Pedestrianisation in Urban Design for Future Sustainable Cities

Urban environments are always growing and changing in terms of the size of the urban area, the number of people who commute daily, and the variety of possibilities for individual mobility. Infrastructure and city plans are likewise continually changing in response to immediate and long-term needs. Recent initiatives to include ‘green’ options in transport networks have drawn special attention, enabling healthy lifestyle choices like walking or cycling to work.

Walking is more sociable, ecologically friendly, and health-conscious than other forms of transportation, making it one of the main modes of transportation in sustainable cities, a concept that every city in the world with a large population should ultimately aim for.

The Role of pedestrian walkable streets in urban planning

Every street in the city has a pedestrian zone as its main feature. It is a space that not only promotes the safe, comfortable, and conflict-free flow of people using public transportation and foot traffic, but also influences how people interact socially, feel safe, and live in a city.

According to the hypothesis of the research presented in the JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2018) 2(1), 102-112 (Doi: 10.25034/ijcua.2018.3666) walkability in urban areas is directly correlated with the standard of public spaces. It means that the environment should meet people’s needs by implementing the principles of pedestrianisation to increase the number of users in urban spaces.

Pedestrianisation,?which refers to limiting automobile traffic to allow walkers to use the streets safely, is used to better address the issue of pedestrian-walkable streets. There are three possible ways to accomplish this:

1) Permanently pedestrianized streets, as the name suggests are streets which are completely used by pedestrians and only emergency vehicles are allowed on the streets, this helps in increasing the social activity and liveability of the public spaces around. Shown below are Str?get street Copenhagen, Denmark (left), Rue du Petit-Champlain Quebec, Canada (centre) and Buchanan Street Glasgow, Scotland (right).

2)?Intermittent pedestrianized streets, as the name suggests are streets that allow vehicular movement for a specific interval of time. In these streets, there are no parking spaces for cars but loading bays are available. Shown below are examples from New York (left), Kolkata, India (centre) and Sao Paulo, Brazil (right).

3)?Traffic Calming Measures,?these are added to streets to decrease the dominance of motorised vehicles on the streets by using speed breakers, zebra crossings, extended footpaths and no parking spaces along the roads.

15-Minute City Concept

The 15-minute city is a highly practical design concept, not just an urban trend. Carlos Moreno, a professor at the Sorbonne who sought to enhance urban quality of life, established the concept of 15-minute cities in part as a result of Jane Jacobs’ writings, who saw neighbourhoods as social links. The idea rethinks how cities might be better built to fulfil citizens’ basic needs by placing amenities, jobs, government services, public parks, retail, and a variety of entertainment within “hyper-proximity” of each other or only a short distance away on foot or a bicycle. Stronger communities will be built within this proximity to inhabitants’ homes, enabling people to feel more invested in local businesses and services.

16 cities worldwide have already adopted the “15-minute city” idea or equivalent concepts, or are actively attempting to do so. Different cities are taking different approaches; some are aiming to adopt 20-minute concepts, others 10-minute ones, and yet others are concentrating on either specific urban districts or completely reconstructing the city.

The capital of France is one of the innovators. After Carlos Moreno presented his idea in 2016, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, used it in her reelection campaign and started putting it into practice during the pandemic.

The core idea of the Paris approach considers schools to be “capitals,” making them the focal point of every neighbourhood. To make them available for other activities after lessons and on the weekends, schoolyards are being transformed into parks. The 15-minute city also offers a mobility concept, including less traffic and more room for pedestrians and cyclists, safe pathways for kids, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, as well as areas for social contact.

Few guidelines for designing pedestrian spaces:

In old-fashioned and ancient cities, people walking and moving held precedence. Since there are now more vehicles on the road, this priority has been lost, making walking in metropolitan areas uncomfortable.

Authorities and experts should consider several rules that bring cities back to their pedestrian roots and breathe new life into them.

Respecting the appropriate distance between each point is important. For example, in a popular neighbourhood, it is recommended that it takes no more than 5 minutes to walk to a playground and parking space, that it takes no more than 7 minutes to get to a shopping centre and a bus stop, and that it takes no more than 15 minutes to get to a kindergarten, primary school, or a medical facility.

For both self-orientation in the city and understanding the laws of specific pavements, pedestrians need clear information, much as drivers of motorised vehicles. Consistent, simple to discover, and created for individuals of all knowledge levels and talents, pedestrian-focused signage systems should include crossing lights, maps, walking times and directions to areas of interest, and facts about the neighbourhood or community.

Paving walkways is also crucial; they shouldn’t be uneven and pedestrians shouldn’t have to squeeze past stairs. Their width should also be adequate for passing and ideal for the elderly, children, and people with disabilities.

By carefully managing the furnishings and décor, there are also some areas for sitting and relaxing.

Some streets require vehicle access for loading, but in others, their role is such that if they are made pedestrian-only and furnished with the appropriate furnishings, they can be seen as a commercial and recreational hub, which will increase their efficiency.

Sidewalks have a significant impact on how joyful and inspiring urban life may be. The variety and placement of trees, as well as urban furnishings like benches and trash cans, can change the feel and practicality of a place (As shown below).

Bright, welcoming pavements can promote social contact and promote the utilisation of public places.

Day or night, weekday or weekend, sidewalks are always open. However, there are fewer people out on foot during certain times of the day and week, leading to fluctuating safety conditions.

Personal nighttime safety is increased by public illumination of pedestrian areas. Active and transparent ground floor building frontages stimulate more pedestrian movement and increased street visibility throughout the day, which improves the vigour and security of pavements.

Urban floods and property damage can be worsened by wet pavements, which also soon lose their usefulness for pedestrians, forcing them to reroute through busy roads and compromising their safety. The perpendicular to the running slope angle of a sidewalk’s cross slope should guarantee effective drainage without being overly steep. The use of green infrastructure strategies like rain gardens, which lower runoff volumes and relieve pressure on the drainage system, can also be helpful.??

Finally, it might be argued that pedestrians should make up the bulk of urban areas. We should take this into account when designing cities and create some areas that are more suited to accommodating people.

Conclusion

Research is fully aware of the global transition away from motorised intra-city transportation towards non-motorized ecologically friendly solutions. However, many developing nations do not have the infrastructure necessary to effectively plan for this growing interest and attention in pedestrianism. This may be one of the factors contributing to the greater emphasis on motorised transit in most urban transport literature.

Other important factors for forecasting pedestrianism include the standard of pedestrian-related infrastructure and the characteristics of motorised traffic.

Designing public places with a high priority for pedestrians is the major goal of pedestrian streets. Vehicles are left abandoned at the entrance to areas on pedestrianised streets. So creating a pedestrian-only roadway will enhance the life and liveability of metropolitan areas.

Cities, which lack pedestrian-friendly public areas, have to be strengthened with fundamental urban infrastructures including parking lots, public transportation, and urban fixtures and furnishings. Pedestrian walkways should be connected and interconnected in a way that makes them easily accessible to those with disabilities as well.

The results of the analysis suggest that improving the quality of urban spaces, enhancing street connection, and finally putting all the walkability principles to use will directly affect how successfully public spaces serve their purpose in urban design.

To develop a solution to improve the quality of the urban environment, Pedestrianisation takes into account a wide range of urban planning factors, from social to economic. The ability to stroll across urban areas will improve as a result of improved urban infrastructure, furnishings, and fixtures.