IM VIADUKT - Zurich (April 2012)
I thought this was a really nice reuse of space in a cross section of mainly residential streets in Zurich. It’s a great example of how hard infrastructure can be made permeable and integrated into the local neighbourhood, converting it from a dead, border vacuum type of space (of the type Jane Jacobs discussed) into a living part of the neighbourhood.
The only thing I felt was disappointing about the development was the tenant mix. Although for the most part it consisted of independents, the majority of them sold high end, high price products and the whole thing had an air of exclusiveness.
There is a good series of photos, plans etc on the architect’s website here, some great shots of the arches during the day and night on the IM VIADUKT website here and a brochure for the development here.
In large cities like London where land is expensive, the spaces created by viaducts provide an ideal place for the more awkward, less commercially attractive but vital businesses in the city - catering companies, bakeries, hardware shops, car, bike or motorbike shops, car parks, pop-up clubs, restaurants and bars. Their size and slightly off the beaten track location also makes them cheaper to rent. However in London there aren’t many that have a coherent strategy like IM VIADUKT that could make them more identifiable places that positively contribute to local neighbourhoods and streetscapes. There are informal examples like Maltby Street/ Druid Street/ Spa Terminus which are getting a foodie reputation, with many arches being occupied by traders leaving Borough Market and the arches in Brixton but there is still a lot more potential to strengthen this. In Vauxhall for example where there is no main high street or focal point, a more considered strategy for their occupation could have been useful… But perhaps it is better that there isn’t a strategy - it leaves space and opportunity for the enterprises mentioned above that need cheap space, large footprints and central locations? What do you think?
NEA: Creative Placemaking
Creative Placemaking is a resource for mayors, arts organizations, the philanthropic sector, and others interested in understanding strategies for leveraging the arts to help shape and revitalize the physical, social, and economic character of neighborhoods, cities, and towns…
…Creative placemaking is one of the tools that mayors can use to tackle their design challenges, whether it is building artist live/work spaces in abandoned warehouses, designing youth employment programs around mentoring relationships with artists, or curating a performing arts series in urban public places.
New Windows on Willesden Green
On my to do list for tomorrow!
New Windows on Willesden Green is one of the Mayor’s Outer London Fund projects, which is being delivered for Brent Council and Design for London by The Architecture Foundation in collaboration with Meanwhile Space and Blue Consulting. This project is an exciting opportunity to revive and improve Willesden High Road bringing positive change to the area. The project runs from October 2011 to March 2012 and will be delivered in two phases.
Picture: Meanwhile Space
MCRcycling blog reports on the 5 Stages of Cycle Advocacy!
A great, funny piece from MCRcycling blog on the 5 Stages of Cycle Advocacy! I think we may all have been in one of these stages at one time or another!
1. Denial
“Cycling is awesome! I don’t get why so few of my friends or family ever get on their bikes.”
“All people really need is a bit of training to give them the skills to ride safely on the roads.”
“If we give out free breakfasts it’ll persuade people to cycle to work.”
“People just need some help learning how to adjust their gears and brakes, and how to fix punctures and they’ll be back on their bikes.”
“We just need to make people aware that cycling can save them money, make them healthier and is good for the environment and they’ll start cycling more instead of driving.”
“Cycling rates in [city/town] are up 4% this year!”
“When the price of oil hits [£X], cycling is really going to take off again.”
2. Anger
“Idiot nearly killed me, he won’t be laughing when the price of oil hits [£X] and he can’t afford to drive.”
“If I can be bothered to cycle, why can’t all these lazy sods get out of their cars too?”
3.Bargaining
“If we can get the cyclists who go through red to stop instead, then we will finally be respected as legitimate road users by the motorists.”
“If we all ride our bikes as if they were cars, then we will finally be respected as legitimate road users by the motorists.”
4. Depression
“I’m so sick of the hostile roads and dangerous and aggressive drivers. I can’t see myself still cycling like this in ten years time.”
“I’d love for the UK to be like The Netherlands, but there will never be the political will to do what they have done over here.”
5. Acceptance
“If we want significantly more people to cycle, we will have to make some radical changes to the road network.”
“It’ll be hard work, but we have to start reversing the damage if we ever want to make cycling feel safe and attractive for the average person.”
Another brilliant infographic illustrating the amount of street space required by bicycles, cars and buses to transport the same number of people. (Photo credit: Press office, City of Münster, Germany)
landscapearchitecture:
Muenster bike vs. car vs. bus vs. walking poster (by rllayman)
Jan Gehl on Good Cities for Bicycling
Definitely worth a weekend read! The Danish Cycling Embassy have published “Good Cities for Bicycling” an excerpt from Jan Gehl’s “Cities for People” that deals with creating good cities for cycling! It offers practical advice on what can and needs to be done to make cities fit for cycling!
Improvements to bicycle infrastructure are far cheaper and faster to implement than other infrastructural improvements and also give faster and longer payback!
In many cities, bicycle traffic continues to be not much more than political sweet talk, and bicycle infrastructure typically consists of unconnected stretches of paths here and there rather than the object of a genuine, wholehearted and useful approach. The invitation to bicycle is far from convincing. Typically in these cities only one or two percent of daily trips to the city are by bicycle, and bicycle traffic is dominated by young, athletic men on racing bikes. There is a yawning gap from that situation to a dedicated bicycle city like Copenhagen, where 37 percent of traffic to and from work or school is by bicycle. Here bicycle traffic is more sedate, bicycles are more comfortable, the majority of cyclists are women, and bicycle traffic includes all age groups from school children to senior citizens.
At a time when fossil fuel, pollution and problems with climate and health are increasingly becoming a global challenge, giving higher priority to bicycle traffic would seem like an obvious step to take. We need good cities to bike in and there are a great many cities where it would be simple and cheap to upgrade bicycle traffic.
…The cities that have successfully promoted bicycle traffic in recent decades can be tapped for good ideas and requirements for becoming a good bicycle city. Copenhagen is a compelling example of a city whose longstanding bicycle tradition came under threat from car traffic in the 1950s and 1960s. However, the oil crises in the 1970s were the catalyst for a targeted approach to inviting people to ride their bicycles more. And the message was received: today bicycles make up a considerable part of city traffic, and have helped keep vehicular traffic at an unusually low level compared to other large cities in Western Europe. The experiences from Copenhagen are used in the following to provide a platform for discussion about the good bicycle city.
