Shared space is becoming an increasingly well-accepted approach to street design, pursuing the improvement of the uses of the street on foot without restricting other modes of movement. This approach introduces some degree of uncertainty about the application of the traffic rules by minimising traffic signs and conventional physical demarcations in order to enable the different users to share the road space and negotiate their movement through and across. Despite existing evidence on reducing traffic accidents and casualties, this type of street design has remained an unorthodox approach. This article addresses the key issues of road safety, user comfort and revitalization aspects of the shared space, raised in the last decade with a focus on the pedestrian users. Based on the analysis of the layout, performance and user perception of six study areas, evidence reveals how these schemes affect safety, comfort, conventional spatial distribution/hierarchy of users, and the public life.
Los cascos históricos representan la forma tradicional sobre la que se ha construido el paradigma de la ciudad compacta, densa y diversa, y, de forma más amplia, el modelo de ciudad sostenible. No obstante, se plantea en qué medida los problemas y retos a los que se enfrentan estos espacios garantizan un desarrollo urbano sostenible. Al mismo tiempo, ¿cuáles son los retos y cómo avanzar hacia el desarrollo sostenible en formas urbanas compactas como son los cascos históricos con fuerte actividad turística? Responder a estas preguntas es el objetivo primordial de la investigación. Para ello, empleamos una metodología hipotético-deductiva y recurrimos a la revisión literaria y a la utilización de datos de diferentes fuentes, incluyendo el trabajo de campo y la observación directa. En los resultados, se realiza la revisión de los marcos y planteamientos principales en los que se ha movido la intervención en cascos históricos en España y se señalan las dinámicas más importantes en curso, contrastándolas con el estudio de caso de Toledo. Se destacan dos conclusiones: uno, el desajuste entre el carácter sostenible del modelo espacial y la emergencia de un modelo insostenible en el plano funcional y socioeconómico, y dos, la necesidad de revertir dicho desfase mediante una mayor coordinación entre administraciones y políticas sectoriales y una mejor regulación y control. Esta práctica contribuye a la comprensión de los cascos históricos en el presente.
No abstract
The UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for the provision of universal access to: (a) safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces, and (b) safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all. The Barcelona green axes plan aims to transform one third of the streets within its 19th century extension grid, increasing the tree cover and the vegetation, adopting sustainable urban drainage systems, limiting motor traffic, and providing a safer and more comfortable environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and other social activities in healthier environments. These transformations become even greater at the intersection of the axes, where former traffic junctions are becoming squares and urban gardens. This study gives an in-depth analysis of the origins of the superblocks plan, the rationale behind the transformation, and the implementation process. The GIS-based analysis shows how the green axes and the new square gardens (a) transform the city’s disconnected urban green areas into a more interconnected green infrastructure system, and (b) significantly increase accessibility to green areas. The study reveals this strategy’s potential to create a city of proximity, improve the well-being of the population, and build a more equitable city, which could be a useful tool for planning and decision making at both city and regional levels.
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