Street Experiments Tool - SET’s Post

“The city is growing. The space is not.” - Melanie van der Horst, Amsterdam’s Deputy Mayor 🚲 In 4 months, City of Amsterdam along with 28 other Dutch municipalities will introduce a zero emission zone. The central area inside the S100 ring road will be closed for below 5 class diesel cars and the A10 will have limited access. Amsterdam is considered Europe's most friendly city for cyclists. 🚔 However it wasn't always the case. In the 70s the city was full of cars stuck in traffic jams and suffered high amount of accidents. Pushed by worried parents, the regulators implemented a long-term plan to transform its city into safe, green and accessible space. 💪 Today's Amsterdam is the result of decades of work, planning and commitment. 👉 So today's steps towards cleaner air will undeniably lead to healthier residents, safer and more accessible space in the future.

I was so pleased to be able to attend the Urbanism Next conference in Amsterdam last week. There was a large focus on car lite cities, decarbonised urban freight solutions and a touch of AVs, digital twins and AI for good measure! Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon Amsterdam provided a great backdrop for these themes and I loved sharing reflections on similarities, but mostly major differences within the Australian context…. 🚗 Amsterdam recently introduced a 30km/h limit to over 80% of its network and after 6 months research shows 60% of residents are happy with the change. https://lnkd.in/gm_5ekGf 🍃 There is already a low emission zone in place for the city banning poor performing diesel vehicles (euro 1-5 for trucks and buses, and up to euro 3 cars are banned). This will start to be converted to a zero emission zone in January! https://lnkd.in/g2T9yHPR 📝  It appears there is more bravery for trial and error within Dutch planning. I heard of many cases where they confidently take steps to close a street, turn off traffic lights or reclaim kerb space whilst engaging with the local community to iron out issues before more permanent change is made. 🏙️ There is a 3D open source "digital twin" of Amsterdam. I'm not sure what the main use is, but it looks great!! https://lnkd.in/gKsXUqw7

In April 2014, the Netherlands introduced a 500-meter stretch of glow-in-the-dark road markings on the N329 highway near Oss. These markings, developed by Studio Roosegaarde in collaboration with Heijmans Infrastructure, utilized photoluminescent paint designed to absorb sunlight during the day and emit a green glow at night, aiming to enhance nighttime visibility and reduce the need for street lighting. However, the initial implementation faced challenges. The glow diminished after two weeks due to moisture affecting the paint’s performance. Subsequent tests were conducted to improve the technology, but as of 2024, there have been no widespread implementations of glow-in-the-dark road markings in the Netherlands. While the concept holds promise for enhancing road safety and reducing energy consumption, practical challenges such as durability and consistent performance under varying weather conditions have limited its adoption. Ongoing research and development are necessary to address these issues before broader implementation can be considered. Youtube video :

St Sidwell's Point has now been validated by the #PassivhausInstitute proving the #passivhaus design methodology delivers on its design intent, we are very happy find out. Not only have we got this positive feedback, we are constantly being told by the public how wonderful the centre is to use in terms of air quality, pool water quality, comfort and end user experience. This is exactly what you want to hear where the main function is the health of the individual. We started working on this project over 12 years ago, working it up from a Technology Strategy Board funded research project where we were investigating climate change adaptation strategies to the project it is today. https://lnkd.in/eK5rXTvG The key areas under climate change adaptation were to ensure climate change resilient design into 2080 covering areas such as comfort and overheating, increases in driving rain and wind and energy resilience associated with climate change. Our initial research phase identified the Passivhaus methodology as being a key strategy which followed through into the design process and has now been checked and validated by the Passivhaus Institute. SPACE & PLACE Exeter City Council Kier Group TClarke

On December 18, join us for an evening in Amsterdam where we talk about Speed and Safety in cities. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e44PQ6Xe Vehicle speeds, whether cars, trucks, or e-bikes, profoundly affect our experience of cities. What feels too fast or too slow often depends on the place we occupy in traffic: a pedestrian may feel endangered by a motorist’s speed, while the motorist simply wants to reach their destination. Traditionally, fixed speed limits have been the solution, but these don’t account for the dynamic nature of urban spaces, nor the emergence of new vehicle types. Unsafe streets push people into safer vehicles, but in doing so, we risk neglecting making safer streets. To create safer, more livable streets, we need to rethink our approach to speed regulation, considering the evolving complexity of urban life. This event marks the start of our journey towards the Speed Summit in 2025. The conversation opens with Carl Honoré, Luca Bertolini, Marjolein de Lange, and Onno Kramer exploring what should come first for liveable cities: safe streets or safe vehicles. Event Details: Wednesday, 18th December 2024 At 20:00 hours. Grote Zaal, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Piet Heinkade 179, 1019 HC Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Free Admission. Registration via https://lnkd.in/e44PQ6Xe

This post is completely a microcosm of the state of the discourse around micromobility. The OP (Lars Christian Grødem-Olsen (Mobility Consultant), who i don't know (yet)) oscillates, fairly, between reporting on news and giving his opinion. Whether I agree with the editorial is not my point here. In the comments we have: The statement-maker, who is nominally correct. The critical skeptic (exasperation is something I relate to). The person making the equity argument / point. The fist-shaker. All of these points have room in the discourse but because we work in an improper science most of the time, there just isn't objective correctness or ability to prove anything at all. The data don't matter, really, when a vocal portion of the critiquing public are blinded by the need to be right at all costs. The original point: the 90€ fine for improper parking of a micromobility solution is lost in the mix here. I'd love to see some more discourse and reasoning from the policymaker that addresses: what problem this solves at what cost, for who, and the process to measure whether the policy is successful. Let's see that and debate the logic in those points.

The attractiveness of the tram. Picture of the number 7 trams that operates between T-Centralen and Djurgården in Stockholm. 🚊 🇸🇪 There are several reasons why the tram is reliable and keeps the timetable. Since it runs on a space intended for trams, it does not get stuck in queues with buses or cars. It also has priority at signals, which means no long stops at traffic lights. The tram always stays exactly on its track and therefore takes up less space than the bus which requires wing space. The tram has the right of way at intersections regardless of where it comes from, provided that no other traffic rules apply. Trams can operate in several different types of street environments; on it’s own embankment, on a bridge, on the street, in a tunnel, on a grassy track and at low speed on a pedestrian street. What feels safe about the tram is that the stops cannot be moved so easily.

About : Developing an integrated transport masterplan (part 2) The fun part is developing the masterplan. There are so much to do; meet stakeholders for their views (grouses), investigate the situations on the ground, are the buses on time (ever), how bad are the congestions, what are the latest in the tech and trends (zero carbon, generative AI), what is the cost, or we just emulate our neighbour :) etc. There are certainly a lot to be covered if the sponsor has all the time in the world and a deep pocket. Hence, do plan your masterplan. If we can climb onto the balcony, the essence of developing a masterplan can be narrowed into 4 steps : (i) have clear direction and aspiration (some blue sky thinking grounded by pragmatism) (ii) honest assessment of the current as-is situation (iii) develop to-be state based on (i) and (ii) above (pragmatism rules here especially for short term quick results) (iv) develop the rollout plan. [photo was taken in Melbourne, Australia – lovely sunrise]

Restricting or banning vehicles in congested city centers pays off with cleaner air and safer streets. We need to talk more about the other big benefit — less noise. (...) Don’t just take my word for it. Researchers have found that about half of urban noise is attributable to motor vehicles. In some places the share is higher, such as in Toronto, where traffic produces about 60% of the background din. And silencing that cacophony can lead to flourishing street life — in North America as well as in Europe. (...) Recognizing the social costs imposed by obnoxiously loud machinery, London and Paris now deploy automatic noise cameras that snap pictures of vehicles when they break maximum decibel thresholds, with a ticket mailed to their registered owners. The idea has started to catch on in the US, too, with New York City and Knoxville, Tennessee, experimenting with it. BLOOMBERG 31/07/2024 https://lnkd.in/ewydHqXf FCF ATELIER www.fcfatelier.be #cleanair #mobility #mobilité #mobiliteit #lez #goodmove #autoluwewijk #quartierapaise #zoneapaise #ulez #lowemissionzone #urbanism #stedenbouw #urbanisme #health #santé #gezondheid #luchtkwaliteit #airquality #qualitédelair #publicspace #espacepublic #publiekeruimte #reapproprier #voetgangers #pedestrians #socialspace #pietons #fiets #bike #velo #openbaarvervoer #transportpublic #publictransport #sportsinthecity #sportindestad #lesportenville #climate #klimaat #climat #architecture #streetsforkids #diabetes #asthma #lungcancer #heartdisease #dementia

Delighted to share the next publication in our Supernatural Cities special issue authored by Alison Habens (University of Portsmouth) titled 'Portsmyth - Old City, New Story'. 'This paper describes the critical and creative process behind Portsmyth, a supernatural story telling an alternative version of our city. It discusses a practice-led research collaboration at the University of Portsmouth which has produced an interactive narrative set along local streets, with a blend of real and imaginary characters based on local history and legend. It includes extracts from the game script, devised as an immersive ‘choose your own adventure’, through collective research into some notorious figures of fear and intrigue, forgotten in the locations which still bear traces of their terrifying tales. A civil war assassin, an exorcist of 1998s council estates, and Jolly Jack, the sinister laughing sailor from the seafront amusement arcade are represented in this potential offering to dark tourism, using state-of-the-art gaming technology. The article will discuss postmodern theories of space and place, positing a third space where our novel narrative is produced. It explores the uncanny route map or chthonic city plan underpinning our creative writing, as players navigate a new view of the seafront setting for this ‘promenade performance’. It will reflect on psychoanalytic theory to illuminate the possible wellbeing benefits of this playable plotline. It summarises the relationship between narrative content and technical formats as we race between traditional literary and digital storytelling in the attempt to show the ‘Jackopalypse’, a symbolic uprising of maritime ghosts at the urban shoreline.' #portsmouth #supernatural #digital #tourism #heritage #placemaking #folklore https://lnkd.in/eVm2gqAB