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

Tales from a Mega City

I’ve been fortunate to have visited some of the World’s mega-cities, like: London, Delhi, Lima, Rio de Janerio, but last week I was working in Chongqing in Western China. It’s not the obvious place that springs to mind when you think of the new cities that have sprouted as the BRIC countries transformed from agricultural to urban societies.

In fact Chongqing, although almost anonymous in the West, is predicted to be in the top ten of Most Dynamic Cities of 2025 (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010) based on the fact that it achieved a 418% growth in GDP in 2010. With its population of 15.7million (based on 2010 figures) it is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic cities on the planet. What is really staggering is that thirteen of McKinsey’s predicted top twenty cities are Chinese.

It is because of this startling growth that Chongqing feels different to the other global mega-cities that I have been to. All of the others have developed, to some degree, incrementally. Apart from very special historic buildings, there was no evidence in Chongqing of any districts or urban blocks that were older than 1990, whereas Rio and Delhi bear evidence of colonial post-war urbanism. 

Chongqing is growing so quickly it almost seems that there is a skyscraper and LED arms race currently enveloping the city (see video). 

Development on this scale is presenting China with some unique challenges. The contrast between town and country is stark and urban designers working in China will need to understand how to manage places, as well as build them.

By
James

The Significance of 'Place'

Sense of place, authenticity, branding and creativity.  

These are some of the themes that emerged from two conferences sponsored and attended by The Urbanists last week.

The International Maritime Heritage Conference in Cardiff explored the value of maritime heritage for the tourism industry in different locations around the world.  For the tourism industry, where a large part of the product is 'place', it seems logical that ‘place making’ is at the heart of strategies for growth.  But what was striking about the conference was the consistent message that the essence of a sense of place must be combined with creativity and expressed consistently to be effective.

Alan Clarke, CEO of Northern Ireland Tourist Board, suggested that cities need to be defined more and more by their stories, and went on to explain how this had been developed in 'Titanic Town' Belfast which has attracted over 500,000 visitors in its opening six months.  Similarly Steve White, President of Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea, referred to their shift from 'preserving' their maritime heritage to 'projecting' it to their visitors.  Visitor experience is key and at the heart of this must be an authentic and consistent message.  In this case branding is relates to the overall message and 'mindset' rather than the material that is put out to visitors.

These themes are not confined to capitalising on maritime heritage.  Indeed on the same day the annual Urban Design Group Conference in Oxford was debating the value of good design in face of the current challenging economic climate.  Here it was suggested that place making is an investment and should be treated as such in the allocation of time, funding and expertise. And it's the same message for our town centres; place making that responds to the unique characteristics of the location, its history and its people.

Neal's Yard, Covent Garden: form, creativity, activity and meaning produce a strong sense of place

There is a consistent message that the value of place making is as great as ever but also that the challenge of defining and capitalising on it should not be underestimated.   As urban designers we must continue to strive to create places of distinction and not blandness, safe in the knowledge that it does make a difference.  But we must not do it alone.  People are an important component of place and we must collaborate with local champions to foster greater authenticity and creative influences to interpret ideas.  

By Jen

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

'The Triangle' visit

Urbanists Jen  Heal and Chris Gentle recently joined the Centre for Regeneration Excellence Wales (CREW) on a trip to Swindon for a site visit and a series of presentations on ‘The Triangle’ development, designed by Kevin McCloud’s HAB

Kevin McCloud established HAB (Happiness Architecture Beauty) 5/6 years ago and wanted to challenge current suburban housing.  HAB teamed up with GreenSquare Housing Association and The Triangle is their first development project.

Green Square purchased the site with consent for 32 houses in a standard housing layout.  By redesigning the space, reducing the amount of road and parking, using terraced houses and slightly smaller back gardens the current layout provides 42 units, a large central communal space and two smaller spaces for community growing.

There is a sustainability focus in the development based on physical and social aspects.  HAB’s emphasis is on developments that are:

• Enjoyable
• Sustainable
• Architectural
• Profitable
• Contextual

The aim was to create a more sustainable development that didn’t require people to dramatically change the way they live and that cost close to normal industry budgets.

