Imagine city streets without cars. Once a week, at least.

Car-free initiatives are gaining momentum across the cities of Southeast Asia. Driven by a shared commitment to improving public health, reducing pollution and fostering a stronger sense of community.

These efforts are not meant to wage war against cars. After all, they helped fast-track our lives in ways never before seen since the first automobile roamed the streets in the late 19th century.

Yet more and more places are embracing car-less days in a hope to promote health and wellness. Exactly like how were reset by the pandemic.

In Manila, the “Move Manila Car-Free Sundays By the Bay” Ordinance has transformed a 2.3-kilometer stretch of Roxas Boulevard into a car-free zone every Sunday from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

This initiative features dedicated lanes for cyclists and joggers, reducing air pollution and encouraging outdoor activities. Plans to extend this to other scenic areas, such as the Pasig River Esplanade, are underway to further boost local tourism.

Manila’s historic district, Intramuros, has also made strides with a fully pedestrianized General Luna Street, which runs past key landmarks like Fort Santiago and the Manila Cathedral.

The introduction of a 9.35-kilometer bike lane and walkway network is part of a broader vision to possibly make the entire area car-free in the future, enhancing the visitor experience and preserving the district’s historical charm.

Cities outside Manila like Makati and Mandaluyong City are also embracing these initiatives.

In Ayala Avenue traffic is closed every Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. while Greenfield District in Mandaluyong City and Filinvest City in Muntinlupa have introduced their own car-free zones every Sunday, offering spaces for recreation and exercise.

This regional trend is mirrored in other ASEAN countries. In September 2017, during a meeting in Brunei, Darussalam, ASEAN health leaders highlighted the significance of encouraging healthy living and addressing the growing risks of non-communicable diseases.

This discussion resulted in the proposal of the ASEAN Car-Free Day (CFD), a regional effort aimed at uniting communities and different sectors to collaborate on public health concerns, such as pollution reduction and the promotion of physical exercise.

Brunei, Darussalam and Malaysia have been at the forefront of this movement.

These countries led the launch of the official ASEAN CFD in August 2018, where they held simultaneous car-free activities to kick off the regional initiative. Singapore soon followed with its own event in July 2018, and other ASEAN member states have incorporated car-free days into their urban planning efforts.

Jakarta, Indonesia however is considered the pioneer city of Car-Free Day in Southeast Asia and has been hosting the event every Sunday since 2002.

Jakarta first introduced Car Free Day and it has been deemed successful in encouraging the public to get involved in physical activities.

The program has expanded to include various routes across the city, encouraging healthier lifestyles and reducing traffic congestion. Initially, the idea of car-free day in Jakarta was focused on reducing pollution awareness in the city, but overtime it evolved into so much more.

Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have implemented similar schemes, with car-free mornings in key areas of their cities, further supporting the region’s shift toward sustainable urban living.

The concept of Car-Free Day however is not entirely new. Cities like Reykjavik, Iceland, La Rochelle, France and Bath, UK were among the first to participate in the World Car-Free Day.

This movement gradually spread across the globe and was eventually adopted by various countries, including members of the ASEAN.

These efforts laid the groundwork for the car-free initiatives we see today in cities like Manila, Jakarta and Singapore, as part of a broader push toward healthier and more sustainable urban living.