When do you no longer count (even exist) as a paid-up member of civil society? Is it when you move beyond city limits and check out from the buzz of the metropolis? Are you a non-citizen if your lifestyle demands that you require a car for your daily needs? Or is it when you hit your late seventies, your left knee goes and you’re suddenly less nimble? I’ve been considering this core question over the past few months as Zürich pushes ahead with more car-free pedestrian zones in districts that blend residential and commercial buildings, young families and lone pensioners, new cafés and old retail establishments. 

The idea of districts free from motorised four-wheel vehicles is hardly new but the notion that whole districts should see a ban on cars – particularly those that have emerged over the past century – requires a rethink. With the nearest parking a kilometre away, how do you get semi-mobile grandpa, who lives in the countryside, over to see the grandkids? And how are you supposed to get the ceramic-lamp bases to the shade-maker who relies on kerbside convenience? Zürich and many other cities are currently trying to railroad such concepts under the assumption that everyone is fit, 30 and working in the public sector rather than running a small business. Neighbourhoods need to be accessible to all, cars are quite useful and cargo bikes are not the answer for all forms of modern mobility.

In our July/August issue, dedicated to all topics related to quality of life (including our revised city rankings), Zürich still manages to win the overall prize for mobility (thanks to its right-sized airport, rail connections and overall investment in infrastructure). But it also runs the risk of becoming an urban oasis that’s restricted to two-wheelers and less accessible to those who might need to go very short distances on foot and then require four wheels for varied hops around town and further afield.

The city is currently being challenged on a few fronts by those who question the need for bike lanes that work well when the sun is bright and warm but are empty in chillier months. A city needs to be adaptable to the needs of citizens who are happy to pedal in the summertime but then require taxis or private vehicles when the winds are raging and the rain horizontal.

As you tuck into our summer double issue, we’re already at work on our September edition – one that is fully focused on mobility and making your way around the block, cross-country and all over the world.

To read more about the winning cities in our annual Quality of Life Survey, which appears in our bumper July/August issue, click here. Or better yet, subscribe so that you’re never out of the loop. 

This story originally appeared in The Monocle Minute

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