People-oriented Street Design

Abstract

Improving the quality of urban spaces has always been the central concern for the urban designers. Street as the typical type of public spaces comprises more than 80% of public space in cities, but they often fail to provide a space where people can safely walk, bicycle and socialize, this mainly because cars dramatically occupies most street spaces, street is no longer a social space but just traffic corridor. Automated vehicle as the new technological regime will allow organizing transport supply in a radically different way, especially when fully automated vehicle are applied. Peple will be released from drving and road infrstructure will also change. It is a huge opportunity to bring street back to more people-oriented design.

I choose Amsterdam-zuidoost, a typical area with low quality of street as my design target, trying to be an eye-opener to figure out To what extent and in what way can automated vehicle be a trigger to transform automobile-oriented street into people-oriented street when 100% used.

I build up my two extreme scenarios according to different policy, also street protypes under these two scenarios. In scenario 1, SYMBIOSIS STREET,we can see a more vivid future street with diverse functions and activities, also more sustainable environment. If we are lead to this condition, strict rules for AVs and our travel behavior should be accepted, apart from this, more taxes regarding travel miles, ownership will also be inevitable.On the other hand, we will have more efficient and convenient public transport system, more equal society and less social segragation. While this needs Top-down policy and coorperation of AV companies and everyone of us. In scenario 2,FLUID STREET, there will be freedom for everyone to choose their own way to travel, loose policy will encourage indivadual ownership and long travel miles and time on streets. To garuntee the efficiency and safety, there will be no more interactions between people and AVs, people will across street by cars, moving projects provide them with everything and space they need for daily life, their activities actually are restricted in cars, their neighborhoods and different buildings. This kind of new lifestyle makes people rely much more on vehicles, causing privacy and internect safety concerns, and it is unfair for people who cannot afford AVs and rely on public transportation. If we let AVs go, this is probably our future. And it is our choose to lead to which senario.