GOOD PLANNING CAN IMPROVE VULNERABLE AREAS

In recent years, COWI has contributed to work involving a walking strategy in Oslo. As a part of this undertaking, COWI developed an analytical method that can encompass an entire city. Based on this, a ‘walkability score’ can be calculated and used to identify problems and areas of investment for more detailed studies.

Ultimately, it is about developing more sustainable cities that people want to spend time in. It is similar in this regard to public transportation planning, where infrastructure also comes into the picture as a lever for social development, such as by creating tramway stations in certain areas. Rasmus Guldborg says:

“In fact, we know that good public transportation planning plays a role when it comes to transforming a somewhat gloomy area into a more accessible and popular place. In Copenhagen, we have seen this in Ydre Nørrebro and in Sydhavnen. The same applies for Odense Tramway, which stops in the vulnerable neighbourhood of Vollsmose. Establishment of good walking routes to stations and stops can serve as the finishing touch.”

DIFFERENT WAYS OF WALKING

One of the challenges of the research project is that walking is a relatively diffuse form of transportation. No two people walk in exactly the same way, at the same pace or in the same pattern. We have different purposes for moving through urban space. Is it purely transport, or could someone be there for a particular experience or because of a specific need? And to what extent is there a difference in walking as a means of transport in various cities?

‘In that sense it is much more difficult to predict and control than motor vehicle traffic, for example. But we also know that urban design can actually affect whether people have a positive experience and directly influence more people to walk to and from work and school as a part of their routine,’ continues Guldborg.

‘That’s precisely why we have put such a high level of focus on how behaviour-regulating design can affect experience. For example, over-density of tourists in Nyhavn is an increasing problem that Copenhagen residents have started to complain about. Minor concrete adjustments can potentially be made here, such as placing benches in a specific location or in a specific manner. Or by dividing the street and providing information in a manner that more effectively guides tourists towards behaviour that locals find less bothersome.’

MEASUREMENTS PROVIDE NEW CLUES

Preliminary data in Copenhagen has been gathered on Istedgade and at its intersection with Enghave Plads. This area was selected because Istedgade is situated in central Copenhagen and is heavily trafficked by cars, bicycles and pedestrians who are both visitors and locals going to the street’s many shops and cafes, among other things.

There is also local bicycle and foot traffic to schools and childcare centres in this district. Finally, Enghave Plads offers the possibility to stop and rest, and it has a relatively new metro station. Copenhagen Municipality has worked on improvements to Istedgade and hopes to continue this work and to find out how the accessibility works for the new metro station.

FACTS: About Street Living Lab

The project adopts a ‘Street Living Lab’ approach, which it continuously builds on from city to city. The term encompasses a method that actively involves local actors and users of the street, tests prototype solutions and evaluates the results. The objective is to develop a platform for analysis, testing and evaluation that can also be used in other city areas. The platform can be both a physical workstation and digital solutions with analytical tools and results. The hope is that this platform can then also be used to share experience and thereby boost its relevance.

DID YOU KNOW?

• London has announced its first Walking Action Plan in order to “become the world’s most walkable city” and create an extra million walking trips a day.
• Copenhagen is focusing heavily on walking as a mode of transport in its upcoming Mobility Plan 2025.
• “Walking for life”, the Norwegian Walking Strategy, was launched by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in 2021. Several Norwegian cities have conducted local walking strategies. COWI in Denmark and Norway have recently worked on a strategy to promote walking as a mode of transport and everyday activity for the City of Oslo.
• COWI in Denmark has done research and tested prototypes of design elements in relation to tourists and walking in Venice to help the municipality cope with 100,000 visitors a day.
• For people over 60, walking just 15 minutes a day can reduce the risk of dying by 22 per cent.
• Biking and walking provide an estimated return on investment of USD 11.80 for every USD 1 invested.
• In London, Trafalgar Square saw a 300 per cent increase in visitors after pedestrianising the area.
• On a single car-free day in 2015, Paris cut smog by 40 per cent in parts of the city.
• Melbourne experienced a boom in residents ever since the city centre was re-designed for pedestrians.
• Pedestrians may spend as much as 65 per cent more than drivers.