Extending pedestrianization processes outside the old city center; conflict and benefits in the case of the city of Seville

Abstract

Pedestrianizing areas that are generally in the old part of town has been widely used in recent years in both developed and developing countries as a way to improve urban quality in cities traditionally designed for intensive vehicle use. This paper applies discrete demand models to examine the satisfaction of citizens or frequent visitors with these schemes in two streets that are not part of the urban center of the city of Seville (Spain) and the conclusions that are drawn can be easily extrapolated to other cities, irrespective of the country that they are in. These two pedestrianizations outside the traditional inner city are clearly positively valued by citizens, especially by people living in the vicinity of the pedestrianized streets and by the collectives that have more available free time or more flexible schedules. They have also been especially welcomed by citizens who are more aware of the need for environmental protection and calling for a more a more sustainable city. The results show that both pedestrianizations have resulted in significant changes in citizens' shopping and consumption habits in establishments located in the pedestrian zones, which have been turned into open air malls with improvements to their lively ambience. These findings are repeated in countries at different levels of development. These results are in stark contrast to the strong social rejection that existed during the period that the road works to pedestrianize the zones were being planned and executed. In fact, the results show the importance of the time variable, as the more time that has passed since the works were finalized, the better the variables that measure satisfaction with the pedestrianizations have become, and the less negative the perception of the negative externalities associated with the road works.