Sharing Nieuwestraat: a time for people, a time for cars

In recent decades, Nieuwestraat has transformed from a neglected place plagued with vacancy to one of the liveliest streets in the city center. It is a narrow, colorful street that has become popular for its restaurants, terraces, visitors, and events, used by both locals and tourists. This growth, however, is increasingly causing friction between visitors sitting outside or walking through the area on busy nights and cars driving by within an uncomfortably close distance to the visitors. 

The new proposal is simple: temporarily close Nieuwestraat for motorized traffic in the evenings, from Thursday until Sunday. With the exception, of course, of residents and essential services who should remain with access. This intervention has the potential to turn the street into a place where people can walk safely, sit outside, and meet each other. No exhaust fumes next to your table. No bright lights blinding your view. No engine noise cutting through a conversation. No car squeezing past a child, a waiter, a pedestrian, or a terrace chair. And no ‘hasi ko’i kaweta’ (being nosy / looking for gossip).

The current situation: people sitting outside while cars pass by at close distance. (source photo: unknown) 

When there is more space for people to walk comfortably, they also tend to look around more. They are more likely to stop somewhere for a drink, an ice cream, or a snack. A pleasant pedestrian-friendly street is therefore not only good for safety and enjoyment of residents and visitors, but also for the local economy.

At the same time, many people describe cruising by car through places like Pietermaai as part of the local culture. This also deserves to be taken seriously. For this intervention to work, we would have to adapt in order to make space for other benefits. We see streets, especially in the city center, as more than infrastructure for cars; they are also places where habits, memories, and social life develop.

The Nieuwestraat during the day when there are fewer visitors.

Places and habits are not frozen in time, and rather change as neighborhoods change. Pietermaai today has more terraces, more pedestrians, more visitors, and more people spending time outdoors. A tradition that may once have worked differently should not automatically outweigh the safety and comfort of everyone now using the street.

And perhaps a new tradition can grow from it: walking through Pietermaai, meeting people, stopping for a drink, enjoying music and food, and experiencing the neighborhood on foot. 

Other cities show that temporary street closures can work. Bogotá and Medellín regularly give streets back to walkers, cyclists, families, and public life. In Rotterdam, streets such as Witte de Withstraat have also been temporarily closed during busy evenings to create more space and improve safety.  In many places around the world, streets are becoming more than just routes from A to B. It can also be a place to stay, connect, and enjoy the city.

This intervention is not about removing cars from Pietermaai altogether. It is about sharing public space more effectively during the busiest times. Krea Urbanista has written before about the value of temporary interventions. They allow a city to test an idea, learn from how people use the space, and adjust before making long-term decisions. This concept fits that approach: try closing the streets for cars during the busiest days and hours, measure the effects, and improve it where needed. 

We are curious to see if this will work. What do you think?

Example of the street life when the Nieuwestraat in Pietermaai is closed off for cars during events. (source photo: unknown)