Pedestrianization is a thing in a lot of places outside the US and UK. But whenever it is proposed in the US or UK, the usual suspects turn pink with rage and claim that removing cars from the city centre will kill the high street (spoiler alert: it doesn't)
Pedestrianization streets has made some better and others worse. It depends. Generally it makes things better when there are already a lot of Pedestrians around, while it makes things worse when most people are driving there anyway. Most people proposing pedestrianization point only to the success and fail to ask if the situation is the same here. (Those opposed don't seem to be aware of the failures)
I am familiar with pedestrianized streets in several cities, they still have traffic on the surrounding street and at the street for freight and at specific times.
