Until living in city centers becomes more affordable, restricting vehicle use only creates problems.
Sure restricting vehicles is nice for people who live in the city, but people who can't afford to live in the city depend on personal vehicles to get around.
Public transportation doesn't solve it either, it creates a distinct inequality in mobility. Where those in the city can access things whenever they please by walking or bike, those who would depend on public transportation are at the mercy of the transportation system.
What the vehicle does is provides those outside the city equal freedom and flexibility as those inside who can walk or ride a bike to their destination.
I also live in Charleston and go to Savannah a couple weekends a year because it really is a cool place. But when it comes to living in a place I would far prefer to live in Charleston. The actual grid plan of Savannah's historic district is superior to Charleston's street plan and I don't think Savannah ever had a building height limit so the taller buildings make Savannah feel more 'urban', but when it comes to jobs and all around momentum Savannah has very little; If there was more going on there it'd probably be the better place between the two. I get why the thought of a tourism would turn people off from living in a place, but in reality, nowadays the same thing that attracts people to visit cities are the same things that attract people to live in a certain city, just look at how Airbnb more less turned every city into a tourist destination.
Sure restricting vehicles is nice for people who live in the city, but people who can't afford to live in the city depend on personal vehicles to get around.
Public transportation doesn't solve it either, it creates a distinct inequality in mobility. Where those in the city can access things whenever they please by walking or bike, those who would depend on public transportation are at the mercy of the transportation system.
What the vehicle does is provides those outside the city equal freedom and flexibility as those inside who can walk or ride a bike to their destination.