Like many cities in the world, Pontevedra was, before 1999, crowded by cars, noise, pollution, inconvenience and danger were ever present. As a consequence, the weakest (elderly, children,..) had been expelled from squares and streets because they were at risk when they used public space. Such a situation was in need of a swift action on our part. We wanted a healthy and safe city in which people could be more autonomous and get together because social cohesion is essential for the proper functioning of a community.

To achieve this aims we have adopted a mobility-focused approach. This was the key of our urban transformation process. Starting from a global perspective, where people were at the centre of our policies, we reversed the traditio- nal scale of priorities regarding to the use of public space.

We will speak about what our objectives were, the mea- sures undertaken in order to achieve them, likewise, we will show the results we have got by applying these policies.

It is possible for disorganized cities, unsuitable for habi- tation, to become safe, kind, healthy, comfortable and pleasant cities.

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