Background of the Project
An estimated one million people move to the cities from the urban areas every week globally, putting pressure on the demand of the existing infrastructure and will specific reference to the available public transport systems. Booming cities demand contemporary systems of mobility that are able to transport the rising number of people while at the same time ensuring the harm on the natural environment is maintained at the lowest possible levels. Numerous actors among the local and national governments have to work in harmony in the creation of a financially as well as environmentally sustainable urban transport system (Kramarz and Przybylska, 2021).
A great transition was experienced in the world in 2010 in which at least half of the global population resided for the first time in the cities. It is projected that this fraction will even rise in the coming decades when billions of people with maintain migrating to the cities to the tune of 75% of the global population (Yatskiv and Budilovich, 2017). This results in the need of a very large infrastructure for accommodation of such growth in the cities. The rate of growth of the urban population is noted to be quite high that energy, transport, housing and water systems should be established simultaneously, in an ideally integrated manner for provision of the largest public access even as at the same time posing the minimal harm to the environment.
The above information, though not exclusive of the current situation in the urban cities across the globe, is adequately insightful in noting the compelling need for identification of new sources as well as types of innovative transport system especially for the public to aid in easing the pressure (Carpio-Pinedo, 2021). Diversification of the land transport system especially in the urban areas would present an opportunity for the travelers to consider alternative means of travelling that would serve in facilitating behavior change and hence greater sustainability, financially and environmentally. The transport system in the urban areas should thus be redesigned to operate in such a way that they promote the use of less carbon emitting means of transport and instead promoting walking, wheeling and cycling along the streets (Liao et al., 2020).
The design and construction of most of the urban streets in the world have mainly been done taking into consideration vehicular transport with minimal or no care attached to the mobility and safety needs of the pedestrians and cyclists. This has left this group of road users highly vulnerable to accidents and various health risks (Jiang et al., 2020). As such, they have resorted to use vehicular transport system in moving between various places to avoid the chaos, confusion and conflict that is encountered. Cities were historically created for the purposes of self-defenses besides market exchange with transportation at the time being by either oxcart or foot hence trade needed the dense clustering of the human populations. The cities nevertheless grew organically in as much as they remained limited in scale with the coming up of national and regional states that took over the responsibility of civil defense (Reis et al., 2013).
Fostering connectivity
Enhancing the integration of multimodal transport system promotes wheeling, walking, cycling and public transport and as such tends to be of mutual benefit. Cycling supports public transport through extension of the public transport stops catchment area above the walking range and at a cost that is much lower in comparison with the local public transport besides park-and-ride facilities for vehicles. Public transport services may as well offer convenient alternatives in cases cyclists are for instance faced with bad weather.
My proposal in the design is to propose changes to the local transport network for a selected street in response to the noted transport system crisis. My proposal will be aimed at putting people at the heart of the streets as well as the communities. The proposal is aimed at meeting the outcomes listed below upon completion of the design:
- Transport remains to be a just as well as successful transition to a clean, carbon neutral and sustainable city
- Creation of place where people from all walks of life are able to thrive, their income or mobility notwithstanding, via an inclusive city center
- Transportation system fosters continued as well as inclusive dynamic and world class city besides economic success
- Transportation bears a positive role in the fight against poverty, enhancing health and reduction of inequalities.
Wheeling, walking and cycling have to be prompted in ways which complement one another and more significantly offering seamless links with the existing local public transport services. This approach renders active transport to be among the most significant and integral elements of the day to day journeys and would be ideal in the connectivity, heath, wellbeing and economy of the selected street besides aiding in the delivery of climate commitments (Kumar et al., 2013).
This strategy is pinned about inclusion and accessibility. Active transport has the potential of minimizing transport inequality and providing the residents with enhanced independence of moving about the city. The proposed urban transport network will serve as a source of safe active travel all the times during the day for every individual, the abilities notwithstanding. Wheeling, cycling and walking infrastructures besides the public spaces have to offer convenient and easy access for all people to ensure no one feels a disconnection from the local services, public transport as well as their community (Kramarz et al., 2020).
This strategy will be responsive to the challenges that have been noted on the selected street as observable from the daily activities that are noticed. It solves the barriers to cycling and walking besides and more important the barriers preventing road users from taking up walking and cycling in the initial place. The strategy will ensure the street is transformed into a safer place for playing, walking, wheeling and even spending time. The climate change crisis demands for delivery of relatively ambitious plans as would be outlined in this strategy with the analysis showing that nothing short of the same would be able to generate the step change that is needed by the community and the city (Amekudzi-Kennedy et al., 2020).
