THE PEDWAY SYSTEM AWorld Underground

Academic Research- 2022

Scope And Methodology

he concept of an elevated pedestrian way is credited to the Italian architect Antonio Sant’Elia, who foresaw cities with highrise towers connected through elevated walkways. of a pedway system. This study explores the conflict between automobiles and pedestrians in urban areas and proposes an elevated pedestrian way as a solution. It analyzes the spatial formation, orientation, and connectivity of pedway systems and formulates an urban design toolkit. The pedway system in Chicago helps in understanding its relationship with the street level above it. The research aims to provide a basis for further analysis of pedway systems in other cities and is a new approach to urban design.

TRANSITION:

Humans tend to separate two things by creating an indoor-outdoor balance, which are connected subconsciously. On the street level, we experience the bright sunlight, trees rustling, the dew drops, and the snowstorms.

- Accessibility (Staircase/ Ramp/ Escalator)

- Material (Slippery/ shiny)

- Reatil Concentration

- Luminosity

1) 120 N LaSalle St

2) City Hall/ County Building

3) Richard J Daley Center

4) Cook County Office Building

5) Three First National Plaza

6) Block 37

7) One North State St.

8) One North Dearborn St.

9) Macy’s

10) The Heritage Millenium

11) Chicago Cultural Center

12) Millenium Station

13) Harris Theatre

14) Millenium Park Bike Station

15) Chase Tower

16) 203 N LaSalle St.

17) 201 North Clark St

PEDWAY AS INFRASTRUCTURE:

The pedway acts as an ‘organizational structure’ to permit people to move from one place to another. The pedway system of Chicago was envisioned to primarily create an artificial warm environment (weather proof) for the people to travel during the harsh winter season.

- Functionality

- Form and Scale (Height/ Width)

Pedway As An Edge

The walkway can be considered as a three dimensional space which implies that the connectivity is both on the horizontal and vertical planes. The availability of access points from the street becomes important to densify its use.

- Visual Connectivity

- Entry Point

- Nodes of Connection

Pedway As Trellis Structure

The primary mode of understanding the space is through signages. Logos, maps, and landmarks become an important investment element to create an easy self guided transitional system.

- Orientation

- Signages

Pedway as a Trellis Structure: Jurisdiction

Primarily, through most length of the corridor, it responds to the climate and creates a weather proof atmosphere. It makes an exception only at points where there is active pedestrian entry/ exit, allowing the wind to flow in. The scale of the corridor varies through out. Few regions have a height as short as 7’ and a width of 8feet, while areas like millenium park have wider corridor and are higher in its volume.

Pedway as an Edge: Access

The pedway connects to over 40 blocks across the downtown. Since around five to six years, major pedways which exist below private property have been blocked. The pedway corridor connects to major CTA Stations, shopping blocks, as well as Civic Buildings.

Pedway as an Edge: Visual Connectivity

Overall, for a pedestrian, it is very difficult to navigate through the pedway due to lack of signages, unable to reorient with the above ground, as well as due to lack of maps. Though the chicago streets run at cardinal directions, the pedways do not follow the same network. It curves and reroutes at many places, making it very difficult to navigate.

Analysis Parameters: - Access:

Door Access

Escalator/ Elevator access

Access from street to subway

-Visual Connectivity (Straight/ curvilinear/ grid)

Good Visual Connectivity

Poor Visual Connectivity

The idea of an alternate walkway with a different planar configuration sounds simpler in visualization, but it comes with a larger set of constraints and factors to be considered. When a city tries to segregate vehicular and pedestrian traffic, when there is a need to distribute the crowd to de-densify a region, there are a few key parameters to be considered for its spatial formation.

Even though the idea of a pedway pivots around pedestrians, the result has a direct influence on the overall urban fabric, primarily on the land use and economic developments. The methodology to understand the orientation, factors that influence the spatial formation and connectivity of the pedway system has been established through conceptual analysis and development of design toolkits.

Creative Pursuit

Sketching day to day things helps me observe and capture minute details along with form and light. It also provides an outlet for my personal expression. Using various mediums for similar frame enhances the understanding of color relationships and their associations with human psyche.