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Kevin Matthews
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 526
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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TLWalkerAIA
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 129
Location: Seattle Washington, USA
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 Posted: Thu May 06, 2004 12:31 am Post subject: |
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To our detrimant the established pattern is to extend and empower the capacity of the automobile at the expense of human scale. The idea of human scale particularly in kinesthetic terms is important if the idea of streets for people, is to actually go beyond the status of current fad.
The problem is that streets are interactive at an automobile speed reference frame and not a refrence frame compatable with human scale. Human scale of course functions at spacial dimensional levels but is also activly functioning as an experiential quantum in all sorts of ways. Security, refuge and prospect, soudscape threat perception and visual threat perception as well as perceptions of kinesthetic scale and associations of this sensory data with danger carefully trained into us and accepted as socialized norms. We must remeber that we are all hardwired via the triune brain to process our sensory data from r-complex to cortex. the reptile in us can not ignore threats in the environment. A hopeless biological reality. So we must design arround it or better in response to it.
Devide the street scape into clear zones that permit activity at human pedestrian scales in a kinesthetic context. Enclosure for example because of the doplar compression experientially of the associated isovists has a desirable effect from the automobile side and from the pedestrian coridors because of the associated refuge and prospect function along the same street scape. The automobile driver percieves pedestrian activity, street scape, commercial or residential activity through an interlayered lace work of landscaping buffers and curbside courts trees and streetlights, as punctuated image timed to the rate of travel while the effect in the pedestrian corridor is insulated from the intruding kinesthetic energy, soundscape and threat by the enclosure.
The degree of enclosure must of course be appropriately scaled. Where solid barriers of concrete are appropriate between pedestrian corridor and the highway, trees grass lighting and curbs are better in town.
I applaud your article and herald it as a legitimate confrontation of an ever present agent of chaos. Seizing control by some measure of the contrapuntal intrusion of the automobile along the street scape is an essential beginning. Thank You,
Sorry about the spelling I am in a rush.
Terry L. Walker, Architect
_________________
Terry L. Walker, AIA
Terry L. Walker, Architects
terry.walker20@verizon.net |
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Landy
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 457
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 10:30 am Post subject: |
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| the images and the text underscore a romantic perspective to a problem not a good aproach to solve urban nor suburban conditions. My believe is that streets are to serve cars and sidewalks serve pedestrians. It is a hazard to have human beings walking freely among cars. Even in remote rural parts of europe where "streets for people" still are nothing but dangerous conditions. A desperate aproach is observed in europe by establishing a vast systems of either concrete / stone paving to guide pedestrian and cars in their own path. |
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lekizz
millennium club
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 1131
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 11:59 am Post subject: |
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woonerfs are an excellent ambition but I've never seen nor read about an example in the UK. 20mph speed limits are being introduced and 'walking buses' (which encourage childrento walk to school). At the same time, the road lobby are campaigning vigorously against 'speed bumps', speed cameras and other traffic calming measures. The concept works better in Holland because the car has to contend with far more pedestrians and bicycles, in a country where hills don't exist and land is scarce, urban areas are more compact and accesible.
Landy's point that 'non-car users should be separated from car drivers or else' (to crudely paraphrase) is the generally accpted view in a car-ocentric society. In actuality cars are dangerous and it is car drivers who need to be educated to a view that they kills pedestrians and cyclists, not the other way around. IMO it is a process of changing culture and established ways of life which is required, which is a complex process.
Nice magazine article, thanks! |
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Landy
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 457
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:44 pm Post subject: |
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yes! In car-centric localities of the globe automobile are simply homicidal engineering interventions. Places were society have proven reluctant to the modern world (europe and tribal societies) seems less evident. Please understand my believe that a cohabitation of cars and individuals seems atractive only in theory (saint eliá and the futurists) and design schoo£ pin-up's. It may be a fact of experience to have witnessed gory accidents were people have been killed by cars.
pd
please allow me for schoo£ girl talk!...the day everybody uses golf cars as means of transportation that would be the day we all practice "streets for people" |
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lekizz
millennium club
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 1131
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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>>the day everybody uses golf cars as means of transportation that would be the day we all practice "streets for people"<<
Hahaha, that will be fun  Actually the main TV news programme here has given an 'ordinary' family some electric scooters to use for three months. They only cost 8p for 25 miles but, because they are completely silent, the family have to keep on beeping their horn to alert other road users I have the same problem with my push bike - pedestrians step out in front of me, car drivers open their doors suddenly 
I'm quite sure there are plenty of residential areas in the US and UK who would love to leave their kids to play safely in the street. It needs a few enlightened housing authorities/local governments to make it happen. |
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