The effect of pedestrianisation on old village cores : Gudja case study

Abstract

Whenever I go abroad, the place that attracts me most in a city or town is the pedestrian area. This normally is teeming with life from morning till night. Such areas are the very heart and soul of the city and reflect its character. Most European town centres are pedestrianised particularly in Germany where over 500 towns have pedestrian precincts. In Malta, the only two cases where pedestrianisation has been adopted are Valletta and Mdina. In each case, the decision to pedestianise was taken in the most unscientific way. I feel that the number of pedestrian precincts so far too little. Studies should be carried out to consider the feasibility of pedestrianisation of Sliema, Hamrun, B'Kara, Paceville and Bugibba amongst others.