Cars are bad for urban environments, independent of their impact on CO2/energy production--they result in traffic, too-wide streets, pedestrian danger, and generally less pleasant cities.
But in what way do they make for less pleasant cities? Wouldn't moving to electric vehicles all but get rid of noise pollution from cars?
Running next to >30mph street is a mentally taxing experience. Running on a road or trail without traffic is amazing and one realizes a mental burden is removed by eliminating the noise and extra attention required for safety.
1. The quiet—you can call to somebody on the other side of the street and they will hear you!
2. Visibility—walking down a street with no street parking is a completely different experience, you can see all of the storefronts, all of the pedestrians, etc.
3. Mobility—you feel total freedom as a pedestrian; cross the street wherever you want, no need to worry that you'll get plowed over by a car.
I actually like the idea of superblocks like they have in Barcelona. They were wonderful.
They seem like a highly pragmatic solution where you can have a mix of pedestrian friendly zones and still allow for vehicles (and in some cities, in the pedestrian friendly zones, only EV delivery vehicles are allowed).
This kind of stuff to me seems more pragmatic than the general sentiment that cars are bad.
A common approach, for example, is to allow deliveries up to a certain time, e.g. 11AM.