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How Shared Space Challenges Conventional Thinking about Transportation Design

James G. Hanley & Norman Garrick, 16 December 2010, Planetizen



Shared streets -- the idea that pedestrians, bikes and cars can all navigate together in the same space -- is a fundamental rethinking of the underlying philosophy related to the design and operation of transportation facilities, write Norman W. Garrick and James G. Hanley.

 

Shared streets -- the idea that pedestrians, bikes and cars can all navigate together in the same space -- is a fundamental rethinking of the underlying philosophy related to the design and operation of transportation facilities, write Norman W. Garrick and James G. Hanley.



Before he died in 2008, the great Dutch street designer and engineer, Hans Monderman, re-introduced to the world the concept of shared spaces as the appropriate basis for designing urban streets. Shared space is based on the idea of self enforcing use of public spaces by different types of users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit and private vehicle operators. The idea has caught the imagination of some designers in the USA, but it is still largely treated as a design style rather than for what it really is – a fundamental rethinking of the underlying philosophy related to the design and operation of transportation facilities.



According to Monderman there are two distinct approaches to transportation design - one is appropriate to situations where human interaction is expected and desired. He refers to this approach as 'context time' design, where social rules govern. The second approach is applicable in high-speed situations where regulation and uniformity are essential if mayhem is not to ensue – Monderman refers to this situation as 'system time' design.



The important difference between the two approaches is that in 'context time' human interaction is what counts the most for smooth operation. In such cases, behavior should not be overly regulated by signs, lines, barriers, signals or other mechanical methods. In cities, we see 'context time' or socially regulated behavior in all kinds of situations – people stand on the right and walk on the left on escalators, they hold the door an extra beat for the person following behind, and in a busy space they are good at adjusting their paths so as not to collide with the person going in the opposite direction. There often is no need for a third party to regulate traffic in a well-designed space like the great hall of Grand Central Station – 'context time' governs and allow for the efficient and pleasurable use of the space.



In other situations, however, this would be a disastrous. On a freeway or on the runways at any airport we need order and predictability. In such impersonal and single functioning types of environment 'system time' is mandatory. Order and regulation must be strictly enforced in such high speed, mechanical environments. Thus 'system time' is an appropriate design response for many situations in modern life. The trick is to be able to tell the difference.

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