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Paris' usually jam-packed roads went car-free for a day on September 27. Courtesy
Madrid's vehicle-free zone now extends to over one square mile to reduce the pollution that sometimes covers the city with a murky brown film. A plan to close off 24 of the city's busiest streets is likely to be approved early next year. Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP
Hong Kong is mulling over plans to make one section of its bustling downtown a bit more eco-friendly. A range of civic groups have proposed to make Des Veoux Road in Central, a major city artery, pedestrian-only. Clean Air Network
Trams will be the only kind of vehicles allowed in the zone, if the concept was approved. Members of the public will be asked to vote for their favorite plan next month. Clean Air Network
China may perform miserably overall when it comes to air pollution but by 2020, this is what Great City, a town outside of Chengdu, China is projected to look like. It's been designed so that the distance between any two points in the city should be walkable within about 15 minutes, eliminating the need for cars. Gordon Gill Architecture
Scheduled for completion in 2020, it will accommodate up to 80,000 people, planners Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Designs said, and residents can make use of a system of electric shuttles. Gordon Gill Architecture
Abu Dhabi in the UAE is building what they say will be the world's first zero-carbon city. Not only will it be free of cars and skyscrapers, it will be solar-powered. Foster and Partners
Emiratis will have to give up their gas-guzzling SUVs in this town. The city plans to use driverless electric pod cars to transport people. Courtesy
