The Board Papers
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
Accessing European Funding for Walking Projects
Paul Henderson, London European Partnership for Transport
Summary: The aim of this presentation is to highlight the opportunities that are available for both private and public sector organisations in Europe to access European funding for Walking projects. ... More
Actions Towards the Integration of Pedestrain Mobility in the Local Agenda 21 of Calvia
Fernando Fernandez Alonso
Summary: Calvia Local Agenda 21 Calvia is a paradigmatic example of the first boom in international tourism on the Mediterranean: a process that in just twenty-five years has revealed serious environmental and social problems. The town hall of Calvia started Local Agenda 21 in the nineties as a comprehensive strategy aimed at redeploying tourist and local development in keeping with sustainability. For the Agenda, the steps towards a pedestrianized city are incorporated into what is referred to as the Scene of Comprehensive Restoration. - An innovative and more sustainable scene; - An all-encompassing conception of development and quality of life; - Set up by and with the participation of citizens and social agents; - With programs of action in the short, medium and long term. Towards an all-encompassing conception of mobility and environmental recovery in the city and the countryside. Assessment of the current state and trends was based on 6 key thematic areas: social integration and quality of life, local ecology, historic and cultural heritage, economy and tourism, the urban development system and key environmental sectors (water, energy, residues and transport). The Agenda established 10 lines of action and 40 initiatives as a project to improve Calvia within a decade. With regard to mobility, we may point out the following: - Promotion of comprehensive restoration of centres of population and countryside. Pilot activities involving Environmental Restoration Areas and absorption into built-up areas. ... 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
Address by Dorothee Fierz President of the Government Council on the following
Dorothee Fierz
Summary: The topic you are concerned with, ladies and gentlemen, is also an issue that concerns very much, a pedestrian-friendly future. For one thing, I myself am a very active person loves to walk. I walk often and I enjoy it since it gives me a chance to relax and recharge batteries. For another thing, walking is a means of transport that promotes health, does not generate either noise or exhaust fumes, and does not burn limited resources. In the title of speech I have posed a question: whether the Canton of Zurich is truly pedestrian-friendly. me turn briefly to the term itself. Pedestrian friendliness must first be examined in a cultural context. It is defined by general living conditions and habits and by the importance society gives to walking. In many cities the world, pedestrian friendliness can simply mean that it is possible to cross from one side the road to the other without getting run over. ... More
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