The choices for a more sustainable city are quite sparse and politically they are much harder to promote as the allure of building more road capacity remains very high. Cities based on freeway's are often accompanied by a dependency on private cars. This is because freeways and greater vehicle speeds go hand-in-hand, and catalyse urban expansion out towards low density areas.
If on the other hand a city does not encourage freeway development and instead promotes streetscape design, roads are likely to contribute much more significantly to sustainable transport solutions. Instead of favouring vehicle flow, streets can favour a multiplicity of purposes for pedestrians, and cater for cyclists and public transport initiatives. Many of Australia’s main cities such as Adelaide are pleasantly surprised with how pedestrian strategy initiatives such as this have made their cities more attractive and business-friendly. (McCarthy, C. 2007).
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| Pedestrian zones make Adelaide is more attractive and business-friendly. (McCarthy, C. 2007). |
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| Pedestrian malls make Adelaide is more attractive and business-friendly. (McCarthy, C. 2007). |
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Pedestrian zones make Adelaide is more attractive and business-friendly. (McCarthy, C. 2007).
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For the past two and a half years, most of my evenings have ended with a walk down Queen Street and during this time, I have become much more aware of my surroundings and of what Auckland City is doing to accommodate pedestrians. Recently I have witnessed such development taking place deep within the heart of Auckland City where a shared space had been developed on Darby Street, and progress is still underway on Fort Street. While I am a firm believer that shared streets are host to significant benefits such as enhancing a cities liveability, some (probably motorists) argue that they are hazardous due to the close proximity of pedestrians and vehicles. I believe that a ‘safe space’ dedicated purely to pedestrians is a much more effective means of tackling Auckland’s congestion issues as roadspaces are replaced completely, thereby eliminating congestion in that particular area altogether.
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| The finished product of Fort Streets shared vehicle-pedestrian area. (Auckland Council. 2011). |
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| Darby Streets shared pedestrian-vehicle area. (Auckland Council. 2011). |
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| Darby Streets completed shared pedestrian-vehicle area. (Auckland Transport Blog. 2011). |
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| Construction of Fort Streets shared street. (Auckland Transport Blog. 2011). |
With this changed approach to city planning the small scale systems of pedestrian movement and cycling is to become much more important. Pedestrian strategies in the heart of Auckland City have given it priority to the most fundamental of human interactions, the walking-based face-to-face contact, that gives human life to a city and in the process reduces ecological footprint. While Queen Street has undertaken a number of initiatives that involve this principle, I personally believe that it has the ability blossom and function effectively as an area that is shared more evenly by pedestrians and motorists, or is fully pedestrianised.
Ideas from:
http://messenger-news.whereilive.com.au/blogs/story/thinker-has-the-right-idea/
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