Streets in the Sky for Cyclists

Having awoken from a Quality Street induced coma on the 2nd January, I fired up twitter to see with interest a proposal for an elevated cycling network in London from Foster and Partners. SkyCycle, hoisted above London's rail corridors would carry cyclists safely and swiftly through London, segregated from traffic. Like a High Line for cyclists. The mainstream media have picked up the story (Guardian, The Express and The Times) and from a glance appear to have reacted warmly to the proposal. 

Foster & Partners Vision of SkyCycle.

Yet the proposals are actually celebrity endorsement of a concept promoted back in the Autumn of 2012 by another architect, Sam Martin of Exterior Architecture (link to article in Daily Mail).

From the lay-persons perspective, what's not to like? SkyCycle offers the vision of being able to avoid potholed roads, not worry about left turning HGV's or having to become an aggressive cyclist as a form of self preservation. Sir Norman has also put a social spin on the vision; that SkyCycle could be used to enjoy cycling with friends as a leisure pursuit.

All of this is an alluring vision. Yet I'm concerned that many commentators are ignoring the cumulative impact of the details that could damage the connectivity and vitality at street level. The 200 access points, many of which will include ramps, will not be the easiest of structures to blend into a city. They are likely to jar against the places around them, whilst the transition points between the ramps and streets could become awkward junctions. This will probably occur because local highway authorities will apply their standard rulebooks to the interactions between different 'highway users' at these points. The results are unlikely to become celebrated places.

The other aspect of SkyCylce that concerns me is that it advocates the segregation of the City. With this we are at risk of returning to 'streets in the sky' (Le Corbusier) or 'graded separation of people and traffic' (Buchanan, Traffic in Towns, 1963).

1963 vision of traffic at street level and people on elevated walkways

It was exactly these notions that we have spent the last twenty-five years trying to unravel. (Ironically, it was the publication of Richard Rogers' Urban Task Force report in 1999 that validated the need to remake more British cities to become more humane and integrated).

If we learned anything from placemaking in the 20th century it is that cities work best when they are integrated at street level. 

Admittedly, space at street level in London is at a premium. Lessons from Copenhagen (which I visited on a cycling study tour last May) and Amsterdam can only translate so far because the street widths are often more generous. This means that we need to find new physical solutions that give people the confidence to cycle. Potentially, we might also consider adopting a similar legal framework to the one that exists in Denmark that presumes liability upon the driver in the event of a collision with a more vulnerable road user. The impact of this legal change upon street level interactions between drivers and cyclists in Copenhagen is enormous.

I'll be surprised if the SkyCycle concept is capable of withstanding further scrutiny. I'll be equally taken aback if this vision, beneath the glossy image, offers something that is holistic and in tune with what makes places function. In fact, when it comes to superimposed infrastructure like SkyCycle, history proves the opposite.

By James Brown

Newport Superdragons

By Lauren Brown

A Public art initiative in Newport City Centre known as ‘Newport Superdragons’ first came to light in 2010 during a summer of activities based around the Ryder Cup. Artists were selected to each design their own Superdragon which would in turn be applied to a readymade fibreglass dragon sculpture. The project was a great success attracting visitors and local to follow the Superdragon Trail. At the end of the summer festival the Superdragons were auctioned off with the money going to charity and the successful bidder free to do with their dragon as they pleased!

Public art is something i have a general interest in and more importantly, something that the Urbanists feel is an important part of the townscape. We often suggest public art, be it temporary or permanent as a good way of engaging local people whilst injecting colour, interest and culture into streets and spaces.  I wanted to experience, first hand, the process behind a public art project – so i got involved and designed my very own Superdragon - my submitted design was successful and a 5ft fibreglass dragon was mine!

My dragon and many others were kept in an empty shop in the centre of Newport which acted as a public exhibition and workshop space. This was a successful approach which meant that artists could work together, establishing a creative community and members of the public could engage with the design process.

The most important part of the process which enables it to be successful is mostly centred around appropriate marketing of the project and retaining high levels of public engagement throughout. Allowing local businesses the opportunity to sponsor a dragon means that there are multiple levels of interest in the project. It appears that the Newport Superdragons are now becoming a tourist attraction in their own right and have generated increased visitors into Newport City Centre.

It’s astonishing how every single dragon is completely unique, with very few displaying any similar characteristics what so ever.  The 60 personalities are now dotted around Newport City Centre and have added vitality, colour, character and interest to our streets and spaces.

Evolution of the superdragon

Mine was sponsored by the South Wales Argus (argus news story) due its very strong connections with Newport. The dragon features an abstract street map of Newport highlighting key buildings, landmarks and features within the city centre. The plan cross references to photographs and sketches of a selection of the city’s most impressive historical and contemporary architecture. It was very time consuming but i thoroughly enjoyed the process and the amount of appreciation i received for the finished piece. I’m looking forward to trying my hand at Superdragons 3 and potentially other similar projects in the near future! 

By Lauren