I've lived in three cities that tore down their elevated highways to reclaim waterfronts, and in each case the skeptics who predicted gridlock were wrong—traffic simply dispersed. But when my own block proposed a car-free plaza, I hesitated because delivery trucks and elderly residents genuinely rely on street parking. Is removing cars from urban cores a net win for community life, or does it quietly push the burden onto neighborhoods that have less voice? I keep going back and forth on this because the data on pedestrian zones is glowing, yet the lived experience of those who lose convenient access rarely shows up in the foot-traffic stats.