Research 1 – Andersen
Tomorrow’s Cities: How Barcelona shushed noise-makers with sensors
In Barcelona, at the Plaza del Sol, nearby residents were restless as a result of the ongoing activity taking place within the plaza. As a way of attempting to resolve the constantly active noise, a local laboratory constructed a device to gather data using sensors which recorded the decibel levels at all points of the day. Residents were able to present the data of recorded levels of up to 100 decibels, to the city, where the levels were deemed to be unsafe. Shortly after, local police were sent to monitor the location and enforce an 11:00 pm curfew for the plaza. This is important because you have to be considerate of the context and the residents living there to create a space in which is satisfactory and respectful to all parties involved. Additionally, certain residents or locals may have certain health conditions which the excessive amount of noise and activity may negatively affect.
Barcelona Smart Citizen
Smart Citizen is a platform which provides a platform for typical citizens to contribute personally gathered data on the environment and be able to make it readily available to the public. The centralized data production and management systems further drive the concept of the “Smart City” by connecting people with their environments and their city. Large corporations and the general public are provided with a new perspective on data and information. The custom online platform has more than 9,000 registered users and more than 1,900 unique sensors for gathering data. Provided is an expansion in the amount and variety of information that is readily available for everybody to use, whether it be for city development or general knowledge of the area for residents and tourists.
Shared Streets
Washington D.C. – The Wharf, a new mixed use development in southwest Washington D.C. embodies the largest shared space in the United States. The new mixed use development spans 60 feet wide and stretches several blocks. The right of way allows for controlled vehicular traffic, but ultimately favors pedestrians. Vehicles are rather restricted but are not forbidden, accommodating mostly for truck deliveries to shops on Wharf Street. Wharf Street includes “an array of street furniture, granite bollards, stripes of pavement and other design features visibly making the pedestrian at home and discouraging vehicle speed. The street is even served by a cycletrack.”
Drachten, Netherlands – Dutch engineer Hans Monderman implemented a shared space program in the Dutch town of Drachten, which included eliminating not only the traffic lights but virtually every other traffic control system, which left behind an inviting town square. As a result of Monderman’s strategy, there was less congestion, quicker buses, half as many accidents, more hand signals and communication, and smoother traffic flows.
“For decades, traffic engineers have pursued, with the best of intentions, an impossible goal: the elimination of accidents. Monderman questioned how safe this kind of safety was. More fundamentally, he asked if mature automobile societies could, in essence, act like adults.”
Australia – John Mongard Landscape architects’ shared space project on the main street of Gladstone and Queensland is a 10 kilometer shared zone aimed at pedestrian reclaimed streets. This shared zone limits vehicle speeds to 15-20 kph to allow drivers to establish eye contact with pedestrians and cyclists in addition to observing the street life around them. Road signage, center lines, and traffic lines have been removed to increase driver awareness, “as uncertainty stimulates a cautious approach.” Additionally, the shared space development includes road texture treatments, both visual and haptic, kerb removal for seamless footpath, road integration, and the road width narrowed and alignment changes as important psychological indicators.