Copenhagen Papers
A methodological grid to make a public space project:
the interaction between public transport and urban space | Barbara Badiani
Summary: The definition of the urban form arises from the relation between space and mankind. Its construction corresponds with the determination of the spaces necessary to perform the primary activities of living, residing and being into relations with people. However, how much did the considerations on movement affect the construction of the town? Does the space necessary for the movement change, following the change from the pedestrian town to a town, which adapts itself to individual and collective motorized transport means? It should be also taken into consideration that, in the present town, movement is becoming more and more an organizing element of the everyday life. Therefore, the planning of the space necessary for movement becomes the planning of life and places where it develops: the town, the territory and so on. In particular, the project deals with one of the aspects which characterize the interrelation between urban space and the public transport system: accessibility, meant from a local viewpoint, as a characteristic able to define the level of facility in order to reach a public transport means. ... More
A place for Murono or how art can help to revitalize a community
Takayuki Takaki Ayala
Summary: In order to create enduring quality environments for citizens, recent urban design practice has been characterized by the inclusion of creative programs as a means of community and urban revitalization. These programs that can be defined as sets of activities organized, supported, and managed by small scale partnerships, aim to reuse existing physical and human resources, create through participation meaningful places and when possible, generate economical benefits for the inhabitants. To better understand the impact of these programs on the life of the inhabitants of small urban settlements and reveal their processes outline, this paper examines the art initiative Connector Nature-Culture undertaken in the Town of Murono, Nigata as part of the Echio Tsumari Art Triennial 2003. The analysis includes a general description of Triennial, emphasizing its main purpose as a means for refreshing and empowering the development of the region. Later it summarizes the ideas and general process followed by the artist, the Muronos community and the organizers for creating a collaborative artwork through workshops with the children and elders of the community, that helped to transform the local park into a meaningful and lively community place. Finally it point outs the principles that helped to revitalize the community. ... More
A walk through West Bromwich
Making small interventions and taking large steps forward | Sylvia King and Brendan Jackson
Summary: We will take you for a walk through West Bromwich, in the heart of the Black Country in the industrial West Midlands, UK. It once boasted the longest high street in England, affectionately called The Golden Mile by local inhabitants, For many years it has been the principal retail and commercial centre of the Borough of Sandwell (population 297000) and has been a place of change and contestation, synonymous with urban decline. Broken up by a 1960s master plan in favour of traffic flow, it has now become the site of the largest community arts development in Europe, bringing together a unique partnership of private, statutory and charitable bodies with a mission to reverse the social, economic and environmental problems which have placed it consistently amongst the poorest areas in the country. The Public Building, an investment of GBP 40 million and designed by Stirling Prize winners, Alsop Architects, will sit at the heart of a new town centre and the first public square in Sandwell. The project has provided a focus for a GPB 350 million local regeneration initiative. We will describe the creative interventions that have acted as a fundamental catalyst on the surrounding environment of the town; the thinking of planners; the aspirations of diverse local communities; the dialogues between artists and the architect Will Alsop; and the creation of useable, stimulating and challenging internal and external spaces. ... More
Accessible urban spaces a challenge for urban designers
Jacob Deichmann, Architect MAA, Ramboll Nyvig
Summary: The presentation will deal with the subject of how to make urban spaces accessible to all kinds of disabled people, in this case meaning not only wheel chair users and blind people, but also pram users, children, elderly people and people carrying heavy luggage. It is estimated that up to 25% of all people at any given time will be part of this group. There seems to be an opinion, at least among some urban designers and landscape architects, that accessible solutions such as ramps or tactile guidelines cannot be designed in an aesthetically acceptable quality. The paper will try to prove this opinion wrong. By integrating the proper solutions from the beginning of the design phase, accessibility can be achieved at no extra cost and at the same aesthetic quality. The requirements for accessibility may even in some cases generate new solutions that actually enhance the urban design. This will be illustrated by a number of examples. The presentation will finally introduce a method to propose an accessibility strategy for a town or an urban area, developed for the Danish Town Naestved in 2003. This might be a natural ingredient in future urban space strategies for towns and cities of all sizes. ... More
Active Travel: an integrated approach to promoting walking across policy sectors
Philip Insall
Summary: Across the UK, at both local and national level, agencies from different sectors now collaborate on the promotion of active forms of travel. Health policy is increasingly influential in the areas of transport, land use and communities, and health organisations work with local government and NGOs to promote walking as well as cycling. Paradoxically, one of the most significant programmes promoting walking in the UK is the National Cycle Network, whose design and construction are coordinated by Sustrans. The Network provides a framework for an array of programmes including Safe Routes to Schools schemes, TravelSmart individualised travel marketing, neighbourhood redevelopment, and walking and cycling promotion projects. These in turn provide the good practice examples and the research evidence to inform national and local policy making. The presentation will outline this policy level collaboration, describe examples of this work, and show the outcomes in terms of additional walking (and cycling) journeys, as well as the outputs – environmental improvements such as routes and bridges, press coverage etc, and new policies. ... More
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