My thesis examines car-free zones and traffic calming that have been used in European cities, the similarly motivated placemaking strategies (the creation of public urban spaces), and the global causes and precedents of these trends. What sort of conflicts and problems reside in these projects for the parties involved, and what benefits do they provide? Can the need for them be justified? As a starting point I introduce the concept of the compact city and present urban liveability factors and how they relate to mobility. The link between urban life and different modes of transport becomes even more apparent through practical examples in the remainder of the thesis. The case studies feature strategic and tactical interventions as well, the aim of which is to illustrate the effect of temporary, short-term operations on long-term goals. I analyse the examples identified in the research and compare them with similar initiatives in large Hungarian cities.