned into a square and walking routes toward the water. Today Car-free
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Tegelbacken

Hornsgatan today: through traffic in both directions along one of Stockholm's most air-polluted streets. The same view of Hornsgatan without cars: the roadway is replaced by tree planting, a bike lane and wide walking areas. Today Car-free
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Hornsgatan

Jungfrugatan on Östermalm today: parked cars along both curbs. The same view of Jungfrugatan without parked cars: the street has been given planting, bike parking and seating. Today Car-free
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Jungfrugatan

What fits instead?

A curbside parking space claims about 15 square meters of the street. The car itself is only around 8 square meters. The rest is the space needed to open the door and reverse in. We have written more about how a parking space is measured.

That area fits about ten bicycles. Or an outdoor café with ten guests. A block of curbside parking, easily forty spaces, becomes around 600 square meters, and that is enough for a park where hundreds of people can breathe, play and meet.

At its core, this is about how we want to use our shared spaces. Should our streets mainly be through routes and storage for private vehicles, or living urban rooms?