Philadelphia had the roads in center city shut down this weekend for the pope's visit. As someone who has no car, it was glorious! I'd love to see it done on a regular basis, preferably without needing the national guard on every street corner.
The feeling of being able to walk around downtown, mingling with thousands of other people, and NEVER having to look over my shoulder make sure that I wasn't about to be crushed by 2 tons of speeding steel was indeed a glorious feeling.
The local businesses suffered, but I'm sure that if the streetscape changed, the "business-scape" would, too.