City Identity Through the Mirror of Cars: An Architectural Reading of Urban Planning and Culture Through the Streets

Landing at the airport of a new city, it only takes a few moments on its streets to sense that every place speaks its own visual language—one that announces itself through its vehicles. Some cities converse in the dialect of lavish German coupes, while others prefer the gentle whisper of reliable Japanese hatchbacks. In New York, the roar of the yellow taxi is embedded in the city’s global visual memory, standing as a hallmark of urban life. In the narrow, intricate streets of old Milan, tiny Fiat cars slip smoothly between heritage facades, blending into the city’s fabric as if they were always part of it.

But is all this simply a matter of economics? Or do architecture, urban planning, and cultural identity play a deeper role in shaping the cityscape of cars?

The relationship between cars and cities goes far beyond transport or show. In places like Copenhagen or Amsterdam, cars give way to bicycles, transforming certain streets into human-centric corridors—a reflection of urban ideals that treat the car as a secondary actor. In contrast, Los Angeles welcomes the car as a fundamental element: wide avenues, endless parking lots, and even the façades themselves are shaped to accommodate vehicles. Here, the car is not just transportation but an integral visual and functional component of the urban fabric. The city shapes its vehicles just as it shapes its windows and squares.

Resident preferences for particular types of cars are rarely a matter of personal taste alone—they’re shaped by climate, traditions, and opportunities for display. In coastal cities like Miami or Jeddah, sports and convertible cars dominate, prompted by the sunny weather, the seaside lifestyle, and the culture of showing off. In mountainous or desert cities, the prevalence of off-road vehicles or SUVs reflects both ecological realities and the kind of infrastructure and lifestyles those cities promote. Riyadh’s vast landscapes and car-centric urban blocks foster the popularity of large SUVs and trucks; Jeddah, with its open coastal character, lends itself to sporty coupes weaving through its avenues.

Cars are also a mirror of collective aesthetics. Classic European cities like Paris or Vienna are replete with petite, stylish cars complementing their historic buildings and dense, narrow streets. On the other hand, Los Angeles puts modernity and boldness on display, making way for Teslas and Mustangs—not just vehicles, but cultural icons representing an individualistic, free-flowing lifestyle.

Global data indicates that SUV sales will reach 48% of total car sales in 2023, confirming the segment’s dominance as a new global trend in modern mobility (IEA). Nationally, new vehicle sales in the US increased by more than 5% in May 2024 compared to the previous year, recording more than 1.4 million vehicles (Consumer Affairs). In California, major counties have seen high rates of electric vehicle adoption, such as 23–25% of new sales in the Sacramento and San Diego areas, while the Bay Area is among the US regions most interested in this transition. In India, luxury SUVs are expected to account for 56% of the total market in 2024, driven by improved middle-class financial literacy and expanding infrastructure. Similarly, in the Indian state of Odisha, 37,198 luxury vehicles were registered from January to June 2025, a significant increase over the previous year. Interest in electric vehicles has grown, with sales reaching 2,479 vehicles in the first half of the year.

These figures and geographical variations indicate that the automotive identity of any city is closely linked to a combination of factors: income level, urban planning, environmental legislation, and infrastructure. The more developed a city’s structure and income, the greater the demand for luxury, electric, or all-wheel-drive vehicles, depending on the nature of planning and mobility. This supports the notion that cars are not just means of transportation, but living urban and topographic-cultural indicators.

Urban policies play a pivotal role, too, in determining which cars populate a city. Oslo and Singapore, for instance, have adopted urban strategies to restrict large, polluting vehicles—policies immediately visible in the types of cars residents drive. Planning tools like low-emission zones and increased walkability actively guide people toward more sustainable transportation habits. Urban planning, therefore, becomes a powerful lever for transforming both behavior and preferences in car choices.

Automakers themselves embed local identities in their products, turning models into cultural icons that both reflect and redefine urban imagery. The Fiat 500 has evolved into a symbol not just of Italian engineering, but of a modern Italian way of life. The Volkswagen Beetle, emblematic of the American hippie era, remains embedded in cultural memory. Sometimes, marketing campaigns are crafted to resonate with the spirit of a particular city, addressing residents in their own visual and cultural language.

The dimensions and types of cars seen in city streets also affect the very architecture of those streets—sidewalk widths, the makeup of asphalt, even parking design and building entrances are molded by the vehicles that dominate them. Where small cars prevail, public space becomes more intimate. Large SUVs or pickups require wider roads and alter the logistics of urban frontage, infusing the cityscape with a unique rhythm and scale. The car is, therefore, inseparable from the city’s urban DNA.

Some cities have even woven specific automotive brands into their landscape. Berlin, for example, finds technological and industrial identity in the presence of Mercedes and Audi; in Tokyo, the compact “kei cars” are direct answers to the city’s dense, narrow environments, while Japanese manufacturers export different models for global cities with their own urban logics.

Emerging markets, particularly in the Gulf, showcase a new kind of relationship between city identity and preferred vehicles. Here, luxury cars and off-roaders speak to a taste shaped by both local tradition and the ambition of enormous urban projects. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the NEOM project stand as prime examples of futures that no longer depend on traditional cars, but instead envision streets built for integrated, nearly invisible mobility solutions. “The Line” in NEOM completely reimagines transit—not through private cars, but with seamless, high-tech collective transportation integrated within the urban grid.

It may be time to stop viewing the car as an add-on to the city. The city’s identity now extends beyond its buildings and public spaces to the vehicles that traverse its arteries, forming part of its sights, sounds, and social fabric. The car is not extraneous to urban planning, but a partner in the experience of daily life and movement. The city makes the way, and the car embodies its spirit.

After decades of observing changing approaches to architecture and city design, it is clear that the relationship between residents and their cars is much more than just an economic or technological coincidence—it is an essential facet of urban identity and the lived experience of its streets. At ArchUp, we continually seek to understand cities “from the inside out”—through their buildings, their patterns of life, and, crucially, through what moves on their roads. A city’s identity is shaped by far more than its skyline; the vehicles that inhabit its streets are an inextricable part of its story.

In many cities around the world, the dominant vehicle type isn’t merely a response to climate or terrain—it’s a cultural signature, part of an evolving urban identity. For example, sedans tend to dominate cities with hybrid urban planning—those that blend suburban spread with inner-city density—such as Cairo, Beirut, or Los Angeles, where the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have long symbolized family mobility and middle-class consistency. In contrast, convertibles (cabriolets) flourish in coastal metropolises such as Miami, Barcelona, and Jeddah, reflecting both the temperate climate and a lifestyle centered on leisure and visibility; the BMW 4 Series Convertible and Ford Mustang are frequent sightings in these regions. Meanwhile, hatchbacks like the Fiat 500 or Volkswagen Polo are almost cultural artifacts in tight-knit European cities like Milan, Amsterdam, and Lisbon, where narrow streets and limited parking call for compact, maneuverable designs. On the other end of the spectrum, SUVs and off-road vehicles dominate geographies defined by openness and ruggedness. In Riyadh, Amman, and Denver, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol are not only utilitarian choices but urban icons—symbols of endurance and control. Even ultra-modern cities like Dubai exhibit this fusion of identity and utility; the Nissan Patrol, in particular, has become almost synonymous with Emirati prestige and performance in both desert terrains and polished urban avenues. These typological patterns aren’t just commercial trends—they’re expressions of how cities move, breathe, and see themselves.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

This article frames the city not as a static backdrop but as a surface reflected — and often distorted — through the mirror of its vehicles. From tinted windows to chrome grilles, it suggests that cars have become both symbols and shapers of urban identity, particularly in Gulf cities where automotive presence dominates the visual field.

While the metaphor is rich, the analysis remains more poetic than spatial. A deeper architectural lens could explore how car-centric design has altered public space, urban walkability, and thermal performance. Looking toward 2030, cities seeking authenticity must rethink what they reflect — and what they obscure. As mobility shifts toward automation and electric fleets, the real identity may emerge not in the cars themselves, but in the civic environments they no longer overshadow.

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