Features include:

• Hempcrete cladding to improve insulation
• A natural ventilation system that draws air through the house
• A built in ‘shimmy’ that is a smart metre, bus info, community info, car club booking point
• Car club and only one parking space per dwelling
• Growing areas with water pumps
• Edible landscape (although this wasn’t very evident)
• Gabion walls to hide bins and cars also attract biodiversity
• Residents signed up to only owning 1 car: Policy policed by GreeenSquare as landlords

Review:

• Principles of space design work well and could be replicated
• Efficient use of space – no left over spaces
• Good enclosure and natural surveillance of central space
• Like the concept of making ‘normal’ more sustainable
• Demonstrates what can be achieved on a regular budget and how higher density can create better places through more considered design
• Would it work without the management role that comes with HA?

Last thought

The Triangle is an attractive alternative to a more traditional suburbia. It is based on a masterplan that has created an intimate and communal development. This, according to residents we spoke to, engenders a strong sense of belonging and community spirit. 

Many of the principles adopted at the triangle could, potentially, be carried over to private sector housing, however, one the key principles that makes the place successful is the car ownership strategy. Setting a one car per household rule on a development under the control of a Housing Association is achievable but introducing a similar strategy to the private sector could prove to be impractical.

By Jen

Tactical Urbanists

By Lauren Brown

‘Tactical Urbanism’ has recently popped up on The Urbanists’ radar. It appears to be something that has been weaving its way across America in numerous forms for a number of years. In its simplest form Tactical Urbanism refers to alternative tactics for change in the built environment that ordinary people can initiate.

A group of urban planners and designers ‘The Street Plans Collaborative’ have summarised the extent of such initiatives in two publications - “Tactical Urbanism” Volumes 1 & 2. The publications examine case studies of implemented projects across America.

The majority of the case studies are focused around groups of friends, neighbours or local activists partaking in ‘guerrilla’ activities. Examples of these include improving unused green verges (‘guerrilla gardening’), turning recycled goods into street furniture and turning parking bays into urban parks. 

Left: Guerrilla gardening. Right: Temporary outdoor seating accommodating on-street parking

A large majority of the initiatives draw attention to the increased need to focus engagement and ‘doing’ at a local level as opposed to how engagement may be typically understood – merely as a chance to comment  on high-end large scale transformations. All of the projects included are quick and effective interventions that ordinary people can initiate and implement with or without organisational or political support. The highlighted projects are fun, swift and easy and have been implemented without any prior design, implementation or regulatory advice. 

Left: 'Weed-bombing' - painted weeds to look like flowers. Right: A Park(ing) day temporary park

A lot of the projects can provide useful precedents for community engagement and as a way of cheaply and effectively piloting planned long term improvements. ‘Intersection repair’ is a particularly good example of this. It is a community project born from a local desire to create a more unique place within the gridded sea of Portland’s grey intersections. A local action group facilitated local residents to get together with some tins of paint and create a simple, bright sunflower mural in the street, instantly creating a distinctive place with local meaning.

Intersection repair creates a distinctive neighbourhood environment
All images: Tactical Urbanism, The Street Plans Collaborative

Initiatives like this can prove low risk and high reward by evaluating the levels of need and use in order to establish if money is going to be well spent and a worthwhile investment where long term improvements may be planned. They provide local solutions to what could be a regional or national problem – in this case a lack of identity, poor neighbourhood image and problems with traffic.


This is relevant to the Urbanists' work at the moment, particularly in relation to some environmental improvement projects with some local RSL's. An important underpinning of this type of work is engagement with the local community and establishing ways to get local people involved with environmental changes in their area. This approach could minimise initial costs and risk for the RSL whilst establishing local ownership and highlighting the benefits to the local community. 

Tactical Urbanism is an interesting read and highlights some easy and effective short term projects that local authorities, associations and user groups can facilitate in order to improve towns, cities and neighbourhoods – even for just one day. Local communities taking control of their public realm results in both improved spaces and enhanced social cohesion. The impact of these initiatives could be even greater if the community have the support of designers, planners and other built environment professionals.

“I ride my bike through the sunflower intersection when I come home from work. It makes me happy” – If some paint on a road can make one person smile everyday then it has to be worth it?