Montevideo, walkable city: Pedestrianization of a large avenue during 2020 pandemic

ABSTRACT

On March 13, 2020, the first cases of SARS-COVID19 were detected in Uruguay. During the first weeks of the pandemic, mobility was significantly reduced under the motto "Stay home, if you can”;it was not a mandatory but encouraged confinement. After a couple of months, there was a big drop in the number of people affected by the disease. Thus, the Municipality of Montevideo defined that a small stretch of the main avenue of the city should be converted into a pedestrian walkway on Saturday afternoons, betting on a more human and 'walkable city'. It resulted in a greater enjoyment of the city by its inhabitants, as they had more space to walk while maintaining safe distancing between pedestrians. It was also possible to promote shopping, since Ave. 18 de Julio is normally a commercial walkway. Additionally, the sound pressure levels recorded by the Municipality's stationary sound level meters located at three points along the avenue, showed a reduction of environmental sound levels in pedestrian areas, improving the acoustic quality of the walkway. Sound pressure levels on Saturday afternoons at different times of the year 2020, are compared and discussed in this paper. They have been registered during and after the initial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. © INTER-NOISE 2021 .All right reserved.