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Or, who do we actually want to invite into our streets and spaces?

“Walking is first and foremost a type of transportation, a way to get around, but it also provides an informal and uncomplicated possibility for being present in the public environment. One walks to do an errand, to see the surroundings, or just to walk, all in one process – or in three.” – Jan Gehl

One more call for all those involved in street design to check the user hierarchy and implement MfS.

Because, as we all know: we get what we invite.

Get the juice in this week’s Sketch…

#manualforstreets #walking #publictransport #jangehl #janejacobs #placemaking

Or, can we finally decide what we truly want our public realm to be like?

“30mph where people live, work and play is akin to indoor smoking. When it is no more, we will look back and wonder how we tolerated such a harmful situation for so long.” – Guy Hodgson

To quote the brilliant Jan Gehl once again: you get what you invite.

And it seems that currently we want to continue to invite dangerous vehicles into our public realm, all the while saying we want safe streets.

Well, which is it to be?

The cute pavement café or a six-lane vehicle sewer?

Find out in the latest Sketch…

#motonormativity #20mph #jangehl #urbandesign #ozempicforcars

Or, how Andy might turn the tide on oversized “cars”

“Buying whatever vehicle we like and driving it wherever and whenever we please without having to think about the consequences for other people, has become normalised and ingrained across our society over decades.” – Prof Ian Walker, University of Swansea

Another swipe this week at the nonsense that is our love affair with the SUV.

But could there be a change of direction on the horizon?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#SUV #motonormativity #andyburnham #beenetwork #publictransport

Or, can the UDG get their guidance into the right hands?

“We must stop measuring success solely by the number of homes delivered and start measuring it by the strength of the communities created.” – Hannah Smart

Another report has been published to stop the rot of nowheresville development.

But: can it actually turn the tide?

Get the lowdown in the latest Sketch…

#udg #urbandesigngroup #masstransittaskforce

Or, yet another call to support the evening and night-time economies

“The existing entertainment venue regulations date back to the last century when legislature and the authorities decided to lump together as shady everything that happened in the evenings, from red-light districts, to strip bars, game halls, and music clubs, considering this incompatible with residential areas and families.” – Marc Wohlrabe

Our evening and night-time economies are suffering, not just here in the UK but also abroad. Sometimes it’s a use-class issue, at other times, the taxation, planning and transport systems are to blame.

Whilst government can address those issues it’s also important that we “use it or lose it”!

Find out why in the latest Sketch…

#eveningeconomy #nighttimeeconomy #publictransport #bus #pubs

Or, why the time has come for mandatory street design guidance

“For those of us working in towns and cities at the time in 2007, it felt like a small revolution. Here was a government document which said — plainly and without embarrassment — that streets were not just corridors for traffic, but places where people live. That design speed mattered more than posted speed. That geometry could respond to context. That safety did not have to mean ever-wider roads. For a while, it changed things. But over time something else happened: Manual for Streets became guidance; guidance became optional; optional became ignorable. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, the old standards crept back in.” – Christopher Martin

Is it finally time to get dead serious about street design?

I think so.

Find out why in this week’s Sketch…

#streets #manualforstreets #manualforstreets3 #dmrb

Or, how cities thrive when women are in charge

“Across the world we see that cities whose decision-makers truly reflect the diversity of the places they represent are more likely to have public spaces and mobility infrastructure that benefit the lives of everyone.” – Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett

Could it be that when it comes to getting about and feeling safe, having a woman in charge could actually be a good thing?

Find out in the latest Sketch…

#urbandesign #women #superblocks #janejacobs

Or, what the Iran war can teach us about getting about

“The prime minister is telling us to leave the car at home and take public transport to work if possible, but the idea that people can just hop on a bus instead is just totally unrealistic” – Dr Kurt Iverson, University of Sydney

If petrol is now too expensive, no problem: just get the bus!

But, back in the real world, is it really as simple as that?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#trams #publictransport #simonmunnery

Or, the importance of embedding walking and cycling in the design of our new towns

“What’s missing in the rest of the world is courage. Mayors could say: ‘This is my opportunity [to leave a] legacy,’ but most will not dare.” – Audrey de Nazelle

In Paris, cycling has been embraced to the max under the mayorship of Anne Hidalgo.

There’s a city that regardless of the backlash, has done much to shake its “car-centric reputation.”

Can we do the same here?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#transport #manualforstreets3 #placemaking #cycling #15minutecity #groningen

Or, can we really deliver safer streets for women and girls?

“For too many people in this country, walking is not simple or straightforward. For too many, particularly women and girls, it comes with a calculation – a constant, exhausting mental calculation – about safety, lighting, routes and risk. Rather than get excited about the destination, too many are forced to fret about the journey.” – Lilian Greenwood

It turns out there actually is an overlap between placemaking and the VAWG Strategy!

But, are there enough women in the placemaking professions to push the agenda for women-centric streets or are we just going to end up with more DMRB nonsense?

Get all the juice in this week’s Sketch!

#placemaking #activetravelengland #vawg #manualforstreets #mfs3 #nppf #vawgstrategy #paris