A () is a living street, as originally implemented in the Netherlands and in Flanders (Belgium). Techniques include shared space, traffic calming, and low speed limits. The term has been adopted directly by some English-language publications. In the United Kingdom, these areas are called home zones. Etymology The word, of Dutch origin, literally translates as or . History Since the invention of automobiles, cities have been predominantly constructed to accommodate the use of automobiles. The entire locality of Emmen in the Netherlands was designed as a in the 1970s. In 1999 the Netherlands had over 6000 and today around 2 million Dutch people are living in woonerven. The benefits of the are promoted by , a network of professionals and residents. In 2006 it was reported that people in Hesselterbrink, a neighborhood of Emmen, were disillusioned about how the principle had become another traffic engineering measure that "entailed precious little more than signs and uniform standards". They have now encompassed the shared space principles as a way of rethinking the . They are reported to "now know that car drivers should become residents. Eye contact and human interaction are more effective means to achieve and maintain attractive and safe areas than signs and rules". Regulation Belgium Belgian traffic regulation (art. 2.32) defines the and the generic erf, and their traffic sign. The has a residential focus; the erf can have other primary uses like “crafts, trade, tourism, education and recreation”. In art. 22bis, the Belgian traffic regulation describes what is and what isn’t allowed in a (woon)erf: Netherlands Under Article 44 of the Dutch traffic code, motorised traffic in a or "recreation area" is restricted to walking pace. Notes Further reading (about a Batavia, Illinois, ) External links Case Studies: Woonerf at California Active Transportation Safety Information Pages (UC Berkeley) What in the World is a Woonerf? (Canin Associates) Living streets Types of streets Types of roads Cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands Transportation planning Pedestrian streets in the Netherlands Traffic calming