Speaking of Morocco…

The Car-Free Cities site has an interesting study of the medina (pronounced medeena, and not to be confused with the wealthy suburb just east of us) in Fes.

Fes medina entranceMarket in Fes medina

Most Moroccan cities have medinas (old sections that predate European influence). I lived in one in Rabat (in the Oudaïa Kasbah) for most of the time I was in Morocco. Medinas are car-free because the streets are far too narrow to accommodate vehicles. They’re not necessarily models that can be applied to modern cities, but they are interesting, dynamic, bustling, and walkable in ways that no car-dominated neighborhood could be.

From the Fes study:

While the circumstances in Fes-al-Bali are not ideal…they have posed no significant barriers to the continuance of city life almost entirely free of cars and trucks. Despite the commercial difficulties with freight delivery, the area remains the commercial heart of a much larger city and draws large numbers of shoppers and merchants from other areas of the city.

Of course, to get to and from the medina, there’s always the bus.