Connection of the neighborhoods
This segment of the strategy will be concerned with detailing the changes that would be made to the street environment of the city that are needed in enabling people to cycle, wheel or walk more for their daily journeys. Such changes are among them:
- Enhanced environments for walking
- Enhanced access to cycling and cycling supplier
- More restrictions on the traffic
- Segregation of more cycling tracks or safer cycling places
From the advantages of active travel, it is known that the street and the city by extension will improve in functionality with the lives of the dwellers being improved when walking, cycling and wheeling is safer and easier. There is thus a need to address the way the barriers to day to day active travel would be handled via reaction of traffic, more safe points of crossing, road space reallocation as well as enhanced neighborhood environments (Olafsson et al., 2016).
It has been noted that the working of streets is often optimal when their design has been done for everyone via continuous dialogues. The collaborative design process with the local communities would be guided by the city’s master plan working in conjunction with this proposal leading to for instance elimination of unwanted street clutter besides new installed kerbs where required (Hens et al., 2019). The car-dominated transport system has resulted in significant inequalities for a large fraction of dwellers in the cities especially those not having access to the cars. Research conducted illustrated that putting in place infrastructure that permits easy and low cost cycling and walking journey will be integral in the handling of such inequalities besides other initiatives among them affordable access to cycles.
With the ever rising human population in the cities, more journeys remain to be undertaken daily. Only a change in the mode of transport would aid in preventing the ever rising levels of traffic with the resultant rise in congestion, traffic danger and air pollution. Enhancing the adoption of active travel might aid in enhancing road network efficiency for movement of people and goods (Capodici et al., 2021). Creating a balance between the various modes of transport including cycling, walking, car and public transport would give everyone the chance of moving about the city in a more convenient manner.
An analysis of the selected street illustrates the different neighborhoods and the way of their interaction with the main streets. This information was used in the identification of the various destinations for active travel for noting the various barriers for instance very long numerous pedestrians’ waits and the main junctions and for identification of the opportunities for newly redesigned community links (Xu et al., 2021). The proposal has an improvement of cycling and walking links to the bus stops and various public transport hubs for the purposes of creation of an integrated as well as sustainable travel network.
The planning and design of the connections and networks have been done in such a way that they generate enabling environments for everyone to draw from the benefits linked with active travel. Clear footways, resting opportunities, benches, enhanced road crossings and dropped or level footways have been designed besides proper design of the drop-off and parking areas being integrated in the streets alongside at destinations.
A number of strategies have been deployed in this proposal to enable everyone walk, cycle or wheel. These strategies have seen the entire city street changed in such a manner that makes it safer and more convenient for walking, cycling and wheeling. Bearing in mind the COVID pandemic and the target group on the street which was mainly shoppers coming from neighborhood, the proposal illustrates comprehensive strategies and how the link with one another and the public transport resulting in the formation of a single functional unit (Dawda et al., 2019). Space for People program, during the COVID pandemic illustrated the way temporary materials allow for rapid construction for testing as well as learning concepts. Projects that resulted in adverse implications would be removed or customized quite fast. With evolution of the program designs lifetime various projects were carried put including delivering of smooth surfaces on roads, adjustments of the traffic lights besides enhanced layouts of the bus stops.
In as much the world not in a COVID pandemic emergency situation anymore, the globe is in a climate emergency context that calls for rapid shift in the mode to one that is sustainable. As such, this is a proposal of an Eco-Street concept meant to ensure cost-effective and raid delivery of the street network is done (Woodcock and Tovey, 2020). The focus of the design is on the greater interaction points, for instance road junctions as well as points of interaction with public transport.
An analysis of the traffic movement along this street, it was noted that most of the user were people from the neighboring residential buildings whose main aim for visiting the street revolved around shopping. The redesign of the street is thus aimed at enhancing the shopping experience of these dwellers by designing a transport network that allows for wheeling, cycling, walking and driving to and from the street for shopping activities.
It was noted that various informal business took place along the street resulting in encroachment of the designed walkways and in some instances rendering them completely unusable. In other instances, these walkways were noted to be used as parking slots and as such the dwellers would completely not use (Rawal et al., 2014). The redesign of the street took into consideration the current users including the business people by redesigning for them the business areas or selling stalls they would use in the sale of their items. To make the street safe and convenient for use for wheeling, cycling and walking, it was divided into two segments with one segment beginning fully pedestrianized and the other having an allowance for cars.
As can be noted by the diagram on the first segment of the street, the focus on this portion is promoting pedestrian and cyclist’s movement. The road has been reduced to one way on either sides separated in between with a walking friendly zone. On the further ends of the street are cycling and walking lanes. The cycling lanes are closest to the vehicular road with the pedestrian access being located farthest. This has been done to allow ease of access to the shops facing the streets by pedestrians walking on the street and ensuring seamless transition to such shops for various services without being disrupted by cyclists (Dastjerdi et al., 2019). Designated pedestrian and cyclists crossing points and junctions have been provided at various points and serve as a connection between the two tarmac roads. The designated crossing points serve as safe transition points with designed speed regulation bumps that enhance speed disruption at these points.
A walkway has been designed in between the two roads to allow access to the stalls. The location of the walkway has been selected such that the pedestrians are able to walk with enhanced safety and convenience without imagining any possible interruptions from vehicular traffic. By being designed in the middle of the two roads, pedestrians from either sides of the street are adequately accommodated and hence eliminating the need of having too many parallel walkways that would otherwise have been merged to form a single multifunctional one. The location of the walkway in relation to the stalls is ideal with the walkway giving the pedestrians easy and direct access to the stalls and thus conveniently do their shopping. Such a design as well aids in the elimination of the possibility of the encroachment of the walkways by the business people to take advantage of the human traffic (Litman, 2017). Attempting to encroach the walkway in this proposal would limit access by the pedestrians and hence they will not be able to make it to the stalls to make purchases.
Another important aspects that is noted in the design of this segment of the street is integration of vegetation, nature and the environmental elements into the design. Greeneries have been introduced at various points along the redesigned street for regulation of the microclimate of the street, enhance the quality of the air besides improving on the aesthetic appeal. This street has been designed to both serve as a place to be and a way to pass through. As a place to be or destination, the street should be a place where one would be attracted to visit and enjoy to be. The trees, lawns and water features introduced aid in promoting this function by presenting the various scenarios that one would choose to come and experience on the street. Street benches have been provided at various points to ensure the lawns are not used as seating areas (de Bortoli and Christoforou, 2020).
The second segment of the street is less promoting walking, cycling and wheeling and instead serving as a link between the first segment and the existing public transportation.
This segment is divided into two vertical levels with the aim of ensuring maximization of the spaces. As a result vehicular movement is grouped into two with one group moving below the surface level and another on the ground level surface. The vehicles moving on the ground surface are mainly public transportation vehicles that ferry passengers to various points along the street from which they are able to connect to their exact residences either by cycling, wheeling or riding. Just as was the case with segment one, this level is also divided into two ways, one way on either sides.
The level that is underground is mainly designed to be used by personal cars that would like to connect directly to the adjoining roads and hence have no business moving on the surface. A tunnel is thus dug across the entire length of this road to allow for connection of this segment with segment one on one end and the adjoin roads on the other end.
Also integrated in the space underneath are extra stalls that would be used in serving the people living on this side of the street and would not like to walk the entire distance to the stalls on the surface level located in the first segment of this street. Just as is the case with the first segment, greeneries have been introduced at various points along the redesigned street for regulation of the microclimate of the street, enhance the quality of the air besides improving on the aesthetic appeal. This street has been designed to both serve as a place to be and a way to pass through. As a place to be or destination, the street should be a place where one would be attracted to visit and enjoy to be. The trees, lawns and water features introduced aid in promoting this function by presenting the various scenarios that one would choose to come and experience on the street. The only difference for this street is that the greeneries are smaller in size and do not include seating areas. This segment is denoted as high traffic area and hence an increased risk by introducing seating areas for pedestrians.
Conclusion
The design strategies presented in this proposal, jointly culminate into the design of a street that not only reduces traffic volume but also ensures facelift of the entire street, allowing for the integration of multimodal transport system. If this proposal is implemented, there is a guarantee that the lives of the people living around will be greatly improved. Still, the levels of carbon dioxide emissions which is the major contributor to climate change will be substantially reduced. With these proposals walking, cycling and wheeling has designated routes and hence eliminating any possible human-vehicular conflict that might discourage people from cycling or walking.
References
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