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It's likely the other way around: most Soviet block cities have not only historic centers equally centered around walking/biking but Soviet city design focused strongly on public transport and walkable neighborhoods because cars were unaffordable to most people.

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My experience in ex-Soviet bloc countries is the opposite. Unmaintained sidewalks, parked cars blocking safe walking access, unsafe driving behavior/routing near pedestrians.

I often think of a time in Sofia, Bulgaria where I saw an elderly woman trying to get around a car parked on the sidewalk, up against a wall, by walking on the car bumper with her groceries. It was terrifying and precarious.

yeah, my experience is mostly limited to Poland and Czechia. But I would say that issues around the maintenance of public infrastructure apply to more than just sidewalks. And the attitude of drivers towards pedestrians/cyclists isn't great in most European countries (outside of the Netherlands)

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