IN-PERSON London. Section A

Abstract

Cities face a range of major transport challenges. Traditionally these have included reducing congestion, air pollution and traffic accidents; and, more recently, supporting the decarbonisation of urban mobility. The OECD , among others, has recognised the central role of roadspace reallocation in meeting these objectives. But very few cities or countries have developed comprehensive guidance on how to reallocate roadspace in cities; most provide detailed modal guidance (e.g. for cyclists, or public transport needs), but do not consider the trade-offs that need to be made in most traditional urban areas, where space on main roads is limited, nor do they give so much consideration to the need to cater for street activities. The paper presents key findings from the EU Horizon 2020 project ‘MORE’ , that developed a comprehensive set of principles and co-design processes, which were successfully applied on busy case study streets in five European cities. Starting with the notion of the street as an ‘’ecosystem, with various interdependent and mutually supportive elements, it goes on to consider the various functions that streets perform (and need to be designed for), not just in terms of accommodating motor traffic, but more broadly in terms of ‘movement’ (of people and goods) and ‘place’ – treating the street as a destination. A comprehensive, eight-step co-design process is then described, enabling a wide range of stakeholders to become directly involved in generating design options. Practical examples of street redesigns are provided.