Two of the crucial concepts behind successful place making are community and transport. Pedestrian, bike riding and public transport facilities are the three modes that are highly encouraged in place making design. All three have their benefits over cars- reduced pollution, noise, congestion etc. These also have implicit social benefits- cleaner air, less stressful traffic conditions and encouragement of physical activity.
However the links between a scene of community and traffic may have not been so widely considered. Donald Appleyard’s book ‘Liveable Streets’ (1981) sheds much light on the social benefits of reducing car dependency. This short video by Street Films illustrates Appleyard’s key findings. For example, residents of streets with light traffic have approximately three times more friends and twice as many acquaintances as the residence on streets with heavy traffic. Additionally, the areas within their neighborhoods that people felt were ‘theirs’ significantly reduced as traffic increased.
Click on the link below to check it out!
http://www.streetfilms.org/revisiting-donald-appleyards-livable-streets/
Great Video – thanks! Some very simple priciples that are easy to recall when confronted by the usual development practice.