The Urban Sketch Writer

Tag: UDG

  • Car dependency, sustainability and cycling in Copenhagen

    Car dependency, sustainability and cycling in Copenhagen

    [This content first appeared on LinkedIn on 4 December 2024]

    I note this week The New Economics Foundation have recently published a report entitled: Trapped Behind The Wheel – How England’s New Builds Lock Us Into Car Dependency.

    The UDG have conveniently summarized some of the main findings in their latest Urban Update. The drivers (no pun intended) behind this trend include:

    • Land value and condition, which favour cheaper greenfield land in a profit-driven housing development system
    • Relatively lower levels of local political opposition to new developments in more remote areas
    • A lack of early, integrated planning of transport, housing, and development sites, reinforced by substantial underfunding of public planning departments
    • Top-down local housing targets that act in combination with the factors above to produce development in the wrong places for sustainable transport

    To my mind, the third bullet is the kicker. 

    You simply cannot retrofit joined up active travel or public transport provision into a development. It has to be done upfront, at pre-app, in collaboration with all the relevant placemaking specialists who have hopefully read and understand Manual for Streets.

    There is clearly a huge disconnect between the incessant call for sustainable development and the regular use in a DAS of the words ‘active travel’ on the one hand and, the fact that, on the other, despite all the rhetoric, we still keep building in unsustainable locations, that are first and foremost car parks with houses squeezed in between. Any DAS that proudly proclaims a dual carriageway into a site as a ‘… formally designed… gateway’ is *checks notes* missing the point.

    Too much of what we’re approving and building just isn’t fit for sustainable purposes.

    I remember Jan Gehl in his ‘How to Build a Good City’ interview explaining how his then seven-year-old granddaughter, living in Copenhagen, could walk on her own all the way from home to school without ever having to step on a road due to the installation of continuous footways across side streets. What freedom and independence!

    Also, that his ten-year-old grandchildren are: “… allowed to go from one end of the city to the other because it is deemed safe for a little one who is ten and who has been bicycling around with mum and dad since they were five, now they can do it themselves. And that is very nice that you can be mobile early and also you can stay mobile a long time after the doctor has taken away your driver’s licence.” Something to ponder.

    Yet seven years on from his interview, we still can’t negotiate a dedicated cycle lane or 3m radii on a side road junction or a 20mph design speed (BfHL) let alone a continuous pavement, because a driver might get mad or a bin lorry might have to *gasp* cross into the opposite lane to make a turn.

    We have a long way to go, folks. Or maybe we should just move to Copenhagen.

    #placemaking #streets #streetdesign #cycling #cyclelanes #publictransport #jangehl #udg

  • Safety, public transport and the fabulous Jane Jacobs

    Safety, public transport and the fabulous Jane Jacobs

    [This content first appeared on LinkedIn on 13 November 2024]

    Ha! Who knew? I haven’t just been talking off the top of my head for two weeks! An Urban Update from the UDG (Urban Design Group) referenced an article from Cities entitled: ‘Women’s perceived safety in public places and public transport: A narrative review of contributing factors and measurement methods’.

    I couldn’t make it up – certainly not a title that dry. But there we have it – women’s safety and public transport covered in one hit! And a call for tree-lined, actively peopled streets into the bargain!

    According to the UDG’s summary of the report (see bullets below), the key findings will quite frankly be of no surprise whatsoever to anyone who works as a placemaker with a duty of care to the public:

    • Street Lighting and Crime Fear: Many studies focus on how lighting affects safety, especially for women at night. Brighter lighting often lowers fear of crime and increases confidence in using public spaces, but lighting alone doesn’t fully address the underlying anxieties people may have about safety.
    • Visibility and Openness: High visibility in public areas allows people to see their surroundings more clearly, which can reduce fear. Open areas without concealed spots make streets feel safer. By contrast, poorly lit areas with hidden spaces increase feelings of vulnerability, especially for women walking alone at night.
    • Role of Surveillance: CCTV cameras are common, but studies show they don’t directly improve feelings of safety. Women tend to prefer visible police patrols over video surveillance for a greater sense of security.
    • Complexity of Safety Perception: Personal safety feelings result from various factors, including physical environment, social context, and individual characteristics. Personal experiences and anxiety levels also influence how safe a person feels in different settings.
    • Impact of the Walking Environment: Walking through clean, tree-lined streets with active shops and people generally feels safer. Conversely, litter, graffiti, and low activity areas lower perceived safety. Familiarity also matters—women feel safer in areas they know well, especially if they are well-lit and well-maintained.

    I’ve been droning on about these things ad nauseam for years: sorry not sorry.

    On the subject of the walking environment, which covers all the preceding bullets, we can do so. much. more.

    I demand a return to the street-based urbanism of Jane Jacobs – short blocks, mixed use, eyes on the street etc. Simple stuff… but sooo effective. And beneficial to all – not just women.

    To deter anti-social behaviour we must have streets that encourage more people to be out and about. 

    More people out and about = streets that become self-policing.

    Self-policing streets = streets that are safer for all.

    A virtuous circle.

    But until these self-policing streets become the default design norm, keep your phones and keys at the ready, ladies.

    Amirite?

    #urbandesign #placemaking #UDG #urbandesigngroup #streets #streetdesign #janejacobs #amirite