{"id":23468,"date":"2026-11-06T15:51:24","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T13:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T11:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T09:19:15","slug":"goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sixteen years after reducing the space allocated to cars to make room for trees, pedestrians, and businesses, <strong>the California city of Lancaster can take stock of its urban transformation<\/strong>. In 2010, this city in the Mojave Desert, north of Los Angeles, <strong>converted a five-lane street into a tree-lined boulevard<\/strong> featuring shops, restaurants, museums, and spaces for strolling. This decision helped revitalize the city center, attracting investment and giving residents a place to gather once again.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DVb6T42kmtu\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DVb6T42kmtu\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/blockquote><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The redevelopment covers nine blocks of West Lancaster Boulevard, now known as BLVD. As The <em>Guardian<\/em> reports, <strong>the area is home to about 250 public and private businesses<\/strong>, making it a hub for residents and merchants.<\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"h-una-strada-trasformata-in-un-investimento\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Road Turned into an Investment<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To revitalize the city center, the Lancaster administration has invested <strong>$11.5 million.<\/strong> The three central lanes of the old street have been replaced by <strong>tree-lined boulevards, modeled after the Spanish ramblas, which provide space for pedestrians and public life<\/strong>. The goal was to make the downtown area more accessible and vibrant, thereby encouraging the presence of businesses and services. The economic results were quick to follow.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to city government data, as reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnu.org\/\">the Congress for the New Urbanism<\/a>, in the four years following the completion of <strong>the project, it generated over $270 million in economic activity and attracted $130 million in investments<\/strong>. It also contributed to the creation of hundreds of jobs and the construction or renovation of numerous homes.<\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"h-la-biblioteca-che-ha-ritrovato-i-suoi-lettori\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Library That Has Regained Its Readers<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The change is also evident in everyday life. <strong>John Elford<\/strong>, director of the public library, recalls that during construction, many residents protested the reduction in space allocated for cars. After the opening, he told the British newspaper, the complaints stopped.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new street has brought people to the library who didn\u2019t visit it before. Visitors have started staying longer, reading, and using the spaces as a place to meet. Shop owners also describe a more vibrant neighborhood. <strong>Nicole Stevens<\/strong>, owner of a craft store, points out how the redevelopment has brought small businesses and families closer together. The ability to get around easily on foot has fostered new relationships among residents, customers, and shop owners.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lancasterblvd.org\">BLVD Association<\/a> was also founded in 2013; it is an organization that brings together property owners and businesses to collaborate with the city government in managing and promoting the area.<\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"h-una-lezione-anche-per-le-citta-italiane\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Lesson for Italian Cities as Well<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lancaster\u2019s experience offers interesting insights for Italian cities, where traffic and a scarcity of public spaces continue to affect the quality of urban life. Reducing the number of traffic lanes has allowed the American city to reclaim space for trees, pedestrians, and economic activities, without consuming new land.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sixteen years after its redevelopment, the boulevard still hosts markets, cultural events, and commercial activities. This outcome demonstrates how revitalizing existing streets can help revitalize urban centers while simultaneously improving accessibility and economic opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":23469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowscnaCw:productID":"","_app_feed_target":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1632],"tags":[2047,2149],"class_list":["post-23468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city","tag-city","tag-trees"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom &#8226; Ultima Bozza<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom &#8226; Ultima Bozza\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ultima Bozza\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultimabozza\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-06T13:51:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-11T09:19:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1496\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1123\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Silvia Natoli\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ultimabozza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ultimabozza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Silvia Natoli\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Silvia Natoli\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fbc6062677dce3fae3b5c44cb52cf687\"},\"headline\":\"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-06T13:51:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-11T09:19:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\"},\"wordCount\":502,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"city\",\"trees\"],\"articleSection\":[\"City\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\",\"name\":\"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom &#8226; Ultima Bozza\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-06T13:51:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-11T09:19:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg\",\"width\":1496,\"height\":1123},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Ultima Bozza\",\"description\":\"Il mondo che cambia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"UltimaBozza\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UltimaBozza\",\"alternateName\":\"Ultima Bozza\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/logo-ultimabozza.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/logo-ultimabozza.svg\",\"width\":384,\"height\":81,\"caption\":\"UltimaBozza\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultimabozza\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ultimabozza\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ultimabozza\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ultimabozza\/\"],\"description\":\"Testata Registrata in data 20\/4\/2023 presso il Tribunale di Milano Num. R.G. 4720\/2023. Num. Reg. Stampa 48.\",\"email\":\"segreteria@ultimabozza.it\",\"legalName\":\"Societ\u00e0 Editoriale Ambrosiana A R.L.\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fbc6062677dce3fae3b5c44cb52cf687\",\"name\":\"Silvia Natoli\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/author\/silvia-natoli\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom &#8226; Ultima Bozza","description":"Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom &#8226; Ultima Bozza","og_description":"Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens","og_url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/","og_site_name":"Ultima Bozza","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultimabozza\/","article_published_time":"2026-11-06T13:51:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-11-11T09:19:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1496,"height":1123,"url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Silvia Natoli","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ultimabozza","twitter_site":"@ultimabozza","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Silvia Natoli","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/"},"author":{"name":"Silvia Natoli","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fbc6062677dce3fae3b5c44cb52cf687"},"headline":"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom","datePublished":"2026-11-06T13:51:24+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-11T09:19:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/"},"wordCount":502,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg","keywords":["city","trees"],"articleSection":["City"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/","url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/","name":"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom &#8226; Ultima Bozza","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg","datePublished":"2026-11-06T13:51:24+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-11T09:19:15+00:00","description":"Sixteen years ago, Lancaster, California, transformed a five-lane road into a tree-lined boulevard. Today, the results show a more livable city, with new businesses, investments, and public spaces returned to the citizens","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg","width":1496,"height":1123},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/goodbye-to-cars-hello-to-trees-heres-how-one-city-made-its-downtown-bloom\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Goodbye to cars, hello to trees. Here\u2019s how one city made its downtown bloom"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/","name":"Ultima Bozza","description":"Il mondo che cambia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"UltimaBozza","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#organization","name":"UltimaBozza","alternateName":"Ultima Bozza","url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/logo-ultimabozza.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/logo-ultimabozza.svg","width":384,"height":81,"caption":"UltimaBozza"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultimabozza\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ultimabozza","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ultimabozza","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ultimabozza\/"],"description":"Testata Registrata in data 20\/4\/2023 presso il Tribunale di Milano Num. R.G. 4720\/2023. Num. Reg. Stampa 48.","email":"segreteria@ultimabozza.it","legalName":"Societ\u00e0 Editoriale Ambrosiana A R.L."},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fbc6062677dce3fae3b5c44cb52cf687","name":"Silvia Natoli","url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/author\/silvia-natoli\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/West-Lancaster-Boulevard-BLVD.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23468"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23471,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23468\/revisions\/23471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}