We could microdose Cuba Dupa every day, if we wanted

This past Sunday I was at Newtown Fest; an annual event where the centre of Newtown becomes a combination marketplace and music festival. A light drizzle and a few intense gusts of wind weren't enough to kill the vibe, and I had a wonderful time. I caught a friend's poetry set, got a bite to eat, picked up some cool knick-knacks and gifts, and got to chat with a lot of lovely friends and strangers; all with background music.

Saturday before last, I enjoyed Parking Day: where part of Cuba Street is closed to cars, and opened to creativity. Car parks become museums, libraries, experimental art pieces, bicycles that you can pedal to make a giant puppet dance. This was my first time attending, and it was amazing to see how people used these spaces; and I loved saying hello to friends.

And of course, later this month the end of summer will officially be heralded in by Cuba Dupa: a two-day party and market that runs the length of Cuba St. I look forward to this every year. I get to dress up, see my friends, see some bands, and feel like I'm part of something bigger than myself.

Within the space of about a month, Wellington gives us its very best. If someone asked me when they should visit Wellington, I wouldn't hesitate to tell them to come at this time of year.

But why should Wellington's best be so easy for a visitor to miss? What if we could have a little bit of Cuba Dupa every day?

All of these wonderful events have one thing in common: they close part or all of a street to cars to make space for people.

The crown jewels of Wellington Central are Cuba Mall and the waterfront–both car-free spaces. Cuba Mall is a great place to hang out and people-watch, and the waterfront is great for a walk or ride and a coffee.

Forget climate change for a second and think about the local impacts of motor vehicles–they're noisy, smelly, dangerous, and they're giant money pits for the people who own them. They take up a ton of space, and they reduce visibility for everybody around.

I met my now-flatmates at a café on upper Cuba St, a part of town I regularly spend time in. I asked the person at the counter how long the café had been there, and it turns out it had been there for years–I just had never noticed it. Upper Cuba's narrow footpaths push you along too quickly to look at anything on your side of the street, and the walls of giant SUVs parked on each side blocks your view of anything on the other side of the street.

Wellington is a wonderful city, but it's easy to miss that if your entire experience of it is looking at it through a car window. When Wellingtonians get to experience our city without being put second to cars, we take that opportunity in droves.

Sure, we can't have music festivals every day; and outdoor marketplaces might not be appropriate year-round. But carving out space in the city for people to vibe, to hang out, to stretch their legs without risk of getting run down–that's something worthwhile. There will be logistical issues to solve; but if we can't figure those out, what does it mean to be the Creative Capital? Being the Capital of Creative excuses?

Newtown is congested at pretty much all hours; buses travelling through the core come to a crawl until they finally make it to a bus lane, and emergency vehicles are constantly held up. Removing private non-mobility vehicles would free space up for buses, bikes, service vehicles, and emergency services; would give pedestrians the freedom to cross as they please; and would cut out all the extra noise, air pollution, and danger.

Cuba Mall is the centre of Cool in Wellington. The shop rents there are obscene and businesses still pay them because Cuba Mall is the Place To Be. It's a great place to hang out (the peak measure of success for any good street), which as a bonus brings lots of slow-moving foot traffic by business doors. We could mall-ify the rest of Cuba St–we've clearly already figured out the logistics.

Have you ever decluttered and realised just how much the mess had boxed you in? And when you come home to that more open, brighter space, you feel like you can finally breathe?

Wellington is our home, and it's cluttered–with abandoned buildings, with out-of-date ideas, and especially with cars.

Let's declutter and make room for what gives Wellington its magic: its people.