Streets as Places

Abstract

This graduation thesis concerns the reintegration and reinterpretationof infrastructure in the urban landscape. Since the Industrial Revolution,people and cities have become more dependent on cars, and by the mid-20th century, infrastructure moved toward being a component of trafficmanagement, instead of urbanism. In urban situation, this caused barriers andisolated spaces, breaking up the fine grained pedestrian network. The cardependent city has serious consequences for health, social connectednessand the environment.In the research location Toronto, large infrastructural elements are imposingthemselves as a barrier between the city and the waterfront. In order toreconnect the city to its Waterfront, streets need to be rediscovered as socialspace and the balance between a street as ‘movement space; and ‘socialspace’ has to be restored. ‘Walkability‘ is the key. A theoretical framework on‘Access & Linkage’ and ‘Placemaking’ will support the design for a succesfulpedestrian network in the city.A new pedestrian network, supported by an intensive and diverse land-use,connects landmarks, parks and attractive facilities in the area, and offers manyopportunities for people to meet, relax, play, run, do sports, and so on. Thedesign will attract public life and contribute to an active lifestyle, with positiveresults for health and social connectedness. The project can serve as anexample for other car dominated cities or for other areas in Toronto whereinfrastructure is causing problems and limits the walkability of the city. When walkability is applied in more cities in the world, this will have positiveresults on the environment.