A sustainable strategy for Open Streets in (post)pandemic cities

Cities world-wide have taken the opportunity presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to improve and expand pedestrian infrastructure, providing residents with a sense of relief and pursuing long-standing goals to decrease automobile dependence and increase walkability. So far, due to a scarcity of data and methodological shortcomings, these efforts have lacked the system-level view of treating sidewalks as a network. Here, we leverage sidewalk data from ten cities in three continents, to first analyse the distribution of sidewalk and roadbed geometries, and find that cities present an unbalanced distribution of public space, favouring automobiles at the expense of pedestrians. Next, we connect these geometries to build a sidewalk network –adjacent, but irreducible to the road network. Finally, we compare a no-intervention scenario with a shared-effort heuristic, in relation to the performance of sidewalk infrastructures to guarantee physical distancing. The heuristic prevents the sidewalk connectivity breakdown, while preserving the road network’s functionality.

Infrascape urbanism: beyond the landscape of linear city

Across a breadth of disciplines, the criticism of automobile dependence and the re-conceptualization of mass transit infrastructure have become critical matters of concern. This thesis recognizes these concerns as architectural issues, and argues that design methodology can integrate solutions which respond to the challenges of our decentralized and fragmented urban landscape. The following thesis is an investigation of the relationship between infrastructure and architecture, which explores and identifies opportunities within the unique challenges posed by transportation within the context of the rapid densification of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area. Rather than subscribing to the utilitarian foundation of infrastructure, this thesis recognizes the significant design potential within this operative system and morphology. In doing so, the thesis project proposes a disciplinary hybrid, which calibrates and synthesizes landscape, infrastructure and architecture.

Infrascape urbanism: beyond the landscape of linear city

Across a breadth of disciplines, the criticism of automobile dependence and the re-conceptualization of mass transit infrastructure have become critical matters of concern. This thesis recognizes these concerns as architectural issues, and argues that design methodology can integrate solutions which respond to the challenges of our decentralized and fragmented urban landscape. The following thesis is an investigation of the relationship between infrastructure and architecture, which explores and identifies opportunities within the unique challenges posed by transportation within the context of the rapid densification of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area. Rather than subscribing to the utilitarian foundation of infrastructure, this thesis recognizes the significant design potential within this operative system and morphology. In doing so, the thesis project proposes a disciplinary hybrid, which calibrates and synthesizes landscape, infrastructure and architecture.

Greenways and Sustainable Urban Mobility Systems

This chapter describes how greenways can be a constituent of sustainable urban mobility (SUM) systems that reduce automobile dependence while simultaneously having positive environmental and social co-benefits. It begins by providing a brief background on the harmful effects of automobile dependency. A chronological review of the evolution of greenways as a typology, divided into five generations starting from pre-1900 until today, demonstrates how various economic, political, environmental, and social factors have shaped blue-green corridors in different cities, mainly in English-speaking countries. The discussion then focuses on the integration process between greenways and SUM planning, as well as highlighting some of the planning challenges and opportunities of (re)developing greenways to support as non-motorized transport corridors. By critically analyzing the evolution of greenways in relation to urban mobility and their integration process, this chapter supports green space, transport, and design professionals to work toward a shared vision of sustainable cities.

Developing Transportation Engineering and Planning Metrics for Rural Volunteer Driver Programs

Car-based volunteer driver programs have emerged as important providers of transportation in many rural and low-density locations in which automobile dependence is high and transit access is negligible. The degree of this importance is not known, yet it can be expected that demand for these services will increase commensurate with the transportation needs of the aging population. The challenge remains that there is limited technical guidance for existing and new programs to anticipate and respond to the anticipated increases in travel demand from an aging population. It is also unclear how these programs can fit into transportation engineering and planning. This paper presents aggregate results of travel data collected for one year using a uniform data reporting approach by seven car-based volunteer driver programs in New Brunswick, Canada. Users 65 years and older accounted for 49–65% of members, and programs on average made 2.0 stops (trip end) per drive (trip chain), drove 39 km per stop, 61 km per drive, and had an occupancy of 1.5 riders per drive. A total of 88% of drives had 3 or fewer stops, and one drive was cancelled for every 10–11 offered. A total of 49.3% of all stops (excluding home) were for health purposes, with 20.7% for education/work. Seasonal, daily, and hourly trends were observed. Volunteers in groups with <100 riders provided more hours/drive but fewer hours/year than those in larger groups. These data can provide a basis for a more sophisticated approach to program planning and could be useful in forecasting for future demand.

Exploring automobile dependency of housing estate residents and kampung dwellers in suburban Bandung, Indonesia

Housing and transportation has become a pair of factors when it comes to decision of buying a house for the middle-income. This particular group of society is unique as they are aspired to luxury yet with limited affordability, particularly in the developing countries such as Indonesia. In many cases, housing estates are built in the form similar to gated community. Built in the suburban when usually the new housing estates are located quite in far distance to facilities, the residents are forced to own private vehicle(s) to conduct their daily activities. This situation shows the tendency of automobile dependence (Newman & Kenworthy, 1996; 1999). It has also been reflected in the vehicle ownership statistics figures and the notorious traffic congestion of Indonesian cities. The middle-income housing and their gated community has not only impacted their own travel pattern but also the residents living in kampung adjacent to their housing estate. Kampung dwellers have also reflected the middle-income characteristics with their lifestyle and automobile dependence. It has become eminent in suburban Bandung where pockets of kampung are found to be hidden amidst the housing estates whilst cars are parked on the roadsides. This is problematic in terms of affordability where they cannot really afford to own a car or motorbike as well as to rent a parking space since they usually live in small houses at kampung. To understand the above phenomenon, this paper tries to explore the extent of automobile dependency of the residents living at housing estate and its adjacent kampung at three locations. Data collected from questionnaires and group interviews are descriptively analysed. Results have shown that most residents travel in far distance to reach their job location but do not travel in far distance to conduct their shopping, studying, and exercise activities though some of them own a motorbike. The latter is due to the presence of mobile green grocers, warung, traditional markets, good quality schools, sport facilities and open spaces within walking distance to their houses. However, these nearby facilities are regularly visited mostly because the residents can travel within shorter distance through access points made available for public use. These access points help to create a network of alleys and streets connecting kampung and these facilities through the housing estates. When these access points are restricted or non-existed, the travel pattern would differ as has been uttered by the kampung dwellers. In one of the cases, the following disconnections between the kampung alleys and streets of housing estates have made the kampung dwellers altered either the location or the transportation mode of their activities. There are lessons to be learned from these travel patterns. Housing estate development shall always have access to the kampung that have existed and vice versa. Such spatial connections may contribute to a change of travel behaviour from automobile dependence to active travel. However, it should be kept in mind that these results may not be generally applicable to other places with different socio-economic and spatial characters. Further work in the field may be benefited from more cases and larger population sample.