Epilogue
A newcomer to the conference circuit is the walking conference. Conferences on car traffic and bicycling have attracted urban planners and politicians for a number of years, and now they are being invited to conferences on walking as well. The reason for this is well-founded concern about the future of walking options in cities. Walking has already been made impossible in some parts of the world. Public access is limited to car traffic and city life has disappeared. This trend is being discussed widely, and active policies to strengthen foot traffic are being formulated in many countries and cities all over the world.
It is not difficult to find supporting arguments. Walking is practical, environmentally friendly and cheap. It is also healthy and fun. Public transport systems presuppose that passengers are able to walk to and from stops, and even motorists become pedestrians when - and if - they ever get out of their cars. It is not difficult to find consensus for the idea that people will also need to be able to walk in cities in the future. This contention underlies the description of public strategies and public spaces in this book.
However, once we take the subject of creating good and worthy surroundings for foot traffic seriously, the next step is to ensure that people can sit down to rest and relax along the way. Benches and cafe chairs enter the picture. A selection of booths and shops also becomes relevant so that pedestrians can look and shop while they walk. The social aspect comes into play. Do people want to sit down to rest or drink coffee or watch the world go by? Often they want to do all three, and at the same time. They like to see and be seen by other people while they are out and about. City walking is a necessary key to urban quality, vitality and pleasure. The basis and the beginning for everything.
Vadare necesse est - walking is essential.
In the cities and public spaces described in this book, there are many different examples of how foot traffic and public life can be strengthened.
Examples range from simple pedestrian zones and oases to unified pedestrian and urban policies for an entire city. When efforts are limited to only a small part of a city centre, the results can be something along the lines of an overfilled amusement park, a theme park with the city as theme. The problem with this type of concentrated treatment is that it doesn't create enough good public spaces in the city and the ones it does create lack variety.
The integration of various functions is the key here. Good cities need a mixture of housing, shops, offices, institutions, schools and universities. Cities have to be in balance - and everything has to be accessible by foot.
Good balance is also desirable between types of traffic. In many older, dense urban streets, pedestrians and public life need all of the available space, while other streets can accomodate the coexistence of foot, bicycle and car traffic. Again, balance is the key. The boulevards of Paris and many pedestrian priority streets or streets with broad furnished sidewalks are good examples of coexistence.
The review of 9 cities and 39 public spaces also gives an impression of current trends in the architectural treatment of urban space, from simple almost classic public space projects to highly expressive, experimental projects. Function-orientation versus strong design-orientation can be seen as another set of contrasts.
The 39 public spaces presented in this book lie between these various extremes and present many combinations. And in many of the public spaces presented concern for pedestrians and urban recreational activities has been a high design priority.
Together the examples show that there is a rich and inspiring variety of solutions to the challenge of creating an urban framework as a meeting place for people.
The reconquering of the city as a people place is in process!
It is not difficult to find supporting arguments. Walking is practical, environmentally friendly and cheap. It is also healthy and fun. Public transport systems presuppose that passengers are able to walk to and from stops, and even motorists become pedestrians when - and if - they ever get out of their cars. It is not difficult to find consensus for the idea that people will also need to be able to walk in cities in the future. This contention underlies the description of public strategies and public spaces in this book.
However, once we take the subject of creating good and worthy surroundings for foot traffic seriously, the next step is to ensure that people can sit down to rest and relax along the way. Benches and cafe chairs enter the picture. A selection of booths and shops also becomes relevant so that pedestrians can look and shop while they walk. The social aspect comes into play. Do people want to sit down to rest or drink coffee or watch the world go by? Often they want to do all three, and at the same time. They like to see and be seen by other people while they are out and about. City walking is a necessary key to urban quality, vitality and pleasure. The basis and the beginning for everything.
Vadare necesse est - walking is essential.
In the cities and public spaces described in this book, there are many different examples of how foot traffic and public life can be strengthened.
Examples range from simple pedestrian zones and oases to unified pedestrian and urban policies for an entire city. When efforts are limited to only a small part of a city centre, the results can be something along the lines of an overfilled amusement park, a theme park with the city as theme. The problem with this type of concentrated treatment is that it doesn't create enough good public spaces in the city and the ones it does create lack variety.
The integration of various functions is the key here. Good cities need a mixture of housing, shops, offices, institutions, schools and universities. Cities have to be in balance - and everything has to be accessible by foot.
Good balance is also desirable between types of traffic. In many older, dense urban streets, pedestrians and public life need all of the available space, while other streets can accomodate the coexistence of foot, bicycle and car traffic. Again, balance is the key. The boulevards of Paris and many pedestrian priority streets or streets with broad furnished sidewalks are good examples of coexistence.
The review of 9 cities and 39 public spaces also gives an impression of current trends in the architectural treatment of urban space, from simple almost classic public space projects to highly expressive, experimental projects. Function-orientation versus strong design-orientation can be seen as another set of contrasts.
The 39 public spaces presented in this book lie between these various extremes and present many combinations. And in many of the public spaces presented concern for pedestrians and urban recreational activities has been a high design priority.
Together the examples show that there is a rich and inspiring variety of solutions to the challenge of creating an urban framework as a meeting place for people.
The reconquering of the city as a people place is in process!
