i + D - May/June 2020 - 47
"The street network
is the largest category
of publicly owned space
in any city, so that's the
obvious spot to steal
some space."
-JEFF CUTLER, SPACE2PLACE
Space2place designed
East Fraser Lands Park in
Vancouver to enhance the
unique qualities of living
in a riverfront community.
(Image: Courtesy of space2place)
Landscape architects have advocated for years to
put cities on a "road diet." The idea is to shrink
the amount of space devoted to cars and allocate
it to more environmentally friendly purposes,
such as bike lanes, space for pedestrians, tree
plantings, and bioswales for stormwater filtration.
Cutler believes-or at least hopes-that current
circumstances will give further credence to this
cause. He predicts that public transportation use
will remain low for the foreseeable future due
to crowding concerns, which could lead to an
increase in cars on the road. On the other hand, if
more people are working from home and opting
to have groceries and other goods delivered,
traffic and parking demand may actually diminish,
especially if walking and cycling are encouraged.
As of early May, Cutler says the Vancouver City Council was considering a
motion to close streets in certain commercial districts, at least temporarily,
to allow for this sort of repurposing of space. One of the main motivations
for civic leaders, he says, is to allow restaurants to set up tables in the
right-of-way in order to accommodate more socially distanced seating than
they could within their walls. Many other cities around the world are already
experimenting with this model. The whole street does not need to close; in
many instances, significant space can be obtained simply by appropriating
on-street parking areas.
"Take away street parking, and you more than double the sidewalk
area," says Cutler. "When we've proposed this as part of streetscape
transformations on past projects, business owners tended to express
concern that they're going to lose customers because people can't park
right in front of the store. Often after the transformation is complete,
however, it turns out to be good for business. We're seeing municipalities
trying out these things on a temporary basis out of necessity, but maybe
that will create momentum to keep it that way in the future."
47
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i + D - May/June 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i + D - May/June 2020
i + D - May/June 2020 - Cover1
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i + D - May/June 2020 - Cover3
i + D - May/June 2020 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/asid/asid/design_product_guide_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/id/20211112
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/id/20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/asid/design_product_guide
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/id/20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/id/20200506_french
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/id/20190708_french
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/id/20190506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/id/20180506
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