A highway disappeared abruptly from the city center, and certain streets are not looked upon favorably when it comes to cars. Currently, in Utrecht, the first neighborhood entirely designed without cars is being built.

A team from Inspectorul PRO visited the site and showcases innovative projects.

Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, located 44 km away from Amsterdam. It has won 11 European awards for Urban Public Space after authorities redesigned and entirely reconstructed the metropolis. The result is spectacular. It has become the most bike-friendly place. It has the largest and well-connected train station in the Netherlands and an enviable public transportation system.

Here, we met Ruxandra, a Romanian architect, who assists the Dutch in urban planning.

Reporter: What are you doing in the Netherlands?

Ruxandra Aelenei, assistant professor in urban mobility: "What am I doing in the Netherlands? I am currently an assistant professor in urban mobility at the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam".

In other words, she is one of the university professors teaching Dutch children how to plan the urban layouts of future cities.

She has been away from Romania for 10 years and worked for a period at the Utrecht City Hall. She was part of the teams that completely transformed the city.

She guided us and showed concrete examples. In the center, authorities dismantled an urban highway. Now, it's a recreational area.

We arrived in an area where, until three years ago, there was a highway with no less than nine lanes. Now, everything has transformed, a river flows here, there's a park, benches and people walking and enjoying the area.

Ruxandra Aelenei, assistant professor in urban mobility: "Instead of nine lanes, there are currently two lanes, and the remaining space has been distributed among pedestrians, cyclists and green space".

For 25 years, the urban highway filled the center with noise and pollution. Authorities wanted to give nature its place back and rebuild the area as it once was: with the medieval canal, part of the city's defense structure. The transformation took 20 years. It was done in sections without blocking traffic, so the metropolis could function. And the effort paid off.

Ruxandra Aelenei: "It proved to be a mistake in urban planning".

Reporter: How did it not congest? To reduce from nine lanes to two lanes...

Ruxandra Aelenei: "The more lanes you add for cars, the more car traffic you attract, and then it's a kind of vicious circle that never ends".

So, local authorities took a step back, and Utrecht is now renowned worldwide for constantly reducing the roads permitted for cars. But also for the alternatives created: public transportation and bicycle lanes. People gained recreational spaces and green areas.

Ronald Tamse, urban planner and traffic engineer: "If you come back in 5 years, there will be only one lane of traffic in each direction. Look at all these cars... For me, this is congested traffic!".

Our conversation lasted only a few minutes, during which the road cleared.

Ronald Tamse: "Imagine how we deal with the old and new infrastructure; we have over 100 people working only in the urban mobility department".

Reporter: Wow. 100 people thinking about the future of a city.

The transformations are truly spectacular. On some streets, there are even road signs stating that vehicles are guests.

And in another place, there is a special bridge for cyclists and pedestrians that also serves as a roof for a school. The construction crosses the Amsterdam-Rhine canal.

With such innovations, Utrecht now has an impressive network of cycling lanes. This is what the busiest one looks like. The lane connects to the underground parking, specifically designed for two-wheeled vehicles.

Reporter: This is the entrance to the world's largest bicycle parking under Central Station. Incredible.

Ruxandra Aelenei: "Yes! It's a three-level parking. 12,500 bicycle parking spaces. Imagine what it would be like if there were 12,500 cars instead of bicycles. It's impossible".

Architects decided to build the parking under Central Station after studies showed that 60% of people using trains in Utrecht come by bike. Daily, 250,000 commuters pass through here. That justified the idea of such a large project.

Ruxandra Aelenei: "If you park your bike, you can go directly to the trains. There's a tunnel that connects the bicycle parking directly to the train. So, you don't have to go outside. It's never full. It's oversized from the start because you can't expand something like this after three years".

The most recent design plan by authorities is the construction of a neighborhood with 10,000 homes, entirely designed without cars inside. There will be only one parking space for every three apartments. But that doesn't mean people won't have cars; they will leave them on the outskirts of the residential area.

It will take a while before we start thinking the same way. But local administrations can draw inspiration from the Dutch model. And maybe, someday, we will also have more friendly cities with many areas for walks and relaxation, to the detriment of congested traffic.