In 1797, when Lemuel J. Alston laid out the village of Pleasantburg (now Greenville), Court Square was designed as a destination, not an intersection to rush through. For over a century, it was Greenville's open-air living room—home to markets, hotels, and civic debate.

It’s time to reimagine Stone Avenue, a dangerous SCDOT road that—along with Academy Street—separates downtown Greenville from the North Main neighborhood. Just imagine if Stone had wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and only two lanes of car traffic with a center median.

#StreetsAreForPeople

Washington Street: Bike Lane or Parking Lot?
That single line of paint clearly isn’t enough on Washington Street. This photo, taken on a Sunday morning (second image), shows cars blocking both sides of the street, leaving cyclists with nowhere safe to ride. 1/3

🚶🚲🚍 September 29 – October 5 is #WeekWithoutDriving, a national challenge that asks people to spend one week getting around without driving themselves anywhere.

Imagine Woodruff Road transformed! This is what a #BusRapidTransit system could look like, replacing a car-dominated "stroad" with a vibrant, human-centered corridor. Out with five lanes of traffic, and in with dedicated lanes for efficient public transit, wide sidewalks, and a two-way cycletrack.

Just a reminder: Main Street is closed to cars and open to people today as we are into the last few weeks of the Meet me on Main open streets pilot! If you’ve enjoyed strolling, biking, dining, or just soaking in Main Street without cars, imagine how great it could be every day.

Don't forget that the "Meet me on Main" open streets pilot program is happening today, and every Saturday through July 5th. Hope to see you downtown!

Imagine Main Street redesigned for everyone. Beyond the vibrant street life, the true beauty of a #carfree Main Street lies in its radical inclusivity. Every time we propose reimagining downtown for people, we hear concerns that it will "hurt" those with mobility issues. But let's look at the facts.

Sharing this from my Insta stories. The city is listening, but we have to let them know that we support a #carfree Main Street.

I just started experimenting with Google's new Flow and Veo 2 tools to (you guessed it) generate more #carfree Main Street content. Flow's only doing horizontal video for now and I can't use my own images as keyframes yet – but it looks like a very promising tool for visualization!

Playing with #SoraAI for the first time, and the first vision that popped into my head? A #carfree Main Street, of course! 🚶‍♀️🚴‍♂️🚎🌳

While I enjoy using AI tools to reimagine different parts of town, I truly believe that making Main Street car-free is a necessity for Greenville's future.

Reimagining the Church Street Bridge in Greenville, SC - inspired by the High Line in Manhattan? Should we start taking bold steps to reduce car dependency and prioritize people over cars in our downtown?

www.instagram.com/p/DHqG-WLuh7D/

Let's Reimagine Greenville's Main Street: No angled street parking. Wider sidewalks. Fully pedestrianized.

The only motorized traffic would be the existing downtown trolleys, serving to move people through the city just like the electric trolleys did a century ago.

“Some people drive a lot and feel fine with it but others feel a real burden. The study doesn’t call for people to completely stop using cars but the solution could be in finding a balance. For many driving isn’t a choice, so diversifying choices is important.”

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...

I talk a lot about pedestrianizing Main St, but what other streets should be transformed into #carfree zones? One that often comes to mind is Brown Street. With its welcoming metal arches, this street has the potential to be a vibrant space where people can walk, dine, and play—away from cars.

Did you know Court Square was once the heart of Greenville? A Greenville Journal article on its history (link: greenvillejournal.com/history/glim...) explains that this spot was laid out in 1797 by Lemuel Alston as the historic center of the village.

The final #BikeWalkGreenville / #GreenvilleSpinners Community Social Ride of 2024 was a lot of fun. Looking forward to more of these monthly social rides around downtown in 2025.

I have an Instagram account, #CarfreeGVL, where I modify local roads and spaces with Photoshop and AI tools to make them vibrant spaces for people instead of soulless places for cars. I claimed the name here too, @carfreegvl.bsky.social, but most likely I will just share everything on this account.