Cycles, Pedestrians 1

DO WE DARE CREATE A DO WE DARE CREATE A DIFFERENT MODEL? DIFFERENT MODEL?

PROBABLY 300 YEARS FROM NOW PROBABLY 300 YEARS FROM NOW PEOPLE WILL WONDER HOW WE PEOPLE WILL WONDER HOW WE LIVED IN SUCH TERRIBLE CITIES LIVED IN SUCH TERRIBLE CITIES

AS WE HAVE TODAY, WHERE AS WE HAVE TODAY, WHERE CHILDREN GROW IN TERROR OF CHILDREN GROW IN TERROR OF

CARSCARS

Quality of Life is a goal in itself. But it is also critical in the “knowledge economy”, for retaining and attracting Highly Qualified and Creative Individuals.

CompetitivenessCompetitiveness andand QualityQuality ofof LifeLife

It is very simple to have a city with great quality of life: It It is very simple to have a city with great quality of life: It only has to be designed for people, much more than only has to be designed for people, much more than

for cars. for cars.

If a city is good for children and old people, by If a city is good for children and old people, by themselves, it will be good for everybody else.themselves, it will be good for everybody else.

WHAT EQUALITY IN POST-COMMUNISM SOCIETY? WHAT EQUALITY IN POST-COMMUNISM SOCIETY? THE WAY WE BUILD AND ORGANIZE CITIES CAN THE WAY WE BUILD AND ORGANIZE CITIES CAN

POWERFULLY CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL JUSTICE. POWERFULLY CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL JUSTICE.

PUBLIC GOOD MUST PREVAIL OVER PRIVATE INTEREST PUBLIC GOOD MUST PREVAIL OVER PRIVATE INTEREST

WE CANNOT DESIGN AN URBAN TRANSPORT WE CANNOT DESIGN AN URBAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM UNLESS WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF A SYSTEM UNLESS WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF A

CITY WE WANT.CITY WE WANT.

CITY VISIONCITY VISION

Do we have a clear vision of the Do we have a clear vision of the city where you would want your city where you would want your

children to grow? How far children to grow? How far should a child grow from a should a child grow from a

park, a football field, a park, a football field, a pedestrian only street?pedestrian only street?



VS

The friendlier to cars a city is, The friendlier to cars a city is, the less humane it becomes.the less humane it becomes.

http://www.epa.gov/air/aqtrnd00/images/carbimg3.gif

PUBLIC SPACE

For 5,000 years all city streets were pedestrian

URBAN LIFE IN THE PASTURBAN LIFE IN THE PAST


以前的城市生活以前的城市生活


Over the last 80 years we have been making cities much more for cars mobility than for children’s

happiness.

PUBLIC SPACEPUBLIC SPACE

When cars appeared we should have started to build a parallel road network: One for cars and the other

exclusively pedestrian.


Why all streets for motor vehicles? Why not design a city

where half the streets be for pedestrians and bicycles only?.


This is one of the streets in an

European city that was reclaimed for pedestrians only

…reclaimed…Singapore

…reclaimed…

In Bogotá the Porvenir Promenade, an 18 km pedestrian

street was built through many neighborhoods that did not even have pavement in their streets. It was a project for the people, not

the motor vehicles.


EL PORVENIR PROMENADEEL PORVENIR PROMENADE

ALAMEDA EL PORVENIRALAMEDA EL PORVENIR



Through poor areas and where the city has not yet been built





Why is public space important in a city with many other problems?

It is during leisure times that income differences are felt more

acutely. While higher income citizens have access to large

houses, clubs, country houses, vacations, lower income citizens only alternative to television is

public pedestrian space.

Cars on sidewalks or parking bays where there should be sidewalks suggest that citizens with cars are

more important than those who don’t have them.


Before After




Parking is not a constitutional right. Governments should not allow pedestrian spaces to be used for parking and no public

funds should be used for parking facilities.


Sidewalks are not simply for getting from one place to another.

They are for walking aimlessly, talking, playing, enjoying the city.

People like to be and to meet in public spaces. When shopping malls replace public space as a

meeting place for citizens, it is an symptom that a city is ill




The quantity

and quality of a

pedestrian public

space is one mark

of a civilized

city.



In our daily life we may be separated by income and hierarchies, but in public

space we meet as equals.


No mayor will be much loved or remembered for having built a highway. Instead, he-she who creates a quality pedestrian space is long remembered.


Roads and most things Governments do, are a MEANS to an end. PUBLIC PEDESTRIAN SPACE IS AN END IN ITSELF. It is not a means to eventual

better life. It is quality of life in itself, and yields happiness for generations and

generations.


Waterfronts, specially in cities, are special, magic

and unique.

PUBLIC SPACE: WATERFRONTSPUBLIC SPACE: WATERFRONTS

Hudson River, New York

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Battery Park, New York

Waterfronts should have public pedestrian

infrastructure separated from roads by buildings


London

London

Bonn

Traffic engineers like to build roads next to waterfronts because there are few intersections. But many cities regret deeply having built

motor-car roads next to their waterfronts.


Car-Free Day in Paris

París

Boston

Typical American road…no proper place for ped…and

over emphasis on roads, flyovers, etc

Boston

…another American road…

TOURISM IS PEDESTRIANTOURISM IS PEDESTRIAN



Wide ped walkway with information kiosk at Kuala Lumpur…

Sayyaji Rao Road…pink mosaic looks good

If made pedestrians only, a wonderful avenue in the making

If a city wants to attract tourists, it has to have great

quality public pedestrian spaces.


Technology

Cycles, Pedestrians 1