Global transportation electrification is rapidly moving from the policy-guided stage to the stage of large-scale expansion1. Electric vehicles are no longer a niche technology, and they are gradually becoming an important infrastructure for reshaping urban transportation and public spaces. However, in the era of automobile dependence, the redistribution of public space has generated some tensions that warrants serious attention4,5,6. Henderson (2009) and Thorpe (2020) already highlight the current problem of excessive allocation of public space to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles9,10. Only by placing decarbonisation goals and the principles of spatial justice on an equal footing can cities avoid reproducing new inequalities during the transition and transform scarce public space into genuine public benefit.

Source: The Guardian March 16, 2026 12:57 UTC