Originally Posted by RubeRad

I lived for 2yr in Reading, UK, and it was pretty cool how the city center was closed off from cars. It made for a vibrant shopping district. I understand that's pretty common in the UK. I would love to see small-to-medium size U.S. cities take the practice up.

Actually, that makes me remember how Denver has the 16th(?) St area, which is pedestrians and free-buses (and bikes) only. A little different as it's just one street all in a line (like 8-12 blocks long), and cars still come across at every intersection, but still a nice compromise.