INTEGRATED DESIGN 2.5
Walkable neighbourhoods The street pattern and level of connectivity, both locally and globally, are critical to making a neighbourhood walkable. Research has shown that people are more likely to walk routes that offer long-distance views of where they are heading. Sense of safety is a key factor determining people’s choice of walking and cycling. In order to make safe and secure streets, the following fundamental aspects should be considered when designing for the pedestrian:
Accommodating the car Promoting alternative modes of transport can reduce car use. However, ownership is likely to remain high and space for parking may often still be required within the public realm. How this is accommodated will have a significant impact on the quality and usability of the public realm. If parking is poorly designed, people will often use surrounding public realm which is not designed to accommodate parked cars. Parking should be convenient but not dominate.
•
Pedestrian routes should be part of shared corridors and road space
•
Building frontages (front doors and windows to habitable rooms) should be along the streets
•
Street lighting for night time safety
•
Allowing cars into central areas in the evening can create more activity and provide natural surveillance
Designers should consider how on-street parking can be maximised by providing appropriate street widths.
•
Ensure routes are accessible for users of all abilities3
This is not the only solution. Each location requires careful assessment of the balance of what can be provided on street and on plot in order to deliver an effective solution. Table 2.5 illustrates the suitability of car parking treatments to particular residential locations. It is taken from Car Parking: what works where,5 English Partnerships and Design for Homes’s publication which uses 24 case studies to illustrate appropriate car parking treatments for specific locations.
Making cycling an attractive option Traffic calming can enable cyclists sharing trafficked roads. Sustrans’ Making Ways for the Bicycle recommends that ‘a policy to promote cycling does need modal share targets for resource allocation as much as monitoring, even if those targets may well need an early upward revision’.4
Parking with frontage access can overcome many of these issues and provide the most effective and attractive parking solution. People understand how it works, it is convenient, and it can increase the activity and safety of the street.
KEY MESSAGES FOR SECTION 2.5 1. Design of the public realm should create legible, efficient and stimulating environments.
3. Involve all bodies early on to ensure design of public realm is coordinated, without clutter.
2. Public spaces can accommodate different modes of movement by making streets work harder.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
REFERENCES Manual for Streets. 2007. CLG and Department for Transport Chainsaw Massacre. 03/05/07. The Guardian Inclusive Design. 2007. English Partnerships Making ways for the bicycle. 1994. Sustrans Car parking: what works where. 2006. English Partnerships and Design for Homes
www.urbandesigncompendium.co.uk